Prairie Partner Interns in the Preserve

As every summer, Prairie Partner Interns sponsored by the Friends are working in the Preserve for 8 weeks. On the photo, Seth McGee, the Biocore Lab Manager who spends his summers working in restoration ecology at the Biocore Prairie, explained to the Intern crew the Biocore Prairie as a living laboratory, talked about the evolution of the grassland ecosystem and included some hands-on botany/plant ID work with them. The interns are Alex Gall, wildlife ecology major from UW-Stevens Point, Caleb Burst, zoology major from UW-Madison, Kaitlyn Kozak, studying wildlife ecology - research & management at UW-Stevens Point, Krista Farrell, majoring in landscape architecture at UW-Madison, and Emily Jorgensen, majoring in environmental studies at UW-Madison.  This year, the Interns spend one day each week at one of the five Prairie Partners lands, including these sponsors: Friends of the Lakeshore Preserve, Madison Audubon Society at Goose Pond, Friends of Pope Farm Conservancy, Friends of Pheasant Branch, and Natural Heritage Lanstrust at West Port Drumlin and Patrick Marsh Wildlife area. In addition to working hard at these locations, the interns benefit from educational and training programs, including learning about wetland ecology, vegetation survey designing,  prescribed fires and the UW Urban Canid project, as well as caring for mounds built by the native peoples, visiting the Aldo Leopold shack and other opportunities. Past interns have emphasized the great value of working in different locations and with different supervising staff. Here at the Preserve they work under the direction of Adam Gundlach, the Preserve's field  projects coordinator. In the Biocore  Prairie photograph by Bryn Sciver, Baptisia alba blooming abundantly in the foreground.