Congratulations to our Summer 2024 Natural Resource Interns! Our 10 interns braved the hottest, most humid semester of the year and collectively gave over 1100 hours of their time to ACT. This intern group took everything in stride, showing up every day with a positive attitude and willingness to learn, no matter how challenging the work conditions. This semester, interns treated non-native centipede grass, planted native grasses, and treated invasives at Little Orange Creek, helped install a trail system at Little Awesome Preserve to prepare for its opening in the winter, spent several days treating invasives and preparing burn units through thinning sweetgums at Santa Fe River Preserve, assisted with fireline preparations, treated tropical soda apple at Orange Lake Overlook, treated midstory plants at Santa Fe Springs, and built a fence at the Bubbie’s Secret Garden which will open as a pocket park in the Fall. Interns assisted on three prescribed fires this semester, including one at Fox Pen Preserve and one at Little Orange Creek Preserve.
In addition to the physical work they completed on ACT preserves, interns also participated in a variety of learning and professional development opportunities, including dipnetting at Little Orange Creek and a botany field day, a fire prescription writing workshop, a grant-writing workshop, a forestry day to collect data about LEAFS preserve, and a fire workshop lead by the North Florida Prescribed Burn Association. Interns also participated in Jay Watch by completing Florida Scrub-Jay surveys with Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Florida Audubon Society, dug a grave with the Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery, and looked at cave crayfish with biologist Paul Moler.
Several interns shared about their experience this past semester:
As someone seriously interested in a career in natural resource management, my experience as an intern with the Alachua Conservation Trust has made an indelible contribution to my academic journey. From prescribed burns and wildlife assessments to preserve maintenance and habitat restoration, I engaged in a diverse range of activities that provided hands-on experience in natural resource management and conservation practices. I have an unfailing appreciation for the staff at ACT, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside people who are so knowledgeable, so passionate, so supportive, and so eager to pass along their knowledge to rising generations. I sincerely could not have asked for a better, more enriching experience. - Dante D.
My experience as an ACT Summer 2024 Intern was an incredibly rewarding experience! I was part of an amazing crew and gained many skills, such as carpentry, plant ID, invasive plant removal, chainsaw operation and maintenance, and prescribed fire participation and knowledge. We also did many fun activities including an intern paddle in the springs, muscadine picking, and using natural dyes. These experiences helped me grow and even stronger appreciation for Florida ecosystems and have a better idea of a work trajectory I want to pursue in the future. - Abbi J.
Internship applications for the Spring 2025 semester will open at the beginning of November and close the first Friday of December (Friday, December 6th). The Fall 2024 internship will run from the last week in August through the first week in December. For more information on the Natural Resource internship, check out our website: https://www.alachuaconservationtrust.org/natural-resource-internship If you have questions about the Natural Resource Management Internship, please reach out to Amy Compare (amy@alachuaconservationtrust.org).
ACT’s intern programs are supported by people like you, who see the value in providing the next generation with the tools, experiences, and skills to steward and conserve land. If you would like to support the growth and development of young natural resource professionals, consider donating to the Internship Fund In Memory of Ryan Crowder & Julia Reiskind
