My first ten days on Koh Yao Yai have been an interesting blend of hazy recuperation mixed with a flurry of activity. When I arrived at Klong Hia pier, I met the stationed field officer, Salisa, who has been invaluable in helping me adjust to not only living on an island but also in a new culture.
Continue reading It Takes a Village…Over the last few months, I have been working with both the superintendent and assistant superintendent of Blackhawk Country Club’s golf course to coordinate their BioBlitz, an event held by golf courses nation-wide through Audubon Internationals Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf. When the idea of assisting in the planning of this event was first suggested to me by the CEO of Audubon International, I was hesitant. I had never planned a species focused event – or any outdoor event for that matter – and I wasn’t sure about the time commitment required through the months of April and May when I had anticipated focusing solely on end-of-semester asignments and papers. I pondered the idea and my own excuses briefly before becoming aware of what a rare and SPOT ON opportunity this was for me to combine my interests in public outreach, golf, and wildlife.
Continue reading BioBlitzThe first three weeks of my placement have been packed full of meetings, workshops, and brainstorming sessions. Landscape Conservation Design is collaborative by definition, and the logistics of coordinating the ideas, resources, and voices of the various partners takes energy and organization. Since I last wrote, I’ve made significant progress on understanding where my contributions can make the greatest impact in this short summer, as well as begun initial steps towards reaching those goals. I’ll do my best here to explain what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and where I’ll take things from here.
The second day I came to CI, the director of Knowledge Management, who is my host supervisor, shared a fresh article with me. The heading was “Areas in the Amazon that were supposed to have zero deforestation lost 6 São Paulo cities in 3 decades” (Dantas). The news knocked me down right in the morning. It is sad to think that this big loss happened inside protected areas (PAs) and outside PAs was worse. Not only this, but the atmosphere around environmental issues is very delicate in Brazil. Our protected areas, environmental laws, environmental agencies, and the indigenous rights are all being threatened by the current politics led by the far-right president Bolsonaro. Hence, it is hard to keep motivated in the middle of a lot of bad news.
Continue reading TRANSFORMING degraded lands INTO OPPORTUNITIESI started my placement late March with a light schedule because I was finishing my Spring semester at the same time. The idea was to help CLA to get some documents ready for the summer and start working full time during June and July. My first tasks were to update the Citizen Monitoring Manual, create agendas for each Volunteer Days scheduled during the summer, and enter the date of these events in CLA’s Google Calendar. Administrative tasks are time consuming but necessary steps for the coordination of the team and the volunteers.
Continue reading The Difference Between Planning and Reality“Reflective conservation practitioners part of a thinking community” ..
As I work at the Three Waters Reserve I get the sense that this is exactly what is happening here! Leopolds’ vision in action. Not only are we reflecting on what it means to create an environmental education program that demonstrates the values and goals of the organization-we are all part of this community of like-minded individuals working towards a common goal.
The theme, “Get to Know Your Watershed!” was developed by the LSRWA to foster land stewardship. Communicating land ethic through educational programs, events and recreational activities is one way to deliver the message. The overarching theme and goal of the educational programming plan (my project) for the new Environmental Science Center is to emphasize that the land is an equal part to the community.
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I have started my fourth week with KCS and I am feeling more comfortable with the fast-paced environment at which they operate. The nonprofit is working on a couple of interesting projects that I have been tasked to assist with in their development and implementation.
Continue reading keeping up with the kalahariFor my placement I will be working for the Journey North Program at the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, located in Madison, Wisconsin. This is an exciting opportunity as Journey North has led the way in citizen science observations of migratory species in North America for the past 25 years, and currently contributes over 50,000 sightings per year, making the both the Arboretum and Journey North’s shared mission to understand, preserve, and protect migratory species like the monarch butterfly and ruby-throated hummingbird possible.
Continue reading Images of Change: The journey northMy summer project is in Madison, WI with the Department of Natural Resources. I’ll be working closely with the Water Quality Bureau in the Environmental Management Division to evaluate Google Earth Engine’s ability to process Landsat imagery to produce data products for lakes across Wisconsin.
Continue reading Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-Water Quality Bureau: Revving up with Google Earth engine
The Nelson Institute: Environmental Conservation Leadership Projects 