Virginia

The job: Natural Resources intern

The location: Manassas National Battlefield Park, VA

Commitment: 3 months (May-August 2019)

Recently I did something really scary: I moved to a new state where I knew absolutely no one in order to work at a job where I get to look at birds all day- or so I thought… It turns out working in Natural Resources means doing a lot more than just look at cool stuff (though we get to do a lot of that). We have to read through lengthy protocols, organize, plan, read more articles, get permission to run around in the woods, practice plant and bird ID, and most importantly- check for ticks (somehow sitting in the office is when I find the most…)

Grassland of Manassas National Battlefield Park, Stone Bridge loop trail

Projects we have been engaged in so far included cleaning and organizing the chemical shed, helping a Ph.D. student collect ticks (hence, the frequent checks), and identifying invasive species throughout the park.