Overall, even though the internship is unpaid, it is completely worth the time, hard work, and physical and mental energy that I have put into this job. I’m not quite done yet, I’ll head back to Ohio within the next couple of weeks, but I’ve been reflecting more on what I’ve taken from this internship, and how it would not have been possible without my STEP funding.
Important skills I learned from this job that I guarantee I’ll have to use for a future career include :
-Navigation via handheld GPS and compass
-Bird banding
-Radio telemetry
-Songbird identification practice (visual and auditory)
-Butterfly and bee identification
-Tree and plant identification
-Vegetation data collection
-Data analyzation
-Habitat management strategies for songbirds
Not only will these skills help me in my future wildlife and forestry classes at Ohio State, but they will also greatly give me an edge up when I apply to jobs as well as to graduate school in the future.
Pictured Below :
Different Oak Leaves : White Oak, Scarlet Oak, Red Oak, Chestnut Oak
Our cabins we stayed in for part of the summer, along with part of the crew.