MSEM in the Field

The number one question I get asked is: What do you do as an environmental communications intern? I assist in the crafting of headlines, alerts, blogs and webpages covering issues related to environmental conservation. My project for the semester is the creation of a series of issue pages on the National Forests and Grasslands of… Continue reading What Does An Environmental Communications Intern Do? →

Along with three other MSEM students from Cohort 4 and a PhD student from Indiana University, I am conducting an independent research project in Costa Rica as part of a three year project. The overall project is looking at land fragmentation effects on forest condition, community vitality, and primate health. My project focuses on examining… Continue reading Staring at Sloths (not part of my project) →

In working to save destroyed rainforests and to restore human dominated landscapes in tropical regions, land managers and landowners have been planting fig trees, or Ficus spp. individuals, on their properties for several years. This is due to fig trees being a keystone species in the tropics; Ficus spp. fruit all year round, are included… Continue reading Fig Trees, Fieldwork, and Forest Fragmentation →

Did you know that East Texas has 675,000 acres of forest and grasslands? Did you know that Texas boasts some of the most ecologically significant forests in the U.S.? When I started my internship with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club in January, I didn’t know either of those facts.

For my internship, we are using Wildlife Acoustic sound recorders (SM4) to collect data on the bird and anuran community in Wild Basin.

Since January 18th, I have been the Estuaries Program Conservation Associate at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida  in Naples, FL. So far I have really enjoyed this experience and have learned so much about environmental policy in Florida.

The following entry is something I wrote during my second weather balloon launch from Costa Rica. Because launches happen weekly every Friday morning, I have now participated in four launches here, going on five tomorrow morning. January 27, 2017