Marsha Barnes MSEM ’16 has had a wide variety of hands-on projects as the Environmental Education Specialist at the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve.
St. Edward’s University Wild Basin Creative Research Center serves as an extension of main campus and includes 227 acres within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve system. In addition to serving the university community, the preserve is open to the public for trail hiking and events. Wild Basin also offers volunteer opportunities and guided school tours.
Throughout her internship, Marsha’s first project was creating two digital trail maps. One map is a Google maps page which allows visitors to view Wild Basin’s trails and amenities. The other map is a KMZ file that opens in Google earth allowing you to view the map in real time as you hike along the trails. Never get lost again! Need to sit down? Don’t fret you’ll know when the next bench is coming up. Links to the finished maps are located on the Wild Basin website at the bottom of the home page.
Marsha’s current work consists of creating new and updating old signage throughout the preserve to convenience hikers and visitors along the trails. She is also working on creating a time lapse photo series for the trails as a side project. To do this, Marsha has been moving around trail cameras looking for the perfect place to use as the focus.
“I love interning at Wild Basin, it is one of the best jobs I have ever had. This experience has been so much fun and Wild Basin itself is so beautiful, it provides an amazing work atmosphere.”
– Marsha Barnes MSEM ’16