This will mark my last week as a Wildlife Conservation Intern at the Piedmont Wildlife Center. My time here can best be described by classifying my accomplishments and work as they relate to the knowledge and appreciation of the natural world and its conservation. In my mind, the position has been dedicated to the acquisition, application, and proliferation of this knowledge and appreciation.

My work has helped to develop an understanding of the importance of wildlife conservation through research, interviews, and observation. These activities have made me more aware of the consequences of environmental neglect and given me an education concerning the significance of conservancy of the natural world. My literature reviews and research on the rehabilitation and release of native species such as the Eastern Box Turtle and Black Rat Snake have led to interviews with partners in organizations that both hinder and help the support of these species and the PWC’s rehabilitation efforts. The Nature Walks have provided a direct means of observing and learning about the wildlife the PWC strives to protect; they have also supported my abilities to observe events of the natural world and thus appreciate them. The Wildlife Conservation Internship focused on the acquisition of such knowledge, but it also promotes its application.

My acquired appreciation of wildlife conservation has induced me to take steps to apply such knowledge in order to encourage preservation and alleviate harm caused by neglect or ignorance. My interviews with organizations that share or lack the rehabilitation goals of the PWC were prompted by my new-found education and resulted in preliminary steps to quantify the influences of humans and isolated landscapes on Eastern Box Turtle population health. I was also able to estimate the feasibility of rehabilitating captive snakes (in particular, Black Rat Snakes). My landscaping and grounds development projects resulted in the mending and improvement of an aquatic habitat, raptor enclosures, and garden partitions. I further applied my appreciation of conservation during every Nature Walk, better observing and noting the surrounding ecosystems. The Wildlife Conservation Internship position empowers the individual to become educated, passionate, and active in matters of wildlife conservancy and protection; it also strives to spread this understanding.

A large part of my activities as a Wildlife Conservation Intern supported the expansion of environmental awareness in the local community. I collaborated to create an educational notebook for use in North Carolina classrooms designed to give students the tools to appreciate the diversity, importance, and beauty of indigenous birds – especially birds of prey. I also updated the labels on the enclosures of the educational wildlife in the PWC’s building to better reflect the goals of the center and to provide more accurate and comprehensive education for interested visitors.

The Wildlife Conservation Internship focused on obtaining, using, and spreading an appreciation of nature conservation and advocacy. The most important characteristic of the position was the variability of the work. The underlying goal was always to promote the protection of indigenous flora and fauna, but the activities evolved and changed based on the project at hand and the input of the intern. I earnestly recommend the experiences as a Wildlife Conservation Intern at the Piedmont Wildlife Center to anyone with an interest in the natural world and especially to those with a passion for preservation.