Striving Towards a Career in Watershed Management

Abstract

My graduate experience in the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Professional Internship track consisted of participating in separate projects with The Nature Conservancy and Three Mountain Alliance. The majority of the graduate program allowed me to gain hands-on experience in working in both terrestrial and coastal ecosystems collecting data, restoring native ecosystems, analyzing data, and writing data reports. The first project, guided by The Nature Conservancy, consisted of researching the nitrogen isotopes of macroalgae within Kīholo Bay, analyzing the data, and writing a report. The purpose of this macroalgae project was to research how the nitrogen from kiawe trees (Prosopis pallida) and feral goat (Capra hircus) feces influence the growth of marine macroalgae. The results indicated that the nitrogen from kiawe trees and goat feces influences the growth of marine macroalgae. According to the nitrogen values, I was able to infer that Kīholo Bay was not polluted with excess nitrogen. The second project was a nine-month internship with Three Mountain Alliance, which is a watershed partnership located within Volcanoes National Park. My tasks with Three Mountain Alliance mainly consisted of conducting data collections of native and non-native vegetation within planting sites and reporting that data. Also, inputting previously collected bird and ungulate data, and writing up reports for various partner organizations. I completed other tasks with Three Mountain Alliance that induced creativity, such as making a plant guide for one of their restoration areas and making a digital display of vegetation photo points. The most significant skill sets I gained from these experiences were learning how to effectively collect data in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, as well as analyzing and reporting the data I collected. Overall, I gained more confidence in myself, as well as a professional manner that I carry with me every day. I also became inspired to further my education by learning more about environmental policy to make more influential changes in my community.