I have spent all my life on the coast of Maine. Growing up in Kennebunkport and spending my summers in Lubec exploring the bold coast, I have gained an appreciation for the coastal forests. Upon finding this internship I knew that I wanted to spend my summer helping preserve such a vital ecological system and its natural beauty. My summer as a Blue Hill Heritage Trust Intern has been an incredible experience and has connected me with an amazing group of people. It was wonderful learning about forestry, stewardship, and outreach alongside my fellow interns Emily and Annie.
Conservation and the health of the natural environment were very prevalent topics throughout my education. I had discussions through my school and with my family and while I’ve found many of these conversations highly educational, they were also quite cynical. This job has allowed me to not only be a part of the conversations but also the positive work moving towards healthier and more protected natural areas. During my internship, I enjoyed learning from people who had different backgrounds, but all found their way to being a part of BHHT. In the beginning, we were introduced to all aspects of the Trust. We met with each member of the team and learned what their role was for the Trust. After that, we were split with about 40-50% of our time being stewardship and the rest being a mix of outreach and forestry. Stewardship and outreach brought many opportunities to meet people in the community.
In stewardship, a fair amount of our work was trail maintenance where just the three interns went out. We also had volunteer days which allowed us to work alongside people in the community. On these days I was able to interact with some kind, and interesting people from Blue Hill. Outreach also gave us a chance to meet great people. One of our first experiences with outreach was when we went on a field trip with a local elementary school, and it is still one of my favorite days. The kids were so excited to find whatever they could in the intertidal zone, and I enjoyed being a part of helping children engage and find an appreciation for nature that sometimes seems to be a little lost. In addition, I had the opportunity to run an event on invasive species education and management. Planning this event was such a valuable experience to have, I was able to connect with some people about a topic that we both found interesting.
We also spent a fair amount of time with the BHHT forester. Forestry days were some of my favorites because of how much I feel I learned. For me, it was a completely new skill set in which I had no prior experience. The forester liked to tell us we were extremely lucky as we rarely ever had bad weather or a lot of bugs when we would go out.
Overall, this experience has been phenomenal. It has set me up with a diverse skill-set that I can take back to college and beyond. While I am not sure that I will return to work at a land trust after college, as I still have absolutely no idea what I am doing, it is nice to know that if I do, I will be equipped with the correct tools needed for success. I am eternally grateful to Blue Hill Heritage Trust for an amazing and very memorable summer!