This summer has flown by in the best way. Thinking back to when I started this internship in May, I can remember how nervous and excited I was. The excitement was well-founded; the nervousness was not! Even though the Blue Hill Peninsula was a completely new area to me, the staff at BHHT immediately welcomed me in. The peninsula quickly shifted from being an intimidating new neighborhood full of strangers to a beautiful area full of amazing vistas, secluded corners to explore, and friendly faces.
Working with my lovely co-interns, Kaela and Renee, this summer has been a blast. We’ve worked with everyone in the office to learn about the different aspects of BHHT’s operation. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for the patience and support of BHHT’s staff this summer. Everyone has been open and encouraged us to learn from them, even when it has required extra effort on their part.
Andrew and Emily taught us the ins and outs of designing, building, and maintaining trails; Harlie taught us to find and write grants to fund specific projects; Beth and Brooke took us along to outreach events and helped us develop our own; Jw led us through the forest and taught us how to measure and analyze forest metrics; Megan showed us everything that goes into developing community connections and maintaining donor relationships; and George took us along to monitor easements and explained the intricacies of land acquisition.
I’ve done so much over this summer, and the breadth of this internship has taught me more than I ever expected. I gained hard skills (like using a chainsaw and operating a big tractor), deepened my understanding of how land trusts work, developed scientific communication and presentation skills, and learned about the history of the peninsula and the Trust through conversations with community members. I know I will carry this experience with me through the rest of my time in school and into my career.
I’ve had friends and family come to visit this summer and–without fail–everyone has been blown away by the beauty of the peninsula’s nature and community. This is a special place, and I am so thankful I got to spend my summer here with this community.