Jenna Yetsko worked with the Cambria County Conservation District this summer. The Cambria County Conservation District educates and assists the public through programs, projects, and leadership in the stewardship of natural resources to sustain and enhance the quality of life. This summer Jenna was assisting with educational programs and stream restoration activities.
Hope Leer completed her internship at Laurel Hill State Park Complex. Hope assisted and lead environmental education programs. These programs help to highlight the many different opportunities and features of the park that can be enjoyed by all age groups. In addition, Hope also learned more about how a state park functions and operates by working alongside the different levels of rangers and maintenance.
Ian Abernethy interned with the DCNR at Loyalsock State Forest Bureau of Forest Management. His duties this summer were primarily to survey property markers of the state forest land and mark with GPS. Ian also assisted the foresters in their daily tasks such as timber management, clearing trails, and handling of invasive species.
Cara Lichtenfels interned at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, as a Horticulturist. She was busy learning about growing and caring for various temperate and tropical plants, assisting with landscaping duties, and enjoying the company of the zoo animals.
Matt Siszka interned with Armstrong County Conservation District. His duties included visiting schools with a Mobile Environmental Display that taught kids about Ecology with hands on exhibits. Matt also worked with the Armstrong Valley Land Trust doing trail maintenance. Not only did Matt educate our youth, he also learned quite a bit himself. He participated in bank stabilization and erosion and sediment control activities, and assisted with survey and engineering of larger trail projects.
Abigail Becker interned with Cambria County Conservation District. Her duties included assisting with many environmental education programs and planning the annual Family Day programs. Abigail also learned about best management practices for stormwater management and watershed education by assisting with and observing workshops and construction projects.
Alex Colosimo completed his second internship with Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. in Pittsburgh. Alex repelled down steep slopes in southern West Virginia to plant live stakes, saplings, and ferns to revegetate the bare slopes.
Dalton Group interned with DCNR at the Tuscarora State Forest. Dalton participated in activities including clearing trails, laying out areas for silvicultural treatment, measuring trees to determine volume, collecting data on deer impact to vegetation, applying herbicides to suppress invasive plants, and evaluating revegetation progress on a new pipeline and a dam removal site. Dalton was also responsible for two independent projects during his internship: working on are camera surveys for PA threatened Neotoma magister in the forest and evaluations of aquatic organism passage at stream crossings.
Richard Wagner completed his internship with Prince Gallitzin State Park. He assisted in the day to day operations of and learning how to manage a state park. He also worked on the Aquatic Invasive Species management program, trail maintenance, and environmental education. Richard operated the park patrol boat surveying aquatic vegetation and performed a Dam inspection.
Nick Perry interned this summer with Eco Islands, LLC. working with company owner Colin Lennox, Nick assisted with the daily operations and maintenance of PermaCyclers, natural water filters that assist in the remediation of water in ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. These "boxed wetlands" are a passive method of water remediation and much easier and less invasive on the surrounding environment.
Megan Ponczek finished her internship with Highland Sewer and Water Authority assisting in GIS work. Her work included using GPS to locate new shut off valves, viewports, manholes, hydrants, and update locations of old ones. This data is then incorporated into GIS mapping.
Click here for 2018 Internships.