This past week wrapped up the end of my time at Malheur. I am sad to see it come to an end, and I have absolutely loved my time here! This internship has been truly transformative and such a phenomenal learning opportunity. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributes to the Friends of Malheur program which makes my position possible; it was wonderful getting to meet many of you this summer!
Ducks dominated the month of August for me. I had the chance to participate in a week of working nights performing duck banding at both Malheur and the Summer Lake Wildlife Area. I worked closely with Alexa, the wildlife biologist for Malheur, along with many scientists from ODF&W. This was my first chance to participate in waterfowl banding, and it was very informative and just an overall fun experience. Some of the most common species banded included mallards, gadwall, cinnamon teal, and redheads. The final week of August provided another new opportunity; I had the chance to be hands on with mussels! The western-ridged mussels of Malheur are an extremely important and threatened species. A group of individuals of the population needed to be harvested and relocated, a very cool experience.
Since finishing my internship, I have returned to Marquette, MI where I will be beginning my final year at Northern Michigan University. In May I will be graduating with Bachelors of Science in both Environmental Science and Fisheries & Wildlife Management. I cannot wait to see where the future takes me, and Malheur has been played a huge role in preparing me for that. I hope to be back to visit soon!
