My experience at the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District was fantastic. The staff here is very welcoming, knowledgeable, and always willing to help. Everyone also has a unique talent to offer in the field and I learned something new every day I was here.I spent most of my time at Keller Golf Course maintaining the no-play areas, wetland buffers, prairie areas, and oak woodland remnants. I enjoyed this very much as it gave me the opportunity to observe these sites as they changed over the summer and the impact our work had on these areas. I believe that our work really helped to establish and improve these areas. I am happy for the amount of time I spent at these sites as it really allowed me to connect to the area and gave me a greater sense of involvement in the restoration project.
At the beginning of this internship I didn’t have a good grasp of native plant communities. I could not identify most plant species and didn’t know if they were native or invasive. As the internship progressed, my eyes began to open to the environment around me. I especially became aware of how common invasive plants are in the landscape. Now I am happy to say I recognize over one hundred plant species, and can appreciate the habitats that they prefer.
During this internship I was also given the opportunity to take tours and shadow many professionals in the office. This gave me an all-around view of watershed management and the projects that we are heading. From start to finish, I learned more during this internship than I have from any class I have taken. I am very thankful to have been able to finish up my biology degree in this way.
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