Julia Lalor was a conservation planning intern at The Nature Conservancy in Boulder, Co.  Her responsibilities were twofold: helping update the conservation plan for a TNC designated conservation site and monitoring indicators in the field.  The first entailed locating and analyzing data to determine the ecological status of the conservation area and evaluate potential vulnerabilities within the area.  It also included organizing meetings of the core conservation planning team and meeting with stakeholders.  This portion provided Julia with experience in facilitation, experience communicating with people of diverse backgrounds and interests and exposure to different aspects of conservation design.  Most importantly, for Julia, it helped establish how to approach a conservation problem, what to look for and what questions to ask. The second part revolved around collecting field data such as extent and number of prairie dog colonies or measuring surface discharges to enable ongoing monitoring of the conservation area.  This portion developed basic field and observation skills for Julia.  Overall, the internship was an excellent learning experience, particularly in terms of showing Julia how she could contribute to the Conservation Biology field.

Internship Details