This summer, I worked as an Environmental Education Intern at Crow’s Nest Preserve in Elverson, PA. Crow’s Nest is a property of the Natural Lands Trust, a land conservancy that works extensively in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. The Crow’s Nest property is the conglomeration of hay farms that were bought and donated to the Trust by philanthropists in the 1990s. The 600-acre preserve features a variety of habitats, including woodlands, meadows, savannah and a wetland, as well as farmland that is leased to local corn and soy farmers. The natural habitats are maintained by Dan Barringer, the preserve manager who lives on site. In addition to providing seven miles of hiking trails, Crow’s Nest reaches out to the community with its environmental education programs. These programs include after-school nature clubs in the fall and spring and a nature camp in the summer.

As Environmental Education intern, I spent the first five weeks of summer working on land management projects on the preserve and the second half helping to design and run the summer camp.

To the land management end, I worked with Dan on various stewardship projects, including: the strategic removal of invasive plants based on time and weather constraints; the experimentation with and the assessment of various methods of managing invasive plants; the evaluation of potentially hazardous trees according to the Natural Lands Trust's criteria for tree management; the evaluation of trailside plants inhibiting visitors' ability to navigate trails, and the strategic removal of these plants. My land management duties required equal parts thoughtful strategy and grunt labor. This combination made the work both draining and rewarding. In addition to learning the basics of preserve stewardship, my knowledge of Pennsylvania plants increased dramatically thanks to the plant expertise and teaching ability of my supervisor.

Summer camp presented a different set of challenges and learning opportunities. Foremost among these was analyzing the impact of the campers the preserve. Crow's Nest Camp runs on the philosophy that early exposure to nature will cultivate a passion for the environment in children. Influenced greatly by Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods," the camp encourages kids to explore nature for themselves. The directors believe that the environmental impact of the campers— a shrub crushed by an over-eager hiker or a minnow dead at the hands of an enthusiastic young fisherman— is worth the children's development of an appreciation for their environment. Still, there is constant definition and redefinition of how much impact is negligible and how much threatens the preserve.
Another challenge presented by this component of the internship was ensuring children’s safety in an uncontrolled setting like the outdoors. In this setting, I was directed to supervise— at a distance— campers as they hiked, kayaked, bouldered and swam. Allowing the campers to explore and learn for themselves while keeping them safe proved difficult. At the same time, this aspect of the job made it more engaging.

Working at Crow’s Nest Camp also tested and improved my communication and teaching skills, as I taught children of various ages and backgrounds about nature. I believe that these two skills are some of the most valuable and useful I acquired through this internship, and I anticipate using both throughout my professional life regardless of what aspect of natural resources I pursue.