This past summer I was given the amazing opportunity to be an intern at the Wolf Conservation Center (WWC) located in South Salem, New York. WCC is a very unique conservation organization in that it only has four paid employees; all other people involved at the center are volunteers and interns. As an intern my main responsibility was to help with all aspects of work done at WCC — conservation as well as educational programs. This summer was also under a special circumstance because WCC had just gotten a wolf pup to be raised as their newest ambassador wolf, and a lot of socialization had to be done within his first few months at the center.

With all of these different branches of WCC, I was kept busy with a vast array of tasks. On a daily basis my job consisted of anything ranging from helping to run education programs, giving tours around the center, educating visitors about our ambassadors, picking up road-kill deer, feeding the wolves, overall maintenance/cleaning of facility, stocking merchandise, helping run events (Walk For Wolves!), fixing trail cams, changing water tanks, helping with socialization events with the wolf pup, helping design merchandise, and the list goes on. Each day was a different combination of responsibilities; some so hectic that not everything was done in a day and others so slow that I'd have to give myself things to do.

Overall, the biggest thing I've learned from this experience is that I am 100 percent reassured that I am in love with conservation and absolutely want to pursue this career path post-graduation from UVM. I have seen the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a conservatory as well as a facility involved in species survival programs for endangered wolves, and it is truly fascinating and amazing work that the staff of WCC does on a daily basis.

I had also come to the realization that it's not all fun times enjoying being around the animals, there is also a ton of maintenance that has to be put into facilities to keep them functional. Some of this work was pretty challenging for me such as the endless manual labor; there was always something being fixed as something else was breaking! Not all of this work was a walk in the park either, for example, picking up road-kill, gutting dead deer, cleaning out freezers filled with years of decaying animal parts, etc. was all not a pretty picture. Over the course of my stay I learned to love all the grunt work just as much as the easier tasks because it was all a part of the bigger picture that WCC strives to achieve.

If I was to give advice to any future interns interested in working at conservatories and elsewhere, my main message would be don't expect it to all be butterflies and rainbows. You'll always go into a job with a slow start, and you have to gain the trust and respect of your employers in order to work your way up the totem pole of responsibilities. Don't be discouraged upon the first weeks of your internship if things aren't as interesting as you had hoped for — it only gets better as the days go on.

The bonds I've formed with my co-workers are irreplaceable, I've met some people at WCC that I truly think I will remain in contact with for my entire life. It was a pleasure to be in the company of people so interested and loving towards the same wild animals I've strived to work with for the past 6 years of my life. The environment of WCC was nothing short of loving, relaxed, hilarious, and downright incredible. I wouldn't trade this opportunity for any other experience, and I can honestly say I've never dreaded leaving a place more than I did at the end of the summer.