The Wahine Project: Where Education Meets the Ocean

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This summer, I had the great pleasure of interning with the Wahine Project here in Monterey, California. The Wahine Project is a local non-profit focused on expanding access to ocean and beach environments through inclusive surfing opportunities for children aged 4-14, and I was drawn to their focus on inspiring future generations to protect the ocean through engaging outdoor education and activities.

I thoroughly enjoyed my summer experiences — spending time at the beach and in the ocean, supporting environmental education initiatives, and connecting with the local community. Alongside volunteering to support operations at the beach, I worked on creating an internal, institutional resource. This educational booklet sought to help staff enhance their environmental knowledge and facilitate their leading of on-the-beach environmental activities. The booklet addressed topics, such as: the threat to marine life from ocean plastic pollution and anthropogenic climate change, inspirational women leaders in the environmental community, and actions individuals can take to protect our environments. This resource, and my time at the beach, sought to go beyond informational awareness and supporting programming, striving to inspire program participants to become active stewards of the environment.

(spot the dolphins!)

Some of my summer highlights include: 

Putting on a wetsuit and dunking in the Pacific (my first time!) 

Seeing three pods of dolphins from the beach over the course of the summer — the third was on my last day; a wonderful goodbye!

Supporting girls overcome nervousness and develop confidence in the ocean — watch their love of the ocean grow was inspiring!

Educating girls about environmental challenges and actionable responses

Feeling connected to the local community and to our local environment 

Beach Art!
Pretty shell we found!
A bird we rescued!

What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?

My impacts were two-fold; encouraging children to engage meaningfully with the ocean and environmental actions/activities and creating an informational toolkit to support future staff volunteers and instructors in their leading of activities. 

The comprehensive educational resource I developed was a blend between an informational booklet and implementation toolkit, striving to equip staff with strategies, discussion questions and prompts, scientific facts, and local histories to inspire curiosity and ocean stewardship. One section I enjoyed creating was focused on inspirational women across a range of environmental fields, highlighting pioneering female oceanographers, marine biologists, conservationists, surfers, and environmental activists who have made significant contributions to our understanding and protection of marine ecosystems. This section aligned perfectly with The Wahine Project’s mission of empowering girls and women while connecting environmental stewardship to female leadership and achievement.

I hope that this resource will encourage both staff and children participating in the program to engage in larger environmental conversations. As an institutional resource, I hope it can be used and updated over time to support their mission for years to come.  

Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally? 

This internship gave me valuable, hands-on experience creating accessible, educational materials focused on supporting educators to have an impact, strengthening my skills in environmental education and curricular design. Developing practical resources tailored for younger learners developed my ability to communicate complex, interconnected systems of knowledge via accessible, easy-to-follow resources and formats, strengthening my outreach ability. These skills feel deeply valuable to my future career in environmental policy, outreach, and education. 

Personally, this experience was deeply fulfilling and engaging, as I got the pleasure of working with children to further develop their connection to the ocean, local stewardship, and to others in the community. Watching friendships flourish, first-time experiences, and inspiring confidence were all fulfilling and deeply meaningful. Working outdoors and seeing the enthusiasm of children encountering the ocean and environmental education strengthened my passion for EJ work and the value of inclusive, sustainable, community action.  

Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany? 

This experience felt unexpectedly grounding and meaningful, as I found joy in both spending time in the ocean while supporting a community-centered initiative that deeply values inspiring environmental stewardship in younger generations. With previous experiences in youth-centered non-profits, this internship highlighted the power of ocean-based exploration paired with education to foster both connection and action. I enjoy making knowledge accessible to all ages to inspire action, and felt lucky to engage directly with young people to inspire stewardship and curiosity about our shared environment this summer.  Thank you!

My Summer at EDF: Diving into the Mesopelagic Zone

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This summer, I had the opportunity to work at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) as the Blue Carbon Intern, joining the Ocean Science team under the direction of Kristin Kleisner, Mattias Cape, and Joyce Yager. My main project involved contributing to a threats assessment of the mesopelagic zone—a collaborative effort between EDF and the Ocean Conservancy evaluating the urgency of threats from climate change and future fishing activities.

When I began, I knew next to nothing about the mesopelagic zone, also called the ocean twilight zone. It’s a vast, deep layer of the ocean that plays a critical role in carbon transport and climate regulation, yet because of its depth, its existence and importance are largely out of sight and out of mind. I started my summer in “sponge mode,” soaking up everything I could about the mesopelagic zone – reading scientific papers, attending webinars, listening to podcasts, and having in-depth conversations with my supervisors. The more I learned, the more I realized how ecologically vital yet undervalued this part of the ocean is.

Mesopelagic or “twilight zone” exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. 

Once I built a strong foundation, my focus shifted to reduction fisheries – fisheries that catch small pelagic fish (like anchovy and mackerel) to make fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO), an ingredient used in aquaculture, livestock feed, nutraceuticals and even pet food. These fisheries are under growing climate pressure, and as stocks decline, there’s increasing interest in targeting the mesopelagic zone as a “new frontier” of fish to feed FMFO demand. For the threats assessment I researched four key reduction fishery species – Peruvian anchovy, Japanese anchovy, Blue whiting, and Chub mackerel – developing species profiles that synthesized how climate change is impacting their abundance, distribution, and population dynamics. Unfortunately, throughout my summer the picture became increasingly clear: these species will face major shifts with climate change, making mesopelagic exploitation an even more pressing issue.

I loved getting to live in and explore SF this summer! 

Beyond the threats assessment, I also had the chance to branch out into other exciting projects. I co-wrote a proposal for a side event at the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Abu Dhabi, working with Marine Conservation Institute and MIIS alum Elle Bent—an absolute highlight of the summer! Our proposal was accepted, and I will continue supporting its development into the fall. I also wrote an op-ed on the importance of mesopelagic protection and am helping organize a mesopelagic workshop at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) this November, which will bring together scientists and policy experts to identify knowledge gaps and chart pathways for mesopelagic conservation.

Some of the SF interns after receiving our EDF swag! And a snapshot of my remote work reality during a trip back to Vermont. 

Looking back, this internship broadened my horizons in unexpected ways. It introduced me to a fascinating new ocean climate solution — one focused on safeguarding ocean processes that naturally regulate climate, rather than engineering the ocean to enhance that role (as mCDR approaches aim to do). ​​This approach resonates deeply with my values, and I feel grateful to have worked in this space and excited to continue exploring how we can help the ocean help us. This experience also gave me a window into the realities of marine conservation work, and the kind organization and team I hope to join in the future. Most of all, it strengthened my sense of purpose in working at the science–policy interface, where I can help translate knowledge into action to advance ocean conservation and equitable ocean-based climate solutions.

Reflection Questions

What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?

I contributed to EDF’s emerging mesopelagic conservation portfolio by developing reduction fishery species profiles for their threats assessment, producing an op-ed, helping secure a session at the WCC, and supporting the planning of a global mesopelagic workshop at WHOI. Together, these efforts strengthen the foundation for future mesopelagic conservation strategies and coalition-building, positioning EDF and its partners to shape this work at a critical and opportune moment—just as the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) enters into force (which happens today!).

Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally.
This experience was invaluable both professionally and personally. I gained exposure to a new area of ocean-based climate solutions and deepened my interest in translating science into action, a space I feel increasingly drawn to. I discovered an organization whose values and approach I deeply admire, while also learning about the realities of ocean policy and marine science work. Through EDF’s internship program, I connected with inspiring colleagues and explored diverse projects across the organization, building insights that will shape my career at the intersection of marine science, policy, and climate action for years to come.

Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany?
From this internship, I learned how much I enjoy working as part of a team. EDF’s Ocean Science group felt like a close-knit family, and I loved collaborating both within the team and across the broader Oceans & Fisheries program. Their highly collaborative work showed me how much stronger projects become when people with diverse expertise and backgrounds contribute, and it gave me a chance to see the unique strengths each colleague brought to the table. Importantly, it also helped me recognize that, even early in my career, I bring valuable skills and perspectives of my own. That realization boosted my confidence and reinforced my commitment to pursuing a career in the collaborative, science-driven ocean conservation and climate solutions space. 

Miles (another CBE Summer Fellow) & I on our last day! Thank you EDF!

Shimeng (Jasmine) Zhu: Science Communication, Education and Outreach at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

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What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?

This summer, I worked with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) on the Adopt-A-Float program, which connects classrooms to real-time ocean float data. My project was designing a series of ArcGIS StoryMaps tailored for different age groups—primary school, middle school, high school and college-level learners. Each StoryMap presented float data such as temperature, salinity, nitrate, and oxygen in a way that was both scientifically accurate and engaging for students. I also created interactive quizzes and visualizations to help teachers integrate the data into their lessons more easily.

The StoryMaps provided educators with ready-to-use resources for teaching ocean science. What I valued most was transforming complex scientific data into something students could engage with directly. The StoryMaps encouraged exploration and discovery, making ocean science feel less distant and more accessible.

Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally.
Professionally, I had the chance to deepen my GIS and data visualization skills while also practicing science communication, an area I am passionate about and see as central to my career. I gained valuable experience working at the intersection of research, technology, and education, and I learned how to tailor communication for very different audiences.

Personally, this summer confirmed my passion for ocean science outreach and strengthened my belief in the power of storytelling and education. I also had the chance to go out on MBARI’s research vessel Rachel Carson for a deep-sea exploration, which gave me a firsthand look at how ocean research actually happens. Beyond that, I joined a behind-the-scenes tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I learned more about how they design expeditions and carry out conservation projects. Those experiences made me appreciate even more the work that both MBARI and the Aquarium are doing. Working alongside MBARI staff, teachers, and the other 13 interns also gave me a better sense of the technological and biological sides of ocean exploration, while boosting my confidence in collaborating across different disciplines and adapting quickly to new challenges.

Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany?
This summer gave me a lot of moments to pause and reflect. I had the chance to talk with several scientists and was struck by just how many different tools and technologies are available for studying the ocean. At the same time, I realized that even with all these resources, there is still so much we don’t know about the vast and mysterious ocean.

On a personal level, I discovered how much I truly enjoy science communication. I love learning and I’ve found that I thrive in the role of a “translator” between science and society, which connects well with my background. I also feel lucky to have had a fantastic mentor whose experience inspired me to think bigger about my future. Thanks to this experience, I now see that pursuing a PhD may not be completely out of the question for me in the longer term. Along the way, I also identified several topics I’m genuinely excited about and want to keep exploring.

Miles Tepper: Fisheries Resilience Solutions at the Environmental Defense Fund

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My time with EDF was kind of a whirlwind! For context, I’ve been chasing EDF for a while now, so even though I had no experience working in fisheries, I jumped at the opportunity to work with such a storied organization.

I’d liken the start of my internship to being thrown into the deep end of a pool, but enjoyable at the same time. Because much of the internship was going to focus on synthesizing the takeaways of EDF’s Approaches to Climate-Resilient Fisheries workshop in Portland, Maine, in early May, I got to start working a little earlier than expected and attended the workshop, which was co-hosted by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. The workshop brought together global fishery practitioners, researchers, and managers to explore pathways for strengthening climate resilience in marine fisheries, and aimed to bridge the gap between resilience assessment frameworks and practical, context-specific actions, including approaches and implementation strategies. I served as one of the workshop facilitators – taking notes, managing breakout activities, and helping with logistics for the case study presentations and panel discussions.

The workshop was essentially a high-level brainstorming session. Attendees and organizers worked together to develop objectives based on the Climate-Resilient Fisheries Planning Tool, a step-by-step guide to define, assess, and plan for climate resilience in fishery systems. Experts shared their experiences through lightning presentations, panel discussions, and breakout activities, all designed to kickstart strategizing pathways for strengthening climate resilience in marine fisheries.

A key focus was bridging the gap between resilience assessment frameworks and practical, context-specific actions, including approaches and implementation strategies. A common theme across projects was overcoming cultural gaps and ensuring the effective integration of local knowledge. This was largely emphasized through knowledge co-production and co-development — iterative, collaborative processes that bring together multiple sources and types of knowledge to develop a systems-oriented understanding of a problem and identify solutions.

The heart of the workshop was the case study presentations: 24 studies shared through 5-minute lightning talks. Each presentation followed a standardized one-slide template, as shown here, which detailed project processes, co-development design, project goals, pathways, strategies, and implementation efforts.

This template structure helped us characterize and cluster the case studies, allowing us to examine strengths and weaknesses of different co-development approaches and begin designing specific pathways to ensure more resilient fisheries. As a note-taker and discussion facilitator, it was definitely a bit tricky considering I had zero fisheries awareness and knowledge base, but it was relatively easy to quickly pick up on crucial information and context. Coming out of this event, my understanding of climate-resilient fisheries was much broader.

Post-workshop, my work with EDF was focused on expanding my fisheries knowledge and synthesizing the workshop’s takeaways. The first few weeks of the internship consisted of reading through probably 10 scientific papers on fisheries management and climate-resilient fisheries as well as combing through EDF’s Virtual Fisheries Academy to help get me up to speed on fisheries science and policy. From there, I helped write out a full workshop report, detailing the case studies, policy recommendations, and next steps, including several in-progress working groups.

I also examined the 24 case studies used in the framework for potential similarities in order to visually represent their data, and I eventually clustered the he different pathways & strategies from the case studies into five groups – adaptive management, governance & institutional reform, climate risk and tools, science and data assessments, and collaboration/knowledge sharing. This will hopefully make it easier to standardize certain processes toward making more fisheries climate-resilient.

The workshop and case study synthesis efforts weren’t standalone — they were designed to produce several outputs that would maintain momentum and continue advancing universal approaches to climate-resilient fisheries.

These outputs include the formation of working groups focusing on fisheries co-management strategies and policy implementation, the development of a global climate-resilient fisheries toolkit, and the project I’ve been most involved with: a peer-reviewed implementation synthesis manuscript — my first foray into scientific publishing!

This manuscript will examine resilience approaches, goals, enabling factors, barriers, and provide practical implementation recommendations. A major section of the paper is focused on the social foundations of resilience in fisheries — exploring the social concepts that form the bedrock of resilience in fishing communities and fisheries systems.

The social foundations section of the manuscript aims to define the key social and theoretical concepts underpinning climate resilience in fisheries systems. This involves conducting an in-depth literature review on knowledge co-production and related social concepts in resilience, and outlining a conceptual framework for how these processes interact.

For example, concepts like knowledge co-production, co-management, collective action, and institutional fit – which refers to how well management structures align with the social and ecological contexts they aim to govern – are all critical social elements that must be intertwined with ecological resilience to build truly resilient fisheries.

This work has been a valuable experience, and a good use of my more policy-heavy background, in translating high-level social science concepts into actionable insights for fisheries systems — essentially bridging social and marine science to see the full picture.

Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally?

Not only has this experience helped me gain crucial experience in understanding scientific processes, but it’s also put me onto the process of scientific writing and publishing – very useful for someone trying to embark on a career in the space between climate policy and science. It’s also helped me to be adaptive, considering my lack of fisheries experience prior to this internship, and it’s a serious first step into the world of environmental NGOs.

Personally, it’s been an incredible taste of life as a scientist – probably not something I’m cut out for – as well as life as a fisheries/marine policy expert, which is much closer to the kind of career I came to MIIS to map out. Fisheries are a unique sector of marine science and policy – they’re not super flashy on the surface, and the intricacies of the field are not very well-known, but they’re incredibly important across many realms – socially, economically, ecologically, etc. Working in fisheries is a perfect marriage of social and ecological science and policy, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity afforded to me by the CBE to get my foot in the door.

Elena Gavigan: Vessel Strike Prevention and Marine Plastic Pollution Research at IMMP

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What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?

Throughout my time at the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP), I worked on two separate projects: vessel strike prevention of the North Atlantic right whale (NARW) and researching cases of marine plastic pollution ingestion of marine mammals in California.

IMMP found interest in developing a campaign to protect the critically endangered NARW from further loss, specifically from vessel strikes in Maine and off the U.S. East Coast. The team was intrigued by potential partnership opportunities with Whale Safe -a program of the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara-, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, both of which work towards preventing vessel strikes in the U.S. In order to identify which actors were most suitable partners and how IMMP could become involved, I was tasked with developing a full analysis of the Whale Safe program and presenting my findings. This task allowed both myself and the organization to better understand the problem at hand, who is working towards a solution, the technology behind the Whale Safe program, and to create recommendations on how to move forward. Ultimately, we decided that a consumer-driven campaign against the shipping companies that are non-compliant with the vessel speed reductions was the best move.

I also had the opportunity to attend the first Enhancing Collaboration to Prevent Vessel Strikes in California workshop hosted by The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. This workshop brought together marine scientists, data analysts, shipping representatives, tech innovators, and policymakers from around the U.S. to develop a solution to the increasing number of vessel strikes in California and around the world. Following the workshop, I wrote a blog post detailing the new technologies, data findings, and potential opportunities that were discussed among the group. You can read the blog post here.

IMMP was also very interested to discover cases of plastic ingestion in marine mammals to support a lawsuit against major plastic companies in California. I began this project by creating a master list of all the stranding centers throughout the U.S. and contacting the California centers requesting data on marine plastic ingestion. Surprisingly, most stranding centers didn’t have data on plastic ingestion in marine mammals (very fortunate for the animals but unfortunate for my research). This doesn’t mean that there aren’t marine mammals ingesting plastic-it simply means that there hasn’t been much ingestion discovered in the necropsies of stranded marine mammals. There are many cases, however, in which microplastics have been found in marine mammal necropsies-still proving that marine mammals are being negatively impacted by plastic pollution.

Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally?

Professionally, I found both projects were exceptionally beneficial to my knowledge of marine mammal conservation. Doing a deep dive into the Whale Safe program allowed me to really understand the technology utilized in whale detection which I was fairly unaware of prior to this work. It was also incredibly helpful and interesting to learn all about the new software utilizing AI to detect whales, as it is becoming a major source of data collection. While I wasn’t able to find any specific cases that documented marine plastic ingestion in marine mammals (in California), this task was very beneficial to me as it greatly improved my knowledge on stranding networks and the response process, necropsy data and collection, and how plastic pollution impacts marine life.

Personally, working with IMMP was really full-circle for me. IMMP was one of the organizations that created the movie, The Cove, which is the reason I decided to go into marine conservation in the first place. Being able to work for an organization that does such great work against captivity and atrocities like the Taiji Dolphin Drive was incredibly fulfilling and I just felt honored to be a part of it.

Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany?

My experience definitely provided an unexpected interest in law. Getting to work on the plastic pollution case and trying to find ingestion examples to use against these enormous plastic companies made my work feel very real and important. I was really lucky to have a supervisor that was interested in my professional development outside of my projects. He set up meetings with the lawyers at Earth Island Institute so I can get a more in-depth understanding of what they do and ask advice, which I really appreciated. Next stop might be law school (wish me luck)!

Nate Buchanan: Flood Resilience and Climate Adaptation Planning at OneShoreline

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Fellowship with: San Mateo County Flood & Sea Level Rise Resiliency District (OneShoreline)
Location: San Mateo, CA
Dates: May 27th – August 15th, 2025

What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?

My time at OneShoreline was certainly a productive one! From orientation until my last day, it was clear that at a small government agency, being ready to switch gears is a critical skill. I was given a bit of everything: analyzing planning documents, putting together and giving presentations, heading out on site visits to mudflats and creeks, assisting making maps in ArcGIS, representing OneShoreline at events around the Bay, and even hanging picture frames in the office. As I moved between subjects and projects throughout the summer, I learned the importance of flexibility and being able to switch between multiple projects when working at small agencies where you need to be able to “do it all”.

During the summer, I assisted the team on several priority projects. These include the Millbrae Burlingame Shoreline Resilience Project –which seeks to create a multi-benefit coastal flood protection system along three miles of San Mateo County Shoreline south of SFO– and the San Bruno Flood Zone, where OneShoreline has been exploring the implementation of microgrants for flood protection at the individual household level, as well as an infrastructure project to improve flood conditions. For both of these projects, I engaged in substantive policy research on topics ranging from leveraging zoning ordinances to promote flood resiliency, the expansion of nature-based flood solutions, climate adaptation pathways, and the relationships between state, regional, and local policy and regulatory networks that make these projects a reality. I converted complex research findings into succinct internal memos which helped build OneShoreline capacity as well as my own knowledge. 

Finally, a project I am particularly proud of is the creation of a flood resilience database for localities in San Mateo. The database outlines the alignment of local General Plans, Specific Plans, Stormwater Management Plants, Watershed Plans, Emergency Operations Plans, and Climate Action Plans (among others) with OneShoreline’s Policy Planning Guidance on climate change flood planning. This hands-on policy analysis experience helps the agency track flood policy progress, identify areas of strength and areas for growth, and fulfill the agency’s mission to provide cross-jurisdictional flood planning for sea level rise in San Mateo County.

Walking the San Francisco Bay shoreline during an oyster reef restoration pilot study installation, Brisbane, CA

Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally. Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany?

My time at OneShoreline was well balanced between moments of self-growth and moments that built my sense of self-agency. In terms of agency, this fellowship helped grow my sense of empowerment in the professional sphere. I realized that if you have an idea or want to pursue a subject or career path, the key is simply to speak up, commit, and put in the effort. That’s something I’m still learning to fully embrace, but this experience gave me a clearer sense of confidence in doing so.

In terms of growth, I quickly had to get up to speed on the dozens of acronyms used by flood planners on a daily basis (our “alphabet soup”), the project design process, and the surprising influence of private consultants on local public projects. I learned so much about the players and their importance in the development of a flood resilience project. However, the discovery-so-big-I-would-call-it-an-epiphany was clarifying my interests and strengths in the flood-planning field. There are many specific entry points in flood policy planning. At OneShoreline, I found myself drawn to the nitty-gritty policy analysis and development of plans for local areas that substantially consider rising seas and climate change-induced floods. I also found myself interested in the projects that combine habitat restoration and flood resilience. These projects can unite restoration and infrastructure funding for a better chance at making it to the implementation stage. In short, my time at OneShoreline helped me refine my interests and desired career path in the field. 

Hardened shoreline and Bay Trail at the Millbrae-Burlingame project site visit, Burlingame, CA

What aspects of your summer experience revealed opportunities for growth or areas you hope to strengthen moving forward?

After self-reflection, one area of growth I identified was the disconnect between my professional voice and personal voice. I started the summer hoping to learn to navigate office culture, but throughout I had trouble deciding when to be casual and when to be more formal. The dynamic shifted greatly between different colleagues, which gave me whiplash and in the end, I did not unlock a professional voice that felt authentic to me. However, my fellowship raised this to my attention and I will keep workshopping it as my career continues. What I do know is that I want to work in an environment where I second-guess my words less, and where blending the personal and professional feels more natural than it did this summer.

Finally, my time at OneShoreline reinforced my interest in the flood planning field and affirmed my motivation to continue building the skills needed to contribute to this work. I was most engaged when analyzing flood policies and determining how they can be designed to advance climate resilience in ways that both balance community growth with climate realities and rectify systemic inequities along the coast. I see real potential in how thoughtful planning can leverage funding streams and the urgency of climate threats to create more just and durable outcomes for coastal California. Moving forward, I hope to strengthen my ability to navigate this complex system confidently and make myself an integral member of a team doing this work.

OneShoreline hat and work vest before a site visit, OneShoreline HQ, San Mateo, CA

Thomas Richards: Research, Education, and Outreach at Elkhorn Slough

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The beginning of my summer fellowship was essentially a crash course in marsh ecology. I came into this fellowship with a limited knowledge of how marsh and wetland ecosystems functioned, but by week three of my onboarding, I felt like an estuary expert. I needed to learn about how marshes work because for the first two months of my internship, I was very involved with Elkhorn Slough’s Education mission. Diverse groups of people of all ages and backgrounds came to the Slough to learn about the amazing things happening there and I had to be ready to teach them about it. These groups included elementary school students, members of local tribes, college students, and public-school teachers. My roles in these activities varied depending on the needs of the staff. At times, I led groups in activities, other times I supported behind the scenes, and at others I stayed with individuals who needed more help. Through this work, I got to see all the ecosystems of the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, from woodlands dominated by tall oaks down to small tidal creeks with microscopic plankton. As part of the Reserve’s federal mandate, I participated in a teacher workshop attended by public and private school teachers from all over the Central California region. The goal of “Teachers on the Estuary” was to train teachers in the skills they would need to bring students on field trips and teach science to their students. The teachers got to see microscopic invertebrates under the microscope, perform species richness and diversity counts on plants, learn how to trap and identify crabs and fish, measure water quality, estimate carbon sequestration in plant material, and lead a hike through grasslands. I supported the Reserve Staff as they led many of these same activities for the Ahma-Mutsen Land Trust’s Native Stewardship Corps. These young adults came to learn about the land and foster a deep connection through science, stewardship, and education.

In addition to these responsibilities with the education staff, I also had the amazing opportunity to participate in research projects occurring over the summer. Many graduate students from local and international universities came to Elkhorn Slough to study fish, crabs, saltmarsh plants, blue carbon sequestration, and other fascinating topics. My favorite experience was donning my wetsuit, hopping in the chilly water, and, with a partner, battling mud up to our thighs to drag a seine through tidal creeks and channels. This herculean effort assessed how well fish populations rebounded in marshland that had been restored. We were all extremely happy to see that in areas that had undergone massive restoration efforts over the past years, fish (and other species) were making a strong comeback. The preliminary results of this research gave us hope that future restoration projects will likely also provide rich habitat for important species.

The last month of my fellowship has been focused almost entirely on creating a community engagement plan. The Elkhorn Slough Reserve is planning to reconstruct a large area of marsh in the northeastern portion of the reserve. This project’s goal is to improve the area’s water quality, restore habitat for many species, and increase public safety. This last point is a unique and vital aspect of the project. The marsh in question is located along a stretch of county road that is periodically flooded. This flooding occurs because the road is below sea level in some parts and is protected by levees. To add another layer of complexity to the project, a railroad runs through the marsh, carrying passengers and cargo. Both the road and the railroad are at risk of flooding at high tides, a risk that is only increasing as sea level rises. The final element in the project’s equation is that the marsh is located near private residences whose owners are concerned about the impacts of a restoration project. To effectively communicate the benefits and risks of this project and get the local community involved, I have been tasked with creating a plan to contact residents and loop them into our decision-making process. This has involved planning an outreach strategy, determining key messages, identifying existing communication channels, gathering values and input, and creating materials to present at in-person meetings. Some deliverables I created include facilitation plans for in-person meetings, an exploratory survey, power point presentations, and an outline of our engagement strategy. The Reserve staff will use these materials in an upcoming meeting with volunteers and community members. Going forward, they will use these again in further meetings with different stakeholders and community groups.

Reflection questions:

What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?

I supported many efforts in education, research, and community outreach. During the mid-summer research push, I was one of a team of five people who were trained to collect and process specimens for analysis. This research will give the Reserve a better idea of how successful their restoration project has been (and will also be key to a master’s thesis and subsequent publications in scientific journals). I took a leading role in my organization’s push to involve their neighbors in the decision-making process that will impact their neighborhood. The survey I created for my organization has already been sent out and has gathered dozens of responses, providing invaluable information about what residents and neighbors care most about. I will deliver a talk at an upcoming meeting using the presentation I created. This same meeting will be conducted using the facilitation plan I created and will be attended by volunteers and community members who were invited using outreach materials I developed.

Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally?

I came into this fellowship wanting to expand my teaching experience. I am interested in a career in teaching, but my experience thus far has been exclusively in the classroom. I knew that Elkhorn Slough incorporated experiential, outdoor, and informal learning into their approach and I wanted to learn from this. Two months of intersecting with extremely diverse groups in extremely diverse situations has had a hugely positive impact on me. I now feel much more confident in my outdoor education skills.

Before coming to Elkhorn Slough, I was interested in community engagement but had little to no experience with it. Part of the reason I decided to study at the Middlebury Institute was because I felt we needed to connect the science world to the human world. Community engagement seemed like a great way to do so. This fellowship not only taught me how to do this but gave me the invaluable opportunity to put that knowledge into practice. I was blown away when my supervisor told me that I was not going to support their effort, but I was going to lead it. I really cannot say how important this has been to me. Gathering with working groups to wordsmith each word of my survey, deciding which framing would be most successful to communicate to the public, hammering out the logistics of a community meeting, all of these were crucial skills for me to develop and will be an immense help in my future. But that is not all I gained this summer. I also improved my communication skills, expanded my professional network, and connected with a beautiful place and the people that are working to protect and restore it.

Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany?

This experience confirmed and cemented my professional direction. While I loved getting my hands dirty (very literally) doing scientific research, the topics that really spoke to me were those where I was able to connect people and nature. These were education and community engagement. Coming out of this fellowship, I know that these are the fields that I want to pursue most seriously.