A big THANK YOU to our intern crew for 12 weeks this summer (Balin Magee, Caleb Lang, Ella Langer, Isabel Knueger and Josie Crass). Pheasant Branch Conservancy is one of the Prairie Partners (Groundswell’s Patrick Marsh and the Drumlan, Audubon’s Goose Pond, and Cherokee Marsh) who each hire an intern. All 5 interns then work one day a week at each site. The crew worked hard during heat, humidity, rain, and also pleasant days. They were led by our land manager, Rob Schubert.
Each day consisted of a variety of tasks including:
- Removal of plants like garlic mustard, sweet clover, cattails in the wetlands, watercress in the springs, burdock, honeysuckle, buckthorn
- Collecting seeds such as Spiderwort, Tall Bellflower, Illinois Tick-Trefoil, many sedges and grasses in the wetlands
- Planting, weeding, watering in our propagation garden
It wasn’t all work as part of the internship is an educational component. We had several guest presentations included restoration of Indian mounds, water quality monitoring, career opportunities, and more. As reported by the interns, one of the highlights of the experience was learning not only the names of native plants but details on how to identify them. Each day as we walked through the prairies, wetlands and savannas, Rob would share information with them. We survived a very different summer with the interns due to the Corona virus and nobody contracting the virus. We wish each of the interns well as they pursue a future in the environmental field and thank them for a wonderful summer with us in the Conservancy.