Jesse Taylor-Waldman

The Nature Conservancy, Vermont

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a land trust organization founded in 1951 in the United States, and is the largest conservation organization in the world. To date, TNC has nearly one million members, with chapters in every state and 30 countries worldwide. Its basic mission is to preserve the animals, plants, natural communities and general biodiversity of life by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. TNC is different from most other conservation organizations in that they acquire and manage their own preserves. They base their decisions on pertinent scientific data. The Vermont chapter of TNC was started in 1960, and it has assisted in the protection of over 167,000 acres of some of the state's most ecologically significant natural areas. Their priorities are guided by a rigorous ecological inventory prepared by the Vermont Nongame and Natural Heritage Program, which gathers and analyzes information about Vermont's rare animals, plants, and natural communities.

My position with TNC was working as a River Continuity Technician along the West River in southern Vermont. I was responsible for surveying road-stream crossings throughout the West River Watershed in support of a project to assess the status of river continuity in the Connecticut River Watershed. Geomorphologic and wildlife data were collected at each site using two different field survey forms, one from Vermont and one from Massachusetts. Measurements were taken of the physical structures (culverts and bridges) as well as the channel width of the stream or river. Observations were also made in regard to visible signs of wildlife, and whether or not the site itself seemed as though it would create impediments to fish and wildlife passage.

Beyond the field work and data collecting, another aspect of my internship responsibility involved managing these data and communicating our findings with TNC staff. After all of the field work had been completed, the Vermont data forms were entered into an online database maintained by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. This information will now be used to prioritize projects to restore river processes and passage for fish and wildlife, and also to pinpoint areas where bridge or culvert repairs are most needed. I was working with three other interns and we had the opportunity to meet with TNC staff at the end of the summer and give them input about the project. We shared our thoughts on the design of the project, the content of the data forms, and gave suggestions for future changes to river continuity projects.

With respect to my original objectives, I feel that they have mostly been met. Through my internship, I gained knowledge and experience in hydrology and geomorphology, although I did not learn as much about aquatic ecology as I had hoped. I also learned the field methods required of a river continuity technician and successfully practiced these skills throughout the internship. My internship helped me meet my objective of learning more about how a conservation group such as TNC operates. I got an inside look at how the elements of field work, data collection, coordination with state agencies, and project management all tied in to create a successful and meaningful project. Working with TNC has provided me with a practical understanding of how preservation of waterways occurs in the real world.

I've always felt that hands-on learning experiences are among the most valuable forms of education, and after completing my internship, I can see that this is true. I learned a great deal about hydrology, the importance of river continuity, and how an organization like TNC constructs and conducts a conservation project. It was also a valuable learning experience in that my internship allowed me to apply what I have learned academically in a real-world situation.

In addition to helping me prepare for my senior integrative project, I think that working with TNC meshed perfectly with my academic interests. As an environmental studies major on the social science track, land conservation that is aimed at protecting biodiversity encompasses many of the different scientific topics and political issues that I have studied in my major. My internship has prepared me for my senior project by giving me a look at the role that conservation organizations play in protecting land and waterways from environmental degradation. Working with TNC, I now have a better understanding of how all of the different components of a conservation organization come together to enact environmental protection.

For my senior integrative project, I plan to investigate the role that non-governmental organizations play in land conservation, both historically and at present. In particular, I want to focus my research on three of the largest and most well known environmental conservation organizations: the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, and the World Wildlife Fund. I want to compare the approaches taken by these organizations, and analyze the success of each with respect to its mission. The Nature Conservancy, for example, has concentrated a large part of their efforts toward gaining corporate sponsorship to support their activities, whereas the Sierra Club has taken a more political approach to bringing about environmental protection. I plan to analyze these different approaches and compare and contrast their relative advantages and disadvantages.