When first stepping into the world of conservation, I knew very little of it, and didn’t know much beyond the basics. The first few weeks of interning with a conservation group were eye opening when learning about the different challenges and rewards that this organization sees in their conservation projects.
During my internship experience I even took a detour to spend a month maintaining trails on the Nez Perce National Historical Trail that runs through Idaho. This detour added another layer to my outdoor experience. When that experience came to a close, I was ready to jump back into my journey with Trout Unlimited (TU).
Trip to Lower Granite Dam
An introduction to my TU journey
The first three weeks were a perfect introduction to the kind of work TU does. One of the days of my first week I had the opportunity to head out to Musselshell Meadows to participate in a Camas count. Camas is culturally important for subsistence, which is why I enjoyed learning about it. I had no prior experience of counting camas, but after picking up on it I ended the day feeling I did something meaningful for natural resources.
Musselshell Meadows
In between fieldwork, I would spend my days in the office, attending meetings, which allowed me a deeper look into how TU operated. Taking notes on meetings, and meeting some of the staff at TU helped me understand the various roles within the organization.
Work on the Nez Perce trails
After the initial first weeks with TU, I switched it up and spent four weeks doing trail maintenance. This was an experience away from my TU internship, but I still feel I learned about conservation and the environment from it.
Throughout this month our group set out to clear and maintain trails on the Nez Perce National Historical Trail. It was a tough but satisfying experience once we were able to see the trails become useful again after clearing them. We even met a group who hiked the same trail we cleared the day before.
Nez Perce Trail Clearing Before and After
Returning to TU
Returning to TU after my time out in the mountains, I came back to a packed schedule for the next four weeks, all exciting activities I couldn’t wait to be a part of.
One of my most memorable days was spent at the Dworshak Fish Hatchery. At the hatchery, I got hands-on experience with salmon, and learned more about how to take care of them, but also learned about their reproduction when spawning day came.
Watching and participating in spawning was an experience I will not forget. We sorted through nearly 2,000 fish in one day, identifying which females were ready to release eggs. On this first day of spawning, there were only about 100 females ready to spawn.
Fish Ponds at Dworshak Fish Hatchery
Another insightful day I had was seeing the Knock on Wood project which was located at Lolo Creek past Musselshell Meadow. This project focused on creating better habitats for fish by placing logs into water at different spots along the creek. The idea behind this is the logs will provide shelter, and improve stream quality for the fish.
A couple of days in Wallowa
For one of the last experiences I had with TU I took a trip to Wallowa, OR and met up with a group from the Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Watershed Department. The first day they started out with snorkeling at Bear Creek, where I got to see how they identify and measure fish underwater. I spent my time with them jotting down the data and learning about the process.
We switched gears slightly the next day and began electrofishing further down Bear Creek in the town of Wallowa. The fish were netted during this process, and were much easier to net with electrofishing. After all the fish were collected, they were measured, weighed, and sent back into the stream.
Electrofishing and Snorkeling at Bear Creek
Conclusion
As the summer comes to an end, so does my time with Trout Unlimited. I am leaving this internship with new knowledge and plenty of hands-on experiences. Although my journey with this summer internship is over, I will be taking so many of the lessons I learned throughout it with me.