This summer I worked on multiple projects like northern spotted owl surveying, mission blue butterfly monitoring, coyote tracking, stream insect sampling, and much more. The technical and professional skills I developed are invaluable moving forward. These aspects of the internship will be displayed and talked about on my resume and CV in the years to come, but I want to share the personal details that mean much more.

My first day of the internship was exciting but slightly embarrassing. I was told I needed to show up with appropriate boots, pants, and additional attire for fieldwork—I had none of that. Growing up I never visited a national park, let alone go out for hikes. I am the first college student in my family and the first scientist. Most of my knowledge of natural landscapes was learned through textbooks and in the confine of a classroom. I began hiking and exploring my potential in outdoor environments as a young adult, but these were just recreational activities. When I began my fieldwork for the SIP internship I was thrown into a new world. I was challenged physically, mentally, and economically. This was a moment where I felt discouraged and a bit ashamed. I didn’t have the resources necessary to conduct my fieldwork. But the program stepped up and helped me access these resources. It was here when I realized that despite my disadvantage I was going to receive the resources and support necessary to succeed.

For people who didn’t grow up around the outdoors, academia, or science in general. Internships like the SIP program can be intimidating. Luckily, I was blessed with two amazing mentors, Bill and Rachel who provided the space to grow as a scientist and individual. In addition to my mentors, I was warmly welcomed by an inclusive and supportive staff. I was invited to multiple sites with different people on the natural resources team to experience a bit of everything. We surveyed SF garter snakes, grunions, plovers, and conducted aquatic ecology work. My biggest moment of growth was working on the coyote project. I was tasked to go out and track the coyotes and was the first to analyze the data and make the connections.

My feelings of intimidation and imposter syndrome calmed when I realized the teams from both my program and project site were there for me. My biggest lesson learned was not the technical or professional skills, but the realization that I am capable even when it doesn’t feel like it. I am an important contributor and professional even when I don’t believe it myself. As my journey comes to an end I cannot help but wish I could do it again, it was truly a life-changing experience. I want to say thank you to all those who helped me during my journey to find within myself that I am exactly where I need to be.

As we continued to laugh about it, one of the city planners looked over and asked, “what kind of owl were you surveying?”

“Northern spotted owl,” I replied.

He raised his eyebrows, “I remember when spotted owl work was contentious.” He continued, “I couldn’t tell anyone what kind of work I was doing, it could have gotten you kicked out of places back then.”

He was right, the history of protecting spotted owls was a long and drawn-out process. The protection of these owls began as early as 1918 when they were included in the Migratory Bird Treaty (US and Great Britain). Fast forward to the early 1970s and through the late 1990s uprisings from opposing interest groups boiled over. On the ground, environmentalists clashed with timber workers, they often chained themselves and blocked roads to prevent habitat destruction. Finally, in 1990, the owls were considered federally threatened.  

As I reflect back on the history of spotted owl protection and research, I feel proud to continue this work. Owl surveying isn’t as graceful as it may seem to be. I usually wake up before most of my housemates and arrive at the sites around 7:00 Am. Most owl sites aren’t near main trails and require us to climb up steep slopes and thick understory. I can’t tell you how many times I have checked myself for ticks every time I feel an itch. Once you get to the nesting area you just stand there and stare at the trees until you spot an owl. Many times we are able to play audio to pinpoint their location but often times it takes a good eye to see them. Once we have located them we take some GPS data, age estimates, number of offspring, and other success indicators. Despite the poison oak, thorns, uneven ground, and occasional tick it is well worth the effort. The conversation I had with the city planner will always remind me that this work wasn’t always easy and that the owls still need our help.

Sources: 

https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/wildlife-management/spotted-owl-timeline/

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20000806&slug=4035697

Imagine a foggy morning at the beach, hidden coves scattered throughout the coastline or rolling hills carpeted in coyote brush and sage. This landscape is nestled within the traditional territory of the Huimen tribe, the original inhabitants of what is now part of Marin County. My summer internship is based in the Marin Headlands, a seemingly secluded and magical place just beyond the one-way tunnel.

Coyote Project

My first day was foggy and cold. I held the telemetry antenna over my head while listening closely to the radio, we were tracking coyotes. As we pulled into a grassy lawn the first coyote appeared. She curiously looked over at us and sat down. My mentors were baffled, “it’s usually not this easy” we watched her through our binoculars until she walked back into the brush. We continued, “beep-beep, beep-beep” a strong signal for a young male coyote was coming in. Just as we were finishing our scan, we turned behind us and looked up. At the top of a gully, he looked down at us before disappearing over the edge. Encountering not only one but two coyotes on my first telemetry run ever was extremely lucky. My mentors suggest it’s beginner’s luck, I like to think that they were just welcoming me to the Headlands.

The coyote project began in September of 2020, it is the first coyote tracking project in the Headlands. It focuses on capturing basic geographic data from the collared coyotes. In addition to learning about their geospatial and temporal activities, it can inform what action can be taken to discourage interacting with humans. I am interested in investigating how human encroachment and activity influence the coyotes’ movements during low to high traffic times in the Headlands.

Northern Spotted Owl Project

When I am not looking for coyotes, I am usually out scaling steep Redwood forests in search of the elusive northern spotted owl sites. Looking for spotted owls sounds sophisticated and enchanting, but you’ll really be trekking through poison oak, deep duff, thick fern understory, and steep slopes descending into dry creeks. This summer we are surveying nesting sites to confirm whether they are successful. Every site is visited repeatedly, collecting data on age, the number of offspring, offspring success, and habitat data of successful sites. The northern spotted owl is recognized as a threatened species through the Endangered Species Act of 1990.

Initially, the main disturbance was excessive logging of old-growth Redwood forests, their preferred habitat. Today they face many challenges such as human development, increasing wildfires, forest degradation, and the invasive Barred owl species. Despite it all, they continue to thrive in Marin county. I have had the honor of witnessing them on multiple occasions, each interaction just as exhilarating as the one before

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