During the month of January I had the privilege of working with the Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Louisiana, under the supervision of Richard Martin, director of Conservation Programs. During my time with TNC, I was able to experience an array of tasks undertaken by conservation staff. Much of my time was spent in the office doing activities such as conducting preliminary grant work, sitting in on various meetings with members of the staff, working on research for information on management strategies of specific ecosystems, and doing general RhousekeepingS chores. However, an equal amount of time was spent out in the field. I traveled to preserves to do inventory, met with community-based conservation staff, met with landowners in the process of buying or selling land, and I even spent a day doing stewardship activities creating a fire-line for an upcoming prescribed burn. I worked at courthouses and Louisiana State UniversityUs library and cartography department completing preliminary activities involved in land acquisition and project package development.

After spending the month with TNC, I now have a broad understanding of how the organization works. The most rewarding part of my experience was seeing how the many parts of the organization: conservation, stewardship, development, administration, come together to synthesize results. This internship offered me a wonderful opportunity to learn about non-profit organizations in general and gave me a glimpse into how environmental policy is used in the RrealS world.

Contact info:
Websites: www.louisiananature.org or www.tnc.org
The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana
PO Box 4125
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
(225) 338-1040