Credit: USFWS Caroline Byrne holding a Big Brown bat.

I was a biological intern at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge during the summer of 2011. I was interested in gaining more field experience before pursuing a Masters degree. My time at the refuge allowed me to pursue my interest in bat ecology and acoustic monitoring techniques. My main responsibilities involved the continuation of past research efforts, to monitor resident bat populations through netting, radio telemetry and analysis of recorded vocalizations.

The positive dynamics of the staff, promote professional growth and skill development, through open discussion and hands-on experience. I was given the opportunity to work with experienced professionals from many fields, allowing every day to be different and engaging. This refuge offers a wide range of options for outdoor recreation and education. It's proximity to nearby communities makes it an amazing local resource.

Credit: USFWS Hillary Siener recording data.

My name is Hillary Siener and I spent my 2011 summer working and living at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. It has been a fantastic, busy, and educational experience for me, and I am sorry that I cannot stay longer!

I come from a diverse background; I studied geology at St. Lawrence University, have seasonal job and internship experiences with wetlands, plant community mapping, rare plants, GIS, and bird banding, and am now pursuing my M.S. degree in conservation biology at Antioch New England. One of the reasons I applied to this position at Wallkill is because I wanted professional experience working with wildlife.

Wallkill River NWR has a lot to offer. I spent a good portion of my summer tracking bog and wood turtles, long-eared bats, and conducting breeding marshbird and upland bird surveys, plus surveys on waterbirds that utilize the larger wetlands in the area. Other tasks included invasive plant species management, emerald ash borer inventories, bat mist-netting and acoustic monitoring, habitat restoration, working in the greenhouse, monitoring beaver dams, and education outreach. My side-project was designing a trail system on a newly acquired piece of property that consists of very different habitat from most of the refuge.

Because of the devastating effects white nose syndrome is having on various bat species in the area and much of the eastern half of the country, I was excited to get the chance to work with bats and learn more about their biology and ecology. Although not a handler, just being around these unique mammals, learning about them, and helping out at the net sites until 3am is eye-opening, a lot of work, and fun. This and the bat acoustic monitoring were great learning experiences and I hope to continue contributing to some of this research in the future.

Overall it was a fulfilling summer. Wallkill’s staff and volunteers are great, have a lot to teach, and are supportive of all the work we are doing and I feel very lucky to have worked here for a summer.

Credit: USFWS Greg holding a bat.

My name is Greg Hinks and I was a biological science intern at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge from May to August 2011.  The internship was my first hands-on experience with wildlife management and gave me the education I will need in my future endeavors as a wildlife biologist.  The summer of 2011 exceeded any expectations I had about what I would learn as I participated in the control of invasive species of plants, North American Bog Turtle habitat management, and the capture and studying of native species of bats and assessing them for signs of deadly White Nose Syndrome.  I also participated in frequent water bird, songbird, and secretive marsh bird surveys with experienced and extremely knowledgeable refuge personnel and volunteers.  My experience was so positive that I plan to spend my free time assisting in refuge operations where my help is needed.  The staff at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge is unsurpassed and represents the best of the best, especially if one is seeking the experience to make a career for themselves in the field of wildlife management.