Biology Intern Katie Bell

Credit: USFWS In over my head again, trying to locate points for one of the many vegetation surveys conducted on the impoundments.

Credit: USFWS Adjusting the boards on impoundment 5 to draw the water down.

Hello. My name is Katie Bell and I received my Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cobleskill. I spent my summer and fall working as a biology intern at the Wallkill River NWR. I worked on a number of projects while I was there. My favorite project was managing the Liberty Marsh unit for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl as part of a multi-regional, multi agency study. I was responsible for conducting three types of bird surveys (activity budgets, detectability, and species present) and three types of vegetation surveys (species composition, cover, and invasive species) on two of the seven impoundments. I also assisted the biologist with adjusting the water levels on all seven impoundments and performed weekly water gauge checks to monitor the effects of our adjustments.

I also worked on a number of other projects. I mapped invasive species and conducted a survey on two new species (Water Chestnut and Japanese Hops) found on the refuge. I did some minor bog turtle habitat and trail maintenance and helped conduct grassland bird and raptor surveys.

Some of the best times I had were assisting the Friends group with two of their events – Refuge Day and Nocturnal Creatures Night. For refuge day, I ran the frog jumping event and got to spend a number of days up at Liberty Marsh collecting frogs. Nocturnal Creatures Night is the only time I’ve ever dressed up like a bear.

Working at the Wallkill has been a great experience. The staff is very friendly and outgoing. They make you feel like you’re part of the family. I’ve learned a great deal from each person that works there. I hope that other interns will have the same experiences I got to have while I was here.