As I wrap up my fellowship at Shirley Heinze Land Trust, I’ve been reflecting on my experience and looking towards the future. I have enjoyed working with a group of smart, driven people this summer who have equipped me with invaluable information to advance my career.
Through my research, I’ve written educational policy briefs on urban agriculture, water quality, conservation easements and more. I’m proud of how I’ve been able to create and execute this project from the ground up, and I’m excited to see what direction Shirley Heinze takes this work once I transition out of my role. Not enough people in Northwest Indiana know about land trusts and their vital roles in conservation and preservation, so I hope that my work helps with outreach and education in that regard.
I’ve appreciated how the rest of the Shirley Heinze interns and I have been engaged in professional development throughout the summer. We’ve had workshops and “Lunch and Learns” over topics such as grant writing, leading and facilitating community meetings, stewardship, strategic planning and more. Several of us want to continue working with nonprofits in the future, so these meetings have given us a deeper understanding of how this sector functions. The staff here have made a conscious effort to support us in our future endeavors by giving us career advice and connections.
I’m excited to bring back what I’ve learned from Shirley Heinze to Valpo. I’ve been able to keep my writing and editing skills fresh for my roles at The Torch and the Writing Center, and the environmental policies I’ve researched will be helpful for my political science coursework.
A non future career-related highlight of the summer was going on intern site visits. We most recently visited Lydick Bog, which just finished an expansive capital improvement project for constructing a pavilion, restrooms and a boardwalk. The boardwalk in particular seemed like a feat of engineering, as its poles rested on top of the bog in order to reduce environmental impact and evenly distribute weight. Before this project, the trail was inaccessible at times throughout the year and could only be reached by donning hip waders and hoping for the best!
The areas we serve contain a variety of conservation types such as dune and swale, coastal dunes, marsh, forest/flatwoods, lakes and more, so there’s always something new to explore. I tend to take the biodiversity in Northwest Indiana for granted, so I’ve appreciated how willing the staff has been to show us a few of the sites Shirley Heinze protects.
The last few weeks of my fellowship are poised to be plenty busy. The interns are having a “paddle day” down the east branch of the Little Calumet River. Shirley Heinze has a kayak/canoe launch at one of their sites, so we’ll follow the river into Lake Michigan! On the final day for all interns, we’ll each give a presentation about what we accomplished this summer. It will be a bittersweet day, but I’m excited to celebrate my friends’ work!
– Grace Aurand, Shirley Heinze Land Trust