The Harkema Fund, which was created in memory of Dr. Reinard Harkema, a former professor of Zoology at NCSU, is to provide scholarships for outstanding students in the Biology Department to participate in programs that enhance their academic experience at NCSU.

I applied to receive help in paying for the transportation aspect of my Conservation Internship at the Piedmont Wildlife Center and was awarded with $750.

I am so blessed and thankful that I was chosen as one of the recipients and know that it will be so helpful to me and my experience!


Since I want to work in conservation, it's important to realize that the biggest aspect of conservation is education! While on my trip to Asheville for my wildlife rehab workshop, I shared a hotel with a lady who is currently getting NCEE certified. She showed me the website and I decided it might be something worth doing! You have four years to complete the certification after paying the registration fee. I haven't paid yet, but I can count workshops from up to a year before I register.

There are five criteria:
I. Instructional Workshops (70 hours)
II. Outdoor Instructor-led Experiences (50 hours)
III. Knowledge of Environmental Education Resources and Facilities (30 hours)
IV. Teaching Experiences (30 hours)
V. Community Partnership Program (20 hours)

It is an extensive program, but I think it will be fun. The only down side is that I do not plan to live in NC after graduation, but I feel like the resources and knowledge I gain from the process will be very valuable and easily applied to wherever I go.

I will keep you updated!




I had the awesome opportunity to take part in a basic wildlife rehabilitation workshop over the course of two consecutive weekends. The workshop was packed with seminars, hands-on activities and guest speakers.

The workshop was held at the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville, NC.

We were given three reference guides and a kit with the essentials of rehabilitation, which included syringes, needles, feeding tubes and feeding nipples. (The second manual to the right is my own.)

We learned about enrichment and broke into groups to make different types of enrichment for the animals at the nature center. Here is one of the otters with his enrichment. Inside the floating ball is a treat that he has to reach inside to get.

 My group did enrichment for the grey wolves. We took large paper bags, filled them with wool and stuffed a dead baby quail inside. This was a sensory enrichment.

Here is one of the wolves, happily taking off with his enrichment.

We practiced subcutaneous and intramuscular fluid injections on cadaver animals.

Here I am practicing on a dead baby Robin.

We got to listen to Animal Ambassadors from the center talk to us about their education animals. 


Here is Art, the Barred Owl, another education animal. 


We got to release a snapping turtle that had been rehabilitated. 

Here is a baby snapping turtle.

Comparison to my hand.

Comparison to the turtle we released.

Snapping turtles can be pretty vicious. If you see here, her legs are pretty much exposed and her shell does not offer protection. This is why they are so "mean", as a way to protect themselves. Snapping turtles can reach all the way around to their back legs, so if you hold one, make sure you are behind the legs!

Learning about a variety of caging and restraint methods.

The workshop also covered topics such as:
Rabies Vector Animals
Toxic Plants
Specific Methods of Rehab for Squirrels, Opossums, Rabbits and Reptiles
Euthanasia

and many other wildlife rehab-related topics.

And in the end, I received:







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Hello!

Hello!

About me

I am a graduate of NC State University with a Bachelors of Science in Zoology and a minor in Nonprofit Studies.

I am currently a Master's Student at NC State studying Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Part of my thesis will focus on how state action plans and policies look at and incorporate climate change and land use change. I am highly interested in habitat use, movement ecology and behavior, and hope to study these during my Master's and, later, my PhD.

I am currently working on my North Carolina Environmental Education Certification.

My skills include: Radio telemetry, Camera Trap Installation and Calibration, Animal Handling, Data Entry and Management, Animal Husbandry, Animal Behavior, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Raptor Handling, Project Planning, Fundraising, Public Speaking, Time Management and Organization

Classes I'm Currently Taking

-Conservation Biology
-Quantitative Methods in Education
-Wildlife Seminar
-Resource Selection Functions

Current Projects

-Evaluating Efficacy of Conservation Planning in the Southeast
-Evaluating the Household Dynamics of Wildlife Value Orientations

Honors, Awards, and Certifications

-Bachelor of Science in Zoology, 2015
-Minor in Nonprofit Studies
-Dean's List, Spring 2012, Fall 2013
-Roots and Shoots Founders' Award, $100, 2012-2013
-Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation Certification, March 2013
-Visionary Leader Certificate, Spring 2012

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