Journey to the East Coast

My absolute favorite sundial found at the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, NC.

Alright alright, I promise I am listening!

There's a been a number of people appearing in my inbox asking me if I was going to write out a blog for this internship and so, here I am! Due to the fact I am about 7 weeks deep into this position, a lot of this will likely be highly summarized versions of events. I still hope everyone enjoys reading my posts as much as you had during my prior two internships (see end of post). Just know that this one may be a little rough, but I hope the quality improves in time :)

Buffalo City

 The overall quality of the drive from Ohio to North Carolina was fairly smooth.

My favorite part of it was the fact that I got to drive on 35 again, the highway I would take to get to/from college and other places around the area. The highway runs past my old college so of course I had made plans to stop and possibly visit a friend. It gave me the chance to pick up one of my favorite cheeseburgers at Zack n Scotties while I waited for a friend to message me back about meeting up for a later lunch/early dinner. As I always expect, Amy had been working the desk and I was able to reminisce about my recent graduation from college while we struck a conversation about current events in the area. At this point it was only a week ago that I had walked across the stage to receive my Bachelors degree in Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Management. For years a BS degree had seemed like a dream, but of course dreams do come true.

For those avid readers who had the chance to read my Minnesota blog, where I worked at the Wolf Center, it has been two years since you have had the opportunity to see me write. I had attended the University of Rio Grande (yes it is in Ohio, not Texas) to obtain the degree mentioned above and at last it had paid off. The reason I did not write a blog last year was due to being unsuccessful at obtaining an internship, but that's fine! I got the chance to work at Little York Pizza and Tavern with a group of wonderful staff members. The job taught me more discipline, time management, communication, and much more. It gave me a chance to be home for the summer and to see my friends, family, and past boyfriend at that time. All of which made the summer quite wonderful! But back to this story, right?

I was able to meet up with my friend at China One, our usual hot spot since we were designated chinese buddies while at Rio. It was splendid evening and truly a great way to leave Ohio; literally I crossed the bridge into West Virginia once goodbyes were said. We laughed, ate, cruised around Rural King - something myself and many other friends always seemed to do - and soon enough I was on the road again with hope in my heart and a glimmer in my eye about what the future held. Saying temporary farewells to my friend and family was hard, but I could feel that something positive was just around the corner and could not wait to explore it.

Pamlico Sound at the Elizabethan Gardens, North Carolina

My first official overnight stay was in Virginia, a state I had actually never been in before. The hotel I slept at was very quiet and nice, making the journey to the east coast that much more easier. I wasn't exhausted thankfully but I could tell my stress level was slightly elevated. West Virginia was rather sketchy in most places along the turnpike, especially when driving at night. Although I love roads with twists and turns, WV sure gave me a fun and exciting challenge. Once I had a good night's sleep, it was back on the road again the following morning and soon enough I was in yet another state, one which I dreamed of visiting but never expected to see, North Carolina. Some of you may even remember me mentioning in the Wolf Center blog about how I wanted to see the red wolves in NC, well guess where I am now - exactly where I wanted to be! See, dreams do come true!

After traveling a few hours, I finally arrived at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge around 5pm EST. I was expected to stay at a nice cabin in the woods (see pic above) for roughly two weeks for orientation and training. I settled in quickly and spent the next two hours both relaxing, looking up things to do in the area, making some phone calls to family, friends, and a full time employee, and wondering when my temporary roommates would show for work as well. This kept me busy till 7-730pm, where I jumped back into the vehicle once more for the evening to attend a Howling Trip for Red Wolves. Glad I did too! I got to meet two of the interns from Pea Island, a volunteer, and the staff member I had called - all wonderful people.

The interns and I were able to talk with the volunteer about the area, good spots to eat, his suggestions for the summer, who to meet within the agency, what some staff enjoy doing - like wind surfing!, and some special events we may get to participate in with other staff members. We saw a black bear, howled with the red wolves, and watched a thunderstorm roll in over the open farm fields before darkness set. I head into town nearby to pick up a few things to drink/eat for the weekend and prepared to settle in for the night.

Of course it happened to be eventful too, I actually may have heard a bear or raccoon scratch at the side of the cabin! I panicked some of course, messaged my mom a lot haha, and ended up sleeping with a light on for the night. On the bright side, I was able to sleep well but boy was I freaked out for a hot minute or two.

Roses from Elizabethan Garden, Manteo, NC

I was able to sleep in and still no interns had arrived yet, so I made use of my time by traveling into town to sight seen like any tourist would. My first town, and probably the closest to Alligator River,  was Manteo - which sits on the infamous Roanoke Island. The reason I say infamous is because it was where the first child - Virginia Dare - of English parents ever born in what Europeans called the New World of America and where the first colony had attempted to settle these lands. If you recall reading in your history books about this colony, you will recall that they are known as the Lost Colony for they went missing, yes this was the place! Let that not be a sign for me of course...

My reason for remembering all of this was because Fort Raleigh, in Manteo, dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh whom brought over the colony in an attempt to settle the New World before it went missing. Christopher Columbus was the first to find the "New World" by mistake but Raleigh was one of the first who wished to try to settle it, making this place not only significant to the area but for all of us who had ancestors that moved from England eventually.

Truly one of my favorite parts of new internships is not just the job itself, but also having the opportunity to learn about the local heritage and history as well. New places can teach us a lot!

Featured in the Fort Raleigh exhibits about attempting to settle the "New World"

Anyway, if you could not tell already, Fort Raleigh was one of the first places I visited. I enjoyed viewing the various exhibits and reading all about the history of England, English, Sir Walter Raleigh, the Lost Colony, and more. I walked to the fort itself and around a nature trail, enjoying a spot on a small beach which faced the Pamlico Sound. At this point I still couldn't pronounce Roanoke and Pamlico so it was a struggle trying to ask questions sometimes - but I made it through.


 
 

Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo, NC

Prior to my visit to Fort Raleigh, I had actually visited the Elizabethan Gardens. It was a pleasant walk filled with many different forms of art sculptures and landscaping. A few corners within the gardens were very quiet and I took many pictures of the sculptures and what I had seen. You'll have to look through my North Carolina Album on Facebook to actually see them all but a few are attached to this post (see above and below). I would love to visit this place in spring when more flowers are blooming, but honestly it was gorgeous enough even without dozens of flowers everywhere. My favorite part was the rose garden, where I found the sundial I showed at the very beginning of this post, and beautiful lion statues (not shown).

Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo, NC

The Gateway Visitor Center, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, was the next placed I visited after the Elizabethan Gardens and Fort Raleigh. Gorgeous banners of the local refuges hang from the ceiling and the whole building was beautifully designed and built. I read about the various exhibits they had to offer regarding different topics - sea level rise, the red wolves, local flora and fauna- and took a "trip" to the other refuges via pre-recorded plane ride videos. There was much more that the center had to offer, like a gift shop and art exhibit, but I wanted to save all this for another visit. I chatted with yet another volunteer for a while then head to Nags Head for a quick bite to eat. Seeing as how I was in the coast, I wanted some tasty seafood! Unfortunately I could not remember, at the present time, what the volunteer on the howling trip had recommended but I still had a great meal at Pamlico Jacks (still couldn't pronounce Pamlico yet so I avoided saying it back then haha). Have you ever eaten by yourself? It's actually kinda fun! Seriously, try it sometime! It's not as lonely as it sounds!

Crab, Mussles, Shrump, and Clams mixed with noodles and more! Pamlico Jacks, Nags Head, NC

After eating fresh seafood, I crossed the three bridges back to the cabin in Alligator River where I finally got to meet one of the three interns. She had just arrived but we still chatted for a while about the usual stuff - where ya from, whats your degree, etc. In no time the other two interns rolled in and we all chatted prior to bed, which came fairly quickly since it was already 10/11pm. The following day marked the official start of the internship.

Did I mention earlier that I had to keep myself busy most of the day anyway because I accidentally locked myself and one of the other interns out of the cabin the night prior? Oops, haha!

Volunteer Name tag!

The first day of orientation involved what you would expect on the first day of any job, some paperwork and meet-n-greets. It was nice to finally see all the interns for the first time and get to meet a few new staff members. Thankfully I met one already from the howling trip so I wasn't completely lost! We were briefed on any important subjects related to rules and regulations on the refuge, history of Alligator River and Pea Island, and more. Each of us were given bags with our volunteer gear and other very useful supplies - such as gloves and eye protection! The day was fairly short as far as I can remember but the rest of the two weeks would certainly be busy!

During the first week all the interns moved as a group. We were treated to Darrell's for lunch, met new staff members almost daily, toured Alligator River NWR and Pea Island NWR, checked out the maintenance facilities, practiced operating maintenance equipment (which was a breeze due to my prior experience at Five Rivers Metroparks as a Grounds Maintenance intern), were given a presentation on Lake Mattamuskeet by the biologist I now work for, and spent time with the biologist at Pea Island learning about sea turtles and water quality monitoring while simultaneously assisting her with such tasks. I was able to view more black bear, turtles galore, snakes, and a few new bird species I had not heard nor seen before! Many of which were shorebirds. Since my arrival I have been trying to see an actual Alligator, yes they're around Alligator River, but no luck yet!

Water Quality Monitoring at Pea Island

Week two involved going canoeing so that the interns at Alligator River could be briefed on their scripts they would be giving throughout the summer, ATV/UTV certification training, and learning about the local flora at Alligator River and Pea Island with yet another wonderful staff member. I was impressed by how much he knew about the local flora in the area, despite the diversity in habitat! He even managed to tell the Pocosin interns and myself what our refuges may have. 

Now you can expect that when we weren't working, each of us were trying to intermingle as a group. At night I recall visiting many of the local shops and some restaurants between Manteo, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, and Kill Devil Hills. One of the interns knew how to crab so we actually bought supplies and went for the first time! We caught a few but didn't have long enough nets to pull them ashore. Still, I said in Ohio that I would go crabbing and I did!

Great Egret, seen while crabbing.

 I was able to assist the wolf caretaker intern with her duties, giving me a chance to see the red wolves up close - a true highlight to this adventure that I will never forget. After all, the red wolves were one of the biggest reasons I was trying to come to this area in the first place so of course I was excited about it. One weekend we all went to the beach and I actually swam in the Atlantic ocean for the first time; not just the gulf of Mexico! Might I mention I was buried in the sand for the first time as well. I must say I think I would make a great sand mermaid!

Yes, I did get sun burned but you can look in my album for those pictures as well :P

The two weeks of training flew by so fast that it all honestly seems like a blur now. I had a ton of fun and loved meeting all the people I had, but it was time to move on and start at the refuge I was actually stationed at - Lake Mattamuskeet NWR.

After my two weeks were up: I packed up, said goodbye to my apparent Barred owl friend (you'll have to ask me about this story), and head south. It was there that I met my two roommates I would live with for the remainder of the summer. They were, and still are, very nice! Although we were all quiet at first, partly due to how exhausted I think I was the first week being at Mattamuskeet, but we've lived up since that day. Unpacking was a breeze and before I knew it I was already in bed.

 

My first day at Mattamuskeet was met with more orientation, which was honestly great! I was getting acquainted to the refuge I would see the most of while spending time with the staff I see a lot of. The biologist gave a presentation over the lake and history of the refuge, discussed their current goals they hoped to accomplish this summer and others that they would love to tackle if time allowed, and handed myself and another intern protocols to review. We were given notebooks to take notes with, which has truly come in handy, and I was even given my own desk for the summer! It looks a little more used than what is shown above. I share space with another intern hired through the SCA (Student Conservation Association), water quality equipment, and some tools necessary for calibrating said equipment as well.

In the afternoon we were given a tour of the east portion of the refuge, mind you this place is rather large, and were shown how water quality is performed utilizing the Sonde and Hydrometer at one of the four water structures. This is the water quality equipment I mentioned before, seen in that blue bucket. The morning session inside and tour in the afternoon soaked up most of our time, resulting in a wonderful day well spent. I met more staff of course and was so happy that all my questions about what I may expect this summer had been answered in person. I highly looked forward to the following weeks ahead and, due to how late my posts are, I can say they've been splendid so far!


If you follow me on facebook, you already know that I much more to talk about since orientation and therefore will try to have the next post up asap! I typically do not have internet on weekends, since I am almost always at Alligator River, but I will do my best to catch up where I can!

Thanks for reading!




In case you missed out on my prior internships, here they are!
Wisconsin Blog: http://wiadventure.blogspot.com/
Minnesota Blog: http://mnwolfadventure.blogspot.com/