July 30, 2013 at 5:38 pm

Taylor Macy: A Wiiiiild Summer Internship

By Taylor Macy ’14
Honors Tutorial College and Environmental and Plant Biology Major, Ohio University
Summer internship at the Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio

Helloooo. I am now a senior (CRAZY) studying Environmental and Plant Biology along with Environmental Studies. I am a Wilds Scholar at a wildlife conservation facility, the Wilds, in Cumberland, Ohio. It was built on 10,000 acres of reclaimed mine lands and has a variety of threatened, endangered, and extinct animals with safari tours for guests. They carry out a wide variety of research here, from wetland restoration to artificial insemination methods. I work with the Restoration Ecology department and am studying the vegetation that exists in plots that have experienced different soil treatments such as tilling or subsoiling.

We mapped out a 10m by 10m plot using a random GPS point generator.

We began by IDing plants within a 10cm by 10cm area and increased the area gradually until eventually surveying the entire 10m by 10m plot.

We identified the vegetation to species level at various areas within the plot.

Along with carrying out my own research, I have the opportunity to help with other projects such as reforestation, invasive plant removal, and bison monitoring. Outside of research, we live in a cabin on the property, so the hiking is awesome and it is great being around 20 other interns studying biology. The animal managements people are very welcoming, and I have had some amazing experiences because of them.