This week’s Stewardship Spotlight belongs to Mariol Gefers, a St. Edward’s University senior studying Environmental Science and Policy. Mariol is an Environmental Management intern who is responsible for many tasks related to natural resources around the Wild Basin since January 2015.
What are Mariol’s current responsibilities: Mariol’s responsibilities include land stewardship tasks and data collection about the flora and fauna around Wild Basin. Her weekly includes collecting data from five trail-counter devices; these help keep track of how many people walk the trails at a certain location. As a student stewardship leader, Mariol has been responsible for guiding and informing other students about all types of species that inhabit the grounds. When requested, Mariol is also the dedicated shuttle-driver for St. Edward’s students who need transportation between campus and the preserve.
What are Mariol’s future projects:
In the remainder of the spring semester, Mariol will assist with water quality sampling in Bee Creek and identifying wildlife species photographed by six motion-triggered cameras set up across the preserve. She will also conduct more in-depth surveys of human activity along the trails to help scientists understand the potential effects of hikers on Golden-cheeked Warbler activity. In addition, she will continue collecting data and mapping flora/fauna for Wild Basin’s Biodiversity Project on the citizen science project iNaturalist and will develop maps in the spatial analysis software ArcGIS.
Mariol’s words of advice for anyone wanting to join the Wild Basin Team: “If you enjoy being outdoors in nature and do not get bothered with getting a little messy, then apply for an internship or come volunteer. Each intern position challenges each individual to perform tasks that one is comfortable with attempting. I would recommend anyone to come out here and intern; the hours are flexible and it is always a learning experience to apply classroom knowledge to one’s field, or work, of interest.”