MassAudubon Reflection

Written almost a year after the fact, this is a retrospective reflection I wrote for an internship I did with MassAudubon on Martha's Vineyard for my UVM ENVS Advisor, Ibit Getchell.

Holly Borday
ENVS 191 Mass Audubon Reflection
Faculty Supervisor: Elizabeth Getchell
Field Practicum Supervisor: Elizabeth Baldwin



Through working as a Coastal Field Assistant for MassAudubon on Martha’s Vineyard during the summer of 2009 I learned about the collaborative conservation efforts taken by multiple entities on a small island community. My role within MassAudubon was working for their Coastal Waterbird Program (CWP). I found this CWP is not the only effective entity working to protect coastal bird species and their habitat on Martha’s Vinevard. The Trustees of Reservations, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, the Land Bank and even Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary all have taken protective measures to conserve species that CWP focuses on.

I lived on the Hoft Farm Property which is a farmhouse on 90 acres of land conserved by The Nature Conservancy. This property has been used as a field station to support ecological research. The old farmhouse itself was converted into housing for interns. Solar panels, composting toilets and gardens has made this farmhouse a learning classroom for visitors of the Hoft farm and interns like myself who have the opportunity to live and help run the propert. Every day I took the role of sweeping the road that runs through a shimmering meadow and then pierced through a grove of Pitchpine. Wine berries grew throughout the property and every week we would pick them and turn them into delectable desserts during out weekly intern potlucks. Along with TNC staff and burn crews, the property houses interns who work for various conservation organizations besides TNC. Throughout my time with working for MassAudubon and living on the Hoft Farm, I learned a great deal about the other environmental issues that pertain to the island. The fifteen other interns I lived with were all on the island to learn and work on a project. Through befriending these people I learned not only about specific projects they were working on, but about the organizations they were involved with. For example, I would volunteer to assist Zoey in her midnight horseshoe crab surveys that she conducted for Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. Morgan was working to remove invasive plant species for TNC on the Hoft Farm and would take me out during my days off to show me the parcels of land on the property in various stages of use and recovery.

In the earlier part of the internship, I went through periods of frustration when I wasn’t able to see the bigger picture beyond the monitoring and collecting productivity data on certain bird species. This led me to feel the amount of time, gasoline, money and plastic waste involved in attempting to protect these species may not be worth the three to five Piping Plovers I ultimately helped fledge this summer. In retrospect, I now see that all of these factors helped a greater cause which was the greater awareness of coastal conservation. Because the Piping Plovers are considered an almost endangered species, we could take almost any measure to protect them even if that meant closing down a popular beach area. There were a few days in the beginning of the summer that I noticed a Piping Plover family was crossing back and forth over State Road, the busiest road on Martha’s Vineyard. When I delivered this information to my supervisor we had a meeting with someone who worked for the Town of Oakbluffs to discuss what could be done to take precautionary measures. The option of closing State Road was the last option anyone wanted to take as it’s the main road that connects the two most tourist attractive towns; Oakebluffs and Edgartown. Rather than close the road, we were given legal permission to close off almost half of the beach which frustrated tourists who went to this beach every summer. I learned a great deal about educating the public of the importance of closing off beaches and endangered species conservation as people would sometimes make their way into the closed off areas.

I developed many skills necessary in protecting Piping Plovers, American Oyster catchers and Least and Common Terms. From keeping a daily journal and transferring my daily actions and observations to a google document every day, I was able to contribute the protection of these species’ nesting areas throughout the state. From spending everyday taking note of the tracks around enclosed nests, I could see how non-native species such as the skunk would significantly affect their declining population if measures by us weren’t taken.

Overall, I experienced the work it takes to battle environmental issues from various stakeholders working together including federal, state and local governing bodies, private and public landowners, MassAudubon, other non-profits and the public. My internship may have not sparked a passion in wildlife biology per say, but it permeated my desire to continue working for small projects that contribute to great causes. The passion, care and concern for the project displayed by CWP staff including the Director, my supervisor and my crew were a big part in making my experience with working for a non-profit one that I wish to continue to pursue.
Although I do not think this particular project is one that I personally am passionate enough to spend the rest of my life working with, I do believe I will take what I learned from this project and the collaborative conservation effort of multiple non-profits on the island and apply this kind of effort to a future project I either develop or contribute to in the future. I have been asked by a PhD biologist to work as a bander this summer on the island to assist with his American Oyster Catcher Census Project. Although funding for the project has recently been cut, I will continue working on coastal conservation this summer working as a volunteer banding assistant for the main bander that will work on the island every few weeks throughout the summer.

The internship along with other internships and projects I have involved myself with throughout my time with the UVM Environmental Program have taught me change can be made every moment that we are alive on this earth. With every smile, every dollar saved or spent, every tree planted and Piping Plover saved. I will forever be indebted to the Environmental Program for the means it has given me to keep concern coupled with hope and passion for battling environmental and social justice issues alive. Rather than one more step up the ladder, the internship was one more step along the path that is determined by the people, places, experiences and love that come in and out of that path.

I have learned a great amount about bird species and ecology of coastal communities on Martha’s Vineyard. I became very close with the staff at the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, the Arboretum, the Land Bank and The Nature Conservancy from this internship. I also fell in love and gained a great respect for the local community of Martha’s Vineyard. The qualities and character of the island reminded me much of Burlington and Ladakh, the two other places I consider homes in my life. Because of the respect I have now for these communities, I will always try my best to contribute to the communities has they have given me more than I could have ever asked for.

Two weeks ago when I returned to my high school for to deliver VIS presentations, every single high school teacher assumed I was there to present about vegetarianism and animal rights. My way of thinking has been changed and that has in large part been due to the many professors, peers and friends that have showed me different avenues that can be taken to create change. I am unsure if I will ever be able to focus specifically on one avenue such as science, policy, economics or education. For now, my heart is in learning about different cultures and creating change in underserved communities using awareness of their beliefs, history and traditions as a way to allow development, infrastructure and environmental preservation to coexist. All of these avenues are interconnected and I see myself collaborating with people of various backgrounds and expertise to come together and bring about change in these areas. My hope for humankind has skyrocketed since I began my first year at UVM. I believe awareness and understanding of the culture of different communities is a way to ultimately create long term change.

Four years at University of Vermont studying environmental issues and international development solidified my commitment for global improvement. I will take everything I have learned and use these skills and values to work towards change through cross-cultural and sustainability education. I believe that experiential education and facilitating awareness can be used as means to tangibly address environmental, economic and social issues. The Environmental Program here at UVM has inspired me to do what it has done for me and that is to push people beyond their pre-conceived limitations in order to broaden their perspectives on themselves and the world around them.

Being a part of the ENVS Program and the experiences the Program has led me towards have been the greatest gifts that I have been given so far in my life. The Environmental Program shaped my values, beliefs and hope for change. I will forever be indebted to what my time throughout learning from my peers, professors and advisor has done to open my mind to ways of finding solutions I never knew existed.