Today is May 11th 2009. It's my first day at the maine wildlife park. I started at 11:00 this morning and I will be working until 4:00PM. I was shown around the park, and at all the different animal exhibits they have here. I was also shown the ideal location of the 5 new enclosures they hope to build (with my help) this summer. I was given a list of animals that need new enclosures which include; skunks, a fisher, raccoons, opossums and woodchucks. For the first couple weeks my job is to go out on the computer and find different ideas, and habitat needs for these different sorts of animals. I am also required to call different zoos, and ask them about animals they have similiar to these, and of their habitats. After the first few weeks, I will hopefully get started on some of the construction of the new exhibits. And come up with drawings and ideas for all the the "furniture" inside the exhibits. As well as what I have listed above, I will also be helping with enrichment for the animals here (mountain lions, lynx, fox etc) so I'm excited about that. I will also be helping with some food prep, and hopefully get to have some hands on time with animals in the park, if all goes well. I made up my own schedule and gave it to my "boss" today. The plan is that I am working every mon, wed, and fri 11-4 for the first two weeks. This will put me at 30 hours after the first two weeks. Then starting the 25th of May I will be working mon 11-4. Wed 11-6 and friday 11-4. which will put me at 17 hours per week. Which means by July 24th 2009 I will have a total of 183 hours, and July 24th 2009 (friday) will be my last day interning at the Maine Wildlife Park. I learned right away that I should have brought my camera today, the park has already recieved an owl and another bird this morning, and it would have been great if I could have gotten some pictures. I will deffinitly have to bring one on Wed. Also all the animals were up and outside this morning, and it would have been great if I could have gotten some shots of them. Hopefully I will get some on Wed.
Thanks, I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope that this e-mail met all the requirements it's supposed to for my internship. Keep in touch!
- Lindsay
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Maine Wildlife Park~ Gray, Maine
Hey Nicole. Just wanted to keep you posted on how my internship is going. Today is the second week of my internship at the Maine Wildlife Park. It's Monday the 18th. I started working today at 11:00-4:00. It's really cold here today, but the park is really busy. I've been doing my usual computer research, for construction of the enclosures we will be building here pretty soon. Today I'm doing research on both the woodchucks and the opossum. It was kind of a slow morning.....UNTIL around 12:00, one of the women that works in the office here with me (but also works at the park, and graduated from Unity in 2007!) told me that over the weekend they got a baby moose at the park. Someone had brought it in because it had been abandoned by it's mother. So right after she had told me this, Curt (the guy I set my internship up through) offered to take me down to look at the baby moose. We walked down to the center where they keep baby animals they receive. Curt showed me where the baby moose (which they name Wilbur) was being kept, and opened the gate to let me look at Wilbur. He is so cute! he's about a week or two old, and he's VERY skinny. I would say he's about 3-4 feet tall. But he's so sweet! He came right over to me and let me pet him. Although he's very sweet, and adorable, I could also tell that he was really scared. He kept calling out for his mother the whole time we were in there, and after we left. He was very soft, and actually looked sort of like a baby donkey, mostly because of how big his ears are and the shape of his head. Of course today I forgot my real camera, but I brought my cell phone, so I took some pictures with that. Luckily Wilbur will be at the park for most of the summer, so I should have plenty of time to take pictures later on. I'm sure he will grow really fast though, and then I wont be able to play with him anymore. I will keep you posted! talk to you on the 25th! also I will e-mail you the picture of the moose from my phone, so you can see how cute he is!
- Lindsay
- Lindsay
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Week One Under the Sun
What a week!
Imagine a college student used to sleeping in having to get up at 5:30am. Not so bad, but one phone call had me starting on Monday morning at 5am, which mean a 4:20 wake up call. Let's just say the cup of coffee I made was a plus. However, the early start was well worth it!This week was unusually short, however, I felt as if in just these 3 days I have gotten back into the swing of things and working my butt off as usual.
This week was good because of the grab-bag style jobs kept me on my toes.Monday started early, and my boss and I spent the entire day treating trees for spring pathogens. At the first place, which was a shopping plaza, we sprayed horticultural oil mixed with Conserve* as an ingestion poison to most Lepidopteran larvae on Malus spp. (Crabapple) to protect against Eastern Tent Caterpillar. We also sprayed a red pine hedge to deter aphids and other sucking insects. Last, we noticed an ailing birch that was suffering from root rot. For this we did a soil drench with a fungicide. At this job, I started my training driving the big Ford truck, since we were in a parking lot. I did well, and was even able to defensively avoid an accident. Next, we went across town to combat an infestation of Winter Moth on some Maples. We used the horticultural oil with Conserve* mix. We were spraying at 400psi and reaching 50+ft. We then proceeded to cross town again and sprayed a hemlock hedge with straight horticultural oil as a preventative action against Woolly Adelgid and other pathogens. Dwight, my boss, has had much success with this in the past. Our last stop for the day was a condo development in Marlborough. Here we sprayed Hort. Oil mixed with conserve on some Malus spp.
Tuesday was a mixed day. We started at an estate working in some Norway and Sugar Maples. Regretfully, I don't have pictures up yet, but this pruning job was a good one to get my feet wet again. I went up a 6-ledered Norway Maple and removed weight off the ends of the branches in order to ease the ailing tree. I also cleared all the deadwood from inside it. When I got in the tree, I expected an easy walk from stem to stem, but partway through realized it was out of the question. It turned out that 1 leder was inaccessible from my tie-in point and the others turned out to be too far apart to use just my one tie-in point and my buck strap, so I did some stretching, shimmying, and not to mention some pull-ups. After I finished that tree I moved to a GIANT sugar maple and removed some lower deadwood. I tied in almost half-way up and when I glanced at my rope realized that that spot was past 45ft. This tree was BIG. Sadly, one of the dead branches had housed a robin's nest. After that job, my boss sent the other two workers to another quick job and to dump chips, while we rode back out to Marlborough and did another condominium complex. This turned out to be a long day. We sprayed the Rhododendrons to shield against Black Vine Weevil, and sprayed the Hemlock Hedges as well. Today, Wednesday, we went to Mendon and pruned a Hemlock hedge, a Lilac infested with bittersweet vine, two Callary Pears, and cleaning up some Red Pines crossing the property line. I pruned the lilac off the house and out of the front pathway. I also removed some stems that were infested with a Borer. Last, I finished creaning out the entangled bittersweet and put together a boquet of lilacs for the homeowner (who was quite happy). Next, i moved to the Red Pine Branches hanging into the yard and growing into and above the Arborvitae hedge. That was done solely with a pruning saw due to property issues. Last, i moved to the Callary Pears. I used my 192-TS Stihl chainsaw to raise the lowers. I then used a pole-saw and pole-pruner to make weight cuts and thin the tree. I also climbed them in order to thin the top. We chipped the brush and finished for the day.And that was my week. Although only three days, it felt a little longer due to the long hours put in. Now, I will be going to field training for the Army Reserves for a long work-filled weekend, then back into the trees on Monday! I can't wait!
Peace!
Imagine a college student used to sleeping in having to get up at 5:30am. Not so bad, but one phone call had me starting on Monday morning at 5am, which mean a 4:20 wake up call. Let's just say the cup of coffee I made was a plus. However, the early start was well worth it!This week was unusually short, however, I felt as if in just these 3 days I have gotten back into the swing of things and working my butt off as usual.
This week was good because of the grab-bag style jobs kept me on my toes.Monday started early, and my boss and I spent the entire day treating trees for spring pathogens. At the first place, which was a shopping plaza, we sprayed horticultural oil mixed with Conserve* as an ingestion poison to most Lepidopteran larvae on Malus spp. (Crabapple) to protect against Eastern Tent Caterpillar. We also sprayed a red pine hedge to deter aphids and other sucking insects. Last, we noticed an ailing birch that was suffering from root rot. For this we did a soil drench with a fungicide. At this job, I started my training driving the big Ford truck, since we were in a parking lot. I did well, and was even able to defensively avoid an accident. Next, we went across town to combat an infestation of Winter Moth on some Maples. We used the horticultural oil with Conserve* mix. We were spraying at 400psi and reaching 50+ft. We then proceeded to cross town again and sprayed a hemlock hedge with straight horticultural oil as a preventative action against Woolly Adelgid and other pathogens. Dwight, my boss, has had much success with this in the past. Our last stop for the day was a condo development in Marlborough. Here we sprayed Hort. Oil mixed with conserve on some Malus spp.
Tuesday was a mixed day. We started at an estate working in some Norway and Sugar Maples. Regretfully, I don't have pictures up yet, but this pruning job was a good one to get my feet wet again. I went up a 6-ledered Norway Maple and removed weight off the ends of the branches in order to ease the ailing tree. I also cleared all the deadwood from inside it. When I got in the tree, I expected an easy walk from stem to stem, but partway through realized it was out of the question. It turned out that 1 leder was inaccessible from my tie-in point and the others turned out to be too far apart to use just my one tie-in point and my buck strap, so I did some stretching, shimmying, and not to mention some pull-ups. After I finished that tree I moved to a GIANT sugar maple and removed some lower deadwood. I tied in almost half-way up and when I glanced at my rope realized that that spot was past 45ft. This tree was BIG. Sadly, one of the dead branches had housed a robin's nest. After that job, my boss sent the other two workers to another quick job and to dump chips, while we rode back out to Marlborough and did another condominium complex. This turned out to be a long day. We sprayed the Rhododendrons to shield against Black Vine Weevil, and sprayed the Hemlock Hedges as well. Today, Wednesday, we went to Mendon and pruned a Hemlock hedge, a Lilac infested with bittersweet vine, two Callary Pears, and cleaning up some Red Pines crossing the property line. I pruned the lilac off the house and out of the front pathway. I also removed some stems that were infested with a Borer. Last, I finished creaning out the entangled bittersweet and put together a boquet of lilacs for the homeowner (who was quite happy). Next, i moved to the Red Pine Branches hanging into the yard and growing into and above the Arborvitae hedge. That was done solely with a pruning saw due to property issues. Last, i moved to the Callary Pears. I used my 192-TS Stihl chainsaw to raise the lowers. I then used a pole-saw and pole-pruner to make weight cuts and thin the tree. I also climbed them in order to thin the top. We chipped the brush and finished for the day.And that was my week. Although only three days, it felt a little longer due to the long hours put in. Now, I will be going to field training for the Army Reserves for a long work-filled weekend, then back into the trees on Monday! I can't wait!
Peace!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Fawn Country Internship
Hello everyone!
My name is Kristen, and I am doing a Fawn Nursery Internship. I will get to hand raise baby deer for the summer. But as of now, there aren't any fawns. We aren't expecting any till early June. But yesterday was a big day. The yearling does were moved from this ranch to another where they would receive vaccinations and ear tattoos. Getting the does onto the trailer was tricky as they were scared and kept jumping into the fencing.
They had an interesting contraption at this ranch. They have a shute with four chambers. each chamber can hold one deer, and are separated by doors that can be operated from the outside. once the deer enters the fourth chamber, they are held by their trunk, the floor drops out from underneath and they are easier to manage and vaccinate. Much of this work was done under red light, as the deer cant see red. I assisted by keeping record of what deer received what vaccinations, and any other treatments for injuries.
This method is easier on the deer. while it is stressful, it does less damage to their immune system then darting them and knocking them out will. After all the does were treated they where moved to another ranch were they will stay. Today I visited the deer in their new yard and fed them grapes! They love grapes!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Some pictures to share
Today I made something for Oscar our opossum for enrichment. I took a cat litter pan and filled it with mulch. In the mulch I placed an egg, two mice, some fruits and veggies, and some dry cat food. I woke him up when I placed it in his exhibit (which he wasn't too happy about) but he went over to smell it right away. He didn't really know what to do though. He was having trouble figuring out how to get to the food. Hopefully he will figure it our tonight.
One of the animals I am really excited about working with this summer and doing presentations with, is Lily the skunk. I really like skunks. I try and handle her everyday so she gets really used to me, and today I had my picture taken with her.
Friday, May 8, 2009
The first few days
Hello everyone,
In case you do not know me, my name is Bethany and I am doing my internship at ZooQuarium on Cape Cod, MA. I am interning as an animal keeper and educator. This summer I am basically in charge of knowing how to take care of all the animals in the zoo and more. This is my 3rd summer working at ZooQuarium, but I am still learning a bunch of new things. For example, today I got to handle a squirrel which I have never done before. His name is Rocky and he is blind in at least one of his eyes and he has other issues as well because he was hit by a car when he was younger. I learned how to test the pH levels on salt water fish tanks, and fed our red fox Fleck for the first time as well. I also learned how to catch and handle alligators, and I did my first presentation with our skunk Lily. Soon I will be training some of our hawks. We have two red-tailed hawks and a broad-winged hawk. I am also working on some new enrichment ideas for some of the animals. Tomorrow I am going to make something for our opossum, Oscar. It will be something he can dig in, like a litter pan of dirt and sand with treats in it for him to find.
Hopefully the season will start to pick up down here on the Cape very soon and we get plenty of people in the zoo.
Well that is about all for now, I will be posting pictures soon.
Bethany Boucher
In case you do not know me, my name is Bethany and I am doing my internship at ZooQuarium on Cape Cod, MA. I am interning as an animal keeper and educator. This summer I am basically in charge of knowing how to take care of all the animals in the zoo and more. This is my 3rd summer working at ZooQuarium, but I am still learning a bunch of new things. For example, today I got to handle a squirrel which I have never done before. His name is Rocky and he is blind in at least one of his eyes and he has other issues as well because he was hit by a car when he was younger. I learned how to test the pH levels on salt water fish tanks, and fed our red fox Fleck for the first time as well. I also learned how to catch and handle alligators, and I did my first presentation with our skunk Lily. Soon I will be training some of our hawks. We have two red-tailed hawks and a broad-winged hawk. I am also working on some new enrichment ideas for some of the animals. Tomorrow I am going to make something for our opossum, Oscar. It will be something he can dig in, like a litter pan of dirt and sand with treats in it for him to find.
Hopefully the season will start to pick up down here on the Cape very soon and we get plenty of people in the zoo.
Well that is about all for now, I will be posting pictures soon.
Bethany Boucher
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Open season
Just finished processing our 89th internship for this coming season, it could be a record summer for the number of students we have completing internships for credit this summer. Also just sent out an invitation to this blog to all 89 interns.
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