Photo: Joan Haffey
Carolina Sanabria
I started working as an intern for ASNV this May, and I believe my experiences will help me pursue a career in conservation. My title is “citizen science and public engagement intern.” ASNV’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee chose me from a field of candidates because of my interest in conservation and my fluency in Spanish. My work for ASNV has used both.
I am a junior at George Mason University studying environmental science with a concentration in conservation. The Green Atoms club at Annandale High School started my interest in conservation. The club members attended educational talks, but also participated in recycling and local park cleanups, all of which taught me the importance of caring for local flora and fauna. At GMU I serve on a Patriot Green Fund committee that makes decisions about green projects on campus. I am interested in pursuing a career in animal conservation.
Carolina Sanabria at Family Fun Day. Photo: Joan Haffey
One of the first projects I worked on for ASNV was assisting two ASNV board members with a Spanish translation of Florence McBride’s book, Some Common Birds in Northern Virginia, which is available free on ASNV’s website. The book is a useful and accessible educational tool. It includes great photos and information on migration, food, threats, and other interesting facts about birds in our area, all in everyday language. The book’s style made it easy for us to adapt into Spanish. Following guidelines in the book for derivations, I used it to create laminated cards on ten common birds, with photos and information in both Spanish and English for each bird. The cards are designed for walk leaders to use to introduce beginners to birds they may see on a bird walk.
I also had opportunities to test the cards in the field, as you can see in the photo accompanying this article. Working with two ASNV board members, I co-led bird walks for children and families attending the June 4 Family Fun Day at Mount Vernon Woods Park, sponsored by NAACP/Fairfax. I answered questions about birds, gave out literature, taught walk participants how to use binoculars ASNV loaned out, and used the cards to introduce our beginners (in both English and Spanish) to local birds. It was interactive and the kids found it fun to use the binoculars for sightseeing and to explore the natural areas in the park. I look forward to helping at another event, this time for Latino Conservation Week, July 24 at Justice Park in Falls Church.
I also have assisted ASNV with a long-running citizen science project. With guidance from several ASNV board members (including GMU faculty), I entered butterfly and dragonfly data into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The data is from long-term natural resource surveys ASNV sponsors. This information will eventually be uploaded to PollardBase, a data entry and management system for butterfly, dragonfly, and damselfly monitoring programs, where ASNV maintains information on the Occoquan Regional Monitoring Project. ASNV plans further data analysis using information from the surveys to inform future conservation projects.
My ASNV internship has been a great experience.