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SPOTLIGHT
Students get hands-on experience in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks
Getting Out of the Classroom and into Nature…
Students are putting away their textbooks and putting on their gloves to make a positive impact on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. College students who are interested in environmental studies have a unique chance to get down and dirty in nature through various volunteer and internship activities that are readily available with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy's (IRC) science and stewardship department. These opportunities are available throughout the year as well as during the summer. "Our science interns and volunteers are a crucial part of our team," says Dr. Jutta Burger, IRC Science & Stewardship. "The internship/volunteer program is critical to us in several areas. These include our ability to maintain a monitoring program, assess the health of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks and impacts on it, and conduct proper stewardship of the land. Interns also assist in our efforts to conduct adaptive management and best practices, in which we modify our management approach based on available data and make informed decisions based on the best and most current data available." Each summer, IRC welcomes students from the University of California, Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, and other select schools, including UC Irvine, and recent graduates from other universities, for an intensive 12-week internship program. The students have a real opportunity to make a significant difference to the habitats and species that exist within the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. They can become involved in a wide array of exciting research and conservation projects, including investigating wildlife activity patterns, restoration and invasive species control, fire modeling, and evaluating rare species population changes. All of these take place in an open space environment that has been designated a Natural Landmark by both the U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of California. In addition, students from Orange Coast College regularly take part in volunteer stewardship programs by helping with land management and restoration for extra credit. According to Orange Coast College Professor Jan Goerrisen, "By participating in volunteer activities, students are introduced first-hand to the natural beauty of the area, while at the same time providing an invaluable service to the land managers. My students participate in some of the most physically demanding activities associated with land management, such as removing exotic plants. This is not glamorous work, but it is an essential component of a successful restoration plan." Since last summer, approximately 100 students from Professor Goerrisen's class have taken part in various stewardship projects on the land-totally an overwhelming 315 hours of work. A huge "thank you" goes out to all of IRC's science & stewardship interns (listed below) and volunteers, including a "support staff" of many dedicated IRC Citizen Science and Stewardship volunteers, as well as students Even Lue, Robyn Spevacek, and Charlotte Riggs who have participated as volunteers on special projects. We appreciate your passion and dedication and look forward to making a continued difference on the land together… The following is a list of past, present, and summer 2009 Science & Stewardship Interns: Current: Dusty Swenson Melissa Lippincott Roxanna Marashi Past: Katelyn Harrison, Jenn Paludi, Caitlin Anderson, Andrew Rogers, Warren Sconiers, Casharell Rogers; April Newlander Santiago Viveros Lesley Hernandez Michele Gibson Marcus Luna Coming up this summer: Viveca Taylor, Adam Anderson (UCSB) Danica Schaeffer-Smith (UCSB) Lisa Kashiwase (UCSB) Sara Solis (UCSB)
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