Alex Gonzalez worked as an HRWC Aquatic Field Intern in the summer of 2023 and returned this summer to help manage that intern program as our Water Monitoring Intern. He has also volunteered with HRWC at many events, including River Roundup, Stonefly Search, and green stormwater infrastructure work days. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in April 2024 with a degree in Environmental Science and Society.
Managing the HRWC summer interns has been a great opportunity to grow my leadership and field work skills. After working with HRWC in the summer of 2023 as an Aquatic Field Intern, I was left with a desire to continue learning about different field monitoring techniques. I continued to volunteer with the Watershed Council whenever possible prior to graduating from Eastern Michigan University in April 2024. I genuinely enjoyed being a part of this kind of field work (for the most part—while the storm drain waste analysis project was interesting and contributed to important data collection, it was quite stinky!). So, I was beyond excited to return this summer as a full-time Water Monitoring Intern. Here is what I’ve been up to, and what I’ve learned!
Dairy Queen to the rescue
Building on my past field experiences with HRWC, I’ve helped guide the interns this summer in rain garden maintenance, youth education, water quality monitoring, mussel surveying, and more! Management of the interns has been a new and challenging experience for me. There are some things even experienced staff members can’t predict—which are all a part of field work! For example, I’ve needed to implement my own form of team building exercises, namely getting Dairy Queen at the end of a hot day in the field.
This position has given me a much better understanding of the planning involved in organizing various kinds of field work while keeping everyone motivated.
Becoming an expert in rain gardens
Rain garden maintenance, which involves plant identification and invasive species removal, is not something I would always expect people to jump at the opportunity to get involved in. But the interns’ eagerness to help maintain and learn about how this form of infrastructure can benefit the watershed was a welcome surprise. These outings involve more than simply weeding out a garden to make it look aesthetically pleasing. We’re contributing to the healthy functioning of an ecological service that reduces the amount of runoff reaching our streams, creeks, lakes and rivers. This kind of detailed maintenance was a great opportunity to gain more experience in plant identification while seeing the effect invasive species can have on native plant growth.
Teaching the next generation
Youth education in the form of hands-on environmental science activities was a significant aspect of the intern program throughout the field season. For many of the interns, these youth education outings were the first time they had ever taught students. As I have learned first hand, teaching others is no easy feat. But for so many of the interns it was almost second nature to them.
This summer, I took more of a leadership role while also expanding on the content I learned last summer to teach different concepts. I had taught K-8 almost exclusively last summer. This summer, the first streamside education outing was with high school students! This was a little daunting at first but turned out great in the end. Having this second summer to help solidify concepts I had already learned about has given me more confidence in my abilities to teach in many different settings.
Assessing water quality (with a four-legged friend!)
the lab. Watershed Programs Associate Kelly McCabe was a great teacher!
Photo Credit: Jason Frenzel
Through the Chemistry & Flow monitoring program, the interns and I gained valuable lab and field experience assessing different aspects related to water quality. Little did we know we’d be getting extra help from the local dog community during one outing. A landowner’s dog’s felt they needed to be a part of our sampling process by jumping straight into the creek with us to do their own kind of assessment. I think I can speak for myself and the interns when I say we appreciated their help very much.
Searching for mussels (and finding other things)
One of the projects I worked on the most this summer was coordinating a freshwater mussel survey in preparation for the removal of Peninsular Paper Dam in Ypsilanti. Management of the interns and volunteers over the course of this project has been a great opportunity to take up a logistically difficult leadership role and learn from it.
Intern participation was essential in carrying out the survey because of its scale and meticulous nature. Luckily, the enthusiasm surrounding the mussel survey was constant among the interns. I’ve appreciated how they see past some of the more uncomfortable aspects like hauling cinder blocks upstream and snorkeling in cold water on an overcast day. Not to say the mussel survey isn’t fun! It’s just tough, and the interns continued to express genuine interest in being involved every step of the way.
One of my favorite aspects of this project was discovering different “treasures” in the Huron. While surveying we found lots of bikes, phones, a cast iron pan that had seen better days, and a terrifying baby doll. According to Renee Mulcrone, the lead mussel expert for the project, finding a baby doll during the survey is a sign of good fortune among mussel surveyors!
Thank you HRWC!
This experience has been a huge step forward in my career. I am coming out of this internship with confidence in my own skills in both field techniques and managing a team. The relationships I’ve built over the past two summers is something that I am so grateful for. To have coworkers I can call friends and mentors at this stage in my career has been invaluable. The guidance I’ve received in seeking out new and exciting opportunities to further my career in environmental stewardship and advocacy has been immensely helpful. I plan to use the management and field experience I’ve gained from working with HRWC to continue to make a positive impact on the natural world around me. Thanks, HRWC!
—Alex Gonzalez