This summer, Heritage Conservancy welcomed five enthusiastic and dedicated interns to our organization: Caitlyn, Clara, Luca, Sophia, and Tatiana. Since May, they’ve been out in the field supporting our land management efforts like restoring habitats, managing invasive species, planting trees, and collecting data, all while deepening their understanding of what it takes to steward protected land in and around Bucks County.

Interns holding kestrel chicks during banding

Their experiences this summer were a valuable opportunity to learn from leading professionals in biology and conservation, and hopefully, the insights they gained will shape how they make an impact in the future. 

In their own words, here are our interns’ most memorable experiences they’ve had this summer:

Caitlyn Polter:
Interning with Heritage Conservancy has provided me with many useful skills and experience in land management. One of my favorite projects we did this summer was the reintroduction of the Atlantic white cedar to Croydon Woods Nature Preserve. The Atlantic white cedar is a species native to Atlantic Coastal Plains states, including southern Pennsylvania. However, in Pennsylvania, Atlantic white cedar is considered extirpated, meaning it can no longer be found growing in the wild in this state. The loss of this species is primarily due to past logging. Heritage Conservancy’s Croydon Woods Nature Preserve is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plains of Pennsylvania. This summer, we planted 75 Atlantic white cedar trees in Croydon Woods in hopes of establishing a healthy population in its native habitat. I enjoyed this opportunity with Heritage Conservancy to help bring this species back to the Atlantic Coastal Plains of Pennsylvania.

Planting Atlantic white cedars

Clara Gutkind:
This summer at Heritage Conservancy, I was introduced to a variety of different techniques used to manage invasive species, such as mechanical removal and chemical removal by applying herbicide. I learned how to perform the “hack and squirt method,’ which entails cutting into the bark of a tree and spraying scythe herbicide. Since scythe is a non-systemic herbicide, the chemical only infects the tissue it comes into physical contact with. This summer, we focused on targeting Siberian elm, tree of heaven, and Japanese maple with this method.

Mowing the meadow at our Lindsay Preserve

Sophia Carmichael:
During my internship at Heritage Conservancy, I worked at multiple beautiful properties that have important ecological value. Unfortunately, the nature preserves and other natural areas are constantly at risk of being overwhelmed with invasive species, so it was part of our job to fight against invasives and protect the ecological integrity of the properties. One invasive species that was taking up a large portion of the forest edge and understory is Japanese Stilt Grass, which can be managed by repeatedly trimming it down to the ground right before it goes to seed. We focused on Stilt Grass removal at the Buckingham Mountain and Lindsay Preserve as an ongoing effort to free the land of this aggressive invasive. During a field trip to Mount Cuba Center in Wilmington, Delaware, we met with the conservation manager of the natural lands section, who explained another method of removing Stilt Grass and other invasives from a meadow habitat by using a mowing and prescribed burn rotation. Learning and practicing several techniques for battling invasive species has not only been beneficial to the health of nature preserves at Heritage Conservancy, but it is also part of the reason why my summer internship has been an extremely fulfilling experience. 

Torching invasive barberry shrubs

Luca Mazullo:
My summer at Heritage Conservancy allowed me the opportunity to meet with various professionals in our broad field. Whether it be former interns working entry-level jobs in conservation or retired professionals who are experts in a subject, we gained valuable insight into our potential career paths. One example was when we met with Tim Block, a retired Biology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and took a walk around one of our properties with him while attempting to identify as many plants as possible. Not only did we learn a ton about the flora in our region, but also about the skills and experience necessary to be successful in our field. Meeting with so many professionals in vastly different positions helped us realize the varying potential of our future.

Interns and Tyler botanizing with Tim Block

Tatiana Boychenko:
Through my internship at Heritage Conservancy this summer, I learned valuable skills that allowed me to help preserve the natural lands around us while simultaneously benefiting the community. One of these tasks involved constructing a footbridge and several benches to be placed on various Heritage Conservancy properties, including Hart’s Woods, Russell-Mandel, and Bellwood. The process of building these structures practically from scratch, especially the footbridge, felt very hands-on and rewarding once we nailed or cemented them into place, stepped back, and admired our work. I am pleased to know that they will be well-utilized for future generations and will hopefully inspire others to make a change and take steps towards improving their own native habitats.

Bench installation at Harts Woods

Conservation in Action

In addition to all of the work noted above, our interns also hosted a successful native plant sale in July at our Russell-Mandel Preserve in New Hope. The sale focused on supporting monarch butterfly populations, with multiple species of milkweeds and other pollinator-friendly native plants available for purchase (all grown by our Senior Conservation Biologist, Tyler Kovacs). The interns sold roughly 60 plants, earning around $600 to benefit Heritage Conservancy’s mission.

We are grateful for the hard work and energy our interns brought to every project this summer. From early mornings in the field to sweltering afternoons in the forest, this group has left a meaningful mark on our preserves and our community. It has been a privilege to have them on our team, and we can’t wait to see the incredible contributions they’ll make in the future of biology and conservation.

Heritage Conservancy’s summer conservation internship program is supported by the William Hart Rufe III Legacy Fund, which was created to honor the late Judge Rufe’s years of service to the community.