I would like to share with all of you what has been the “cherry on top” of my CLM Internship experience.

As you know, we all had the opportunity to attend the 37th Natural Areas Conference hosted by the Natural Areas Association in Ozarks, MO. Myself, Diana, and Ben all had an excellent time at the conference this year.

First of all, who knew Missouri was such a beautiful place? The Ozarks are really incredible and unique, encompassing wide expanses of natural areas that include tallgrass prairies, cave-fed springs, wild rivers, deciduous forests, endemic wildlife, and some vast cave systems that are home to a variety of fascinating creatures.
Being a part of a conference made me feel that I was a part of something important. Natural areas professionals from all over the country (mostly the mid-west) came to the Ozarks to talk about big issues and share ideas about what needs to be done to effectively manage our land for conservation purposes, and how to best-prepare future biology professionals that might one day be charged with managing rare flora, fauna, and landscapes.
That was the theme of the conference “natural resource connections across generations and disciplines”. So really, the conference was about us! The opening presentations focused on putting natural areas management in a contemporary prospective, providing attendees with some history of the field and where it is headed today. I had the opportunity to listen to various speakers and natural areas professions talk about what they feel future foresters, biologists, ecologists, wildlife biologists, and soil scientists need to know. Speakers discussed ideas for college degree programs in natural areas management, relevant training courses, internship programs, and other creative ways to build a framework for educating people in land management and natural resource issues. I participated in a “world cafe” session, where conference attendees openly shared their ideas regarding these issues. It was really amazing to interact with different experienced professionals in my field, and to get to share my ideas with them! I almost felt as though I got to guide my own future because I was contributing to ideas that might one day turn into a real-life opportunity for me.
One of the challenging parts of the conference was meeting people. There were so many amazing individuals there with jobs I would love to have one day that it was overwhelming in a way. But I just put a smile on my face and asked a lot of questions. People were usually very happy to share what they did and talk about my experience as well.
The field trips were fun, the people were interesting, and I learned a lot. I listened to a variety of natural resource professionals talk about their research and some of the most important issues currently facing our natural lands in the mid-west. Additionally, I got to share my internship experience with professionals and potential future interns, which is not only a great resume line for me but a very deserving plug for the CLM program.
Overall, the conference was an empowering and inspiring experience. I really feel that it opened my eyes to a whole new side of the field of biology. Sharing knowledge and information is incredibly important to the evolution of natural resource management and preserving biodiversity. This idea seems obvious and fundamental, but when you experience discussion and collaboration among peers first-hand you gain a greater understanding of what makes that process so valuable. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in that discussion and develop some perspective on where natural lands management stands today and where it is headed. It was inspiring to meet so many passionate individuals that are working hard to preserve native wildlife. That experience reassured my interest in conservation and reminded me that I am certainly not the only one who cares about protecting our natural areas.