Summer is Intern Season at BdA

Summer at Bosque del Apache is a season of vibrant color and busy activity, with beautiful birds and flowers, big blue skies and baby mammals seemingly everywhere you look. Summer is also exciting because it is the season when we welcome a new crew of college interns to the refuge each year.

In this month’s “Refuge Stories” article, we introduce you to this year’s bunch – five bright and enthusiastic young student interns. They are joining us from all over the country and working hard to help meet the many needs of the refuge this season, while also gaining invaluable skills and experiences to add to their resumes. They are leading the charge as our future conservationists of tomorrow, and we are very happy to have them helping out at Bosque del Apache.

We could not have such a strong internship program without your generous support! Thanks to your donations, Friends has provided funding for this important program since 2017, to the tune of nearly $80,000! In that time, we’ve helped ensure that over thirty individuals have enjoyed the opportunity of learning and contributing during a hands-on summer internship at beautiful Bosque del Apache. In addition to substantial financial contributions from Friends, funding for this year’s interns also came through various USFWS programs, such as the Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative (IIC), Conservation Legacy and Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps and the Career Discovery Internship Program (CDIP), a partnership program between USFWS, Student Conservation Association and Americorps. Friends also plans to fund an additional Visitor Services intern in the Fall.

Biology program interns are supervised and mentored by Claire Revekant, our Senior Biologist, and Visitor Services interns are supervised and mentored by Joel Gilb and Amanda Walker, our Park Rangers. Read on, as this year’s interns tell you about their qualifications, backgrounds and engaging summer projects. We know you will share their enthusiasm and be as excited to welcome them as we are.

Hi all! I am the new Water Management Technician Intern at Bosque del Apache. I am originally from Fairport, NY, and graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation in 2022. Over the course of my career, I have worked with wildlife and habitats in Virginia, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas and now the beautiful state of New Mexico. My responsibilities at the refuge include checking and adjusting the extensive water infrastructure, disturbing the moist soil units with a tractor and performing invasive species management. Outside of work, I am an ardent rockhounder, birder, gardener and amateur photographer. I am always looking for my next find, whether that be a rock, mineral, fossil or rare bird! You can generally find me out and about exploring or sliding down a rocky slope! Working at Bosque del Apache has been exciting and rewarding; there are so many opportunities here to learn new things, meet great people and enjoy the arid surroundings. My professional goal is to become a steward of the land and to eventually look after a wildlife refuge I can call home. I always strive to make my corner of the world a better place, and I hope that other people will do the same. I thank the staff here at the refuge for providing me with this opportunity and for making this an unforgettable part of my journey!

Melina Karavousanos
Melina is the summer Hydrology/Biology Intern.

Hi there! My name is Melina Karavousanos and this summer I will be proudly serving as a summer intern at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. My position has sprouted from a new connection between New Mexico Tech (NMT), where I have just completed my second year of college, and Friends of Bosque del Apache (Friends). I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri, landing at NMT in 2022 to pursue my bachelors in Earth Science. Since finishing my second year at NMT, as well as interning at Bosque del Apache, I have begun working for the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources as an Undergrad Lab Assistant. This internship is allowing me to devote more time to my interests in hydrology and conservation, which, as someone from a National Park vacation family, is very important to me. This summer I will monitor various channels throughout the refuge and develop a stage-discharge relationship and stage hydrographs for multiple channel cross-sections. I will also develop a database that will allow for the storage and optimization of historical data, which can be applied to the refuge’s future endeavors. Some of my interests include reading, rock collecting and general tomfoolery. I also enjoy hiking, lifting heavy things and spending time with my family. I’m looking forward to working with Friends and the refuge staff, as they have been nothing less than kind and welcoming since I’ve arrived. Huge thank you to Friends of Bosque del Apache, Bosque del Apache staff, and NMT for helping me get here. I am hoping to make many memories with everyone this summer.

Nina Silva
Nina is our Biology Intern for the summer and is also assisting in Visitor Services several days a week.

Hey! I’m Nina Silva and I am excited to be working at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) this summer. A little bit about me: I’ve spent five years in college and will graduate next spring from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. Central Florida is also my home, where I’ve grown up and gained a greater appreciation for my state’s natural beauty and resources. My plan after college is to work close to home, but in the meantime, I’ve been able to work and live in different states during the summer through my internship program with Student Conservation Association (SCA). This summer is my second year interning with Career Discovery Internship Program (CDIP). I had the great pleasure to work in visitor center as a CDIP last summer at Rachel Carson NWR and got my first taste of working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I have had many career developmental opportunities working in wildlife conservation and built a network of relationships within the Service that I am excited to further grow this summer. Working at Bosque del Apache was the type of jobsite I was seeking to be able to learn all about the Southwest wildlife, terrain and refuge management. I am just so stoked for what this summer at Bosque del Apache has in store for me.

Oscar Alvarez
Oscar is our Visitor Services Intern for the summer.

Hi all! I am the Visitor Services Intern for the summer of 2024 at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. I am from Phoenix, Arizona where I am a student at Arizona State University. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. Soon I will be going into my third year; however, I will have enough credits to graduate by the end of the spring semester of 2025. I plan on spending my last year (2025-2026) pursuing a dual degree or a certificate/ minor in teaching English. This is my second summer working through the Student Conservation Association (SCA) as an intern for the Career Discovery Internship Program (CDIP). I had the privilege of working at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia as a Visitor Services intern last summer. I love interacting with the public and spending time outdoors, which is why I have decided to go the Visitor Services route. So far this summer, I’ve had a great time leading a few different school groups on ranger led tours. Some projects I am helping with are the “Jr. Ranger with a Ranger” program on Saturday afternoons, helping host a celebration for Pollinator week and helping the biology team as needed. You are more than likely to see me at the front desk of the visitor center or refilling the feeders for the hummingbirds early in the morning. Stop by and say “Hi”!

Nathan Day
Nathan is the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse Intern and will be with us until December 2024.

I am originally from Greenville, South Carolina, but recently moved from Rexburg, Idaho, where I went to Brigham Young University-Idaho and got a bachelor’s in Fisheries, Range and Wildlife Management. This is my first time in New Mexico, and I am very excited to learn more about the ecosystems and wildlife to be found here. I am the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse Technician at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. I enjoy learning all I can about wildlife and nature in general, I spend my free time bird watching and searching for wildlife. I am super excited to be here at Bosque del Apache and I can’t wait to see the seasons change and the various wildlife migrate through the area. I will be spending my time here setting camera traps to monitor the jumping mouse population and helping with the river realignment project. I would like to thank the Friends of Bosque del Apache and the refuge staff for this amazing opportunity!