31 May Welcome to Congaree National Park

Hello, and welcome to the initial blog post of my 2022 summer Internship coordinated through Fish & Feathers and Environment for the Americas. I will first introduce myself. I am Quenten Masters; I was born in Lake Havasu, Arizona, and have spent most of my life in the Grand Canyon State. However, I have lived in other places, such as Washington DC and Reno, Nevada, for several years while growing up. This spring, I graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, with a Bachelor of Science. I majored in Natural Resources with an Emphasis on Fisheries Management. This internship marks my second time working at Congaree National Park in Hopkins, South Carolina. Here I will be working as a Fisheries and Management Assistant, focusing on community outreach and helping the park develop a better understanding of how the local communities interact with the fisheries within the Park. Congaree, or Cong for short, is home to the largest old-growth stand of hardwood bottomland forest in the United States. At roughly 26,000 acres and situated at the confluence of both the Congaree and Wateree rivers. The park is home to several historical sites that exemplify its rich cultural history, from Native American mounds to slave-built dykes and levees. Along with its cultural history, the park is home to many flora and fauna. I hope to reconnect with the community and the garden I previously worked at through this internship. I continue to gain a plethora of hands-on experience working for the National Park Service. I believe this internship provides me the unique opportunity to continue developing relationships and building upon the network I established last year. As well as allow me to hone and diversify my skills and knowledge of working with Natural Resources. I am genuinely grateful to get this opportunity again and can’t wait to share it with you again through my blog posts.