20 Jul Adventures Around the Blackstone
Summer Bat Night
Throughout this internship, I have been highly grateful to my supervisors and colleagues, who have been willing to help me make connections with other organizations. For example, the superintendent of our park, Eric, connected me with some wonderful people from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. They invited me to participate in their Summer Bat Night. The goal of this event was to count a bat colony. Before the main event started, I was tasked with helping with the kids’ craft. This involved making a bat from a toilet paper roll, cardstock, and pipe cleaners. I enjoyed this craft as much as the kids and even made my own. I named my bat Carolina, which is the name of the trout hatchery we were at. During the main event of the bat count, I was tasked with standing on one side of the barn and counting the bats with a clicker as they flew out. Hearing the bats waking up with their rustling and squeaking was so fascinating. We counted 190 bats, which was more than I expected. It was exciting to experience something new!
Canoeing
Recently, I had the chance to go canoeing with our partner, Friends of the Blackstone. I was initially slightly nervous because I had never been in a canoe. However, with the help of my fellow intern, James, and the people leading us, we were cruising in no time. It was relaxing to be on the water and in nature. We were lucky enough to see the great blue heron fly over us a few times and spot some turtles. Overall, it was a good day.
Learning About Rhode Island
One of my last adventures included visiting the Rhode Island State House. My colleagues and I were given a tour of the building. I was blown away by how beautiful the inside of the building was. The paintings around the top of the dome were incredible. We could peek into the House Chamber, Senate Chamber, the State Reception Room, and the library. Our tour guide was terrific, and I was surprised by how much I learned on the tour.
Lastly, we visited the Tomaquag Museum. The mission of the Tomaquag museum is “To educate all of our relations (everyone) on Indigenous cultures of the Dawnland (focus Southern New England) through engagement and shared dialogue to reconcile the past and empower present and future generations.” I learned a lot at the Tomaquag Museum. I enjoyed listening to how passionate our tour guide was about sharing this information.
I have enjoyed getting to learn about Rhode Island and its’ history throughout my stay. I can’t wait to learn more!
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