04 Aug The ABCs of the Blackstone

Posted at 11:04h in Fish & Feathers, Intern Blog by
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This summer I have had so many cool experiences. Therefore, I wanted to put them all together in one post. I present to you… the ABCs of the Blackstone. 

A

A lot of Adventures- I was able to make little field trips to several places while I was here. For example, I got to tour the Rhode Island state building.

B

Biking- I was able to bike for the first time in years! It was a fun way to explore the area when I first arrived to Rhode Island.

C

Canoeing- I was able to canoe for the first time thanks to our partners Friends of the Blackstone. It was interesting to see the river from a different perspective.

D

Don’t Eat the Fish! – One of my main goals this summer was to educate the public on how to safely recreate with the river since the Blackstone River is so polluted. Here is fellow EFTA intern James explaining why we don’t want to eat the fish in the river.

E

Education - I spent a lot of time this summer educating visitors about the fish in the Blackstone River. One of the games we used for education was Blackstone Bass. On the back of each fish is a picture of a fish you may find in the river. There is also information about each fish included on the back.

F

Fishing- I was able to do a lot of fishing this summer. One of my favorite things this summer was getting to be a part of people's first time catching a fish.

G

Great Blue Heron- We had a great blue heron friend that would hang around the mill. It was fun to watch it go fishing for its meals.

H

Headed to the Zoo - While living here, I was able to visit the Roger Williams Zoo. There were so many cute animals including this red panda.

I

Informative Posts- I was able to create several informational posts for #WildlifeWednesday that would go on our social media for the week. This picture is from when I featured Carl S. Bat. Carl was visiting us from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I wrote a little informational piece about Rhode Island bats for that week's post.

J

Junior Ranger Badges - One of my favorite parts of the summer was getting to hand out junior ranger badges. Children got so excited to receive their badges!

K

Kelly House - The Kelly House is where I spent some mornings and afternoons teaching people how to fish. Bluegill, pumpkinseed, and bass are some of the fish that we would catch in the canal next to the Kelly House.

L

Learning About the Area - I was able to take a trip to New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park to learn about the whaling industry history throughout the area.

M

Mill - Slater Mill acts as our visitor center and is where we give tours.

N

New friends - I had the pleasure of working with fellow EFTA intern James Nagaoka throughout the summer. It was a blast!

O

Ocean - While living here I was able to visit Newport beach. It was a little chilly but the view was beautiful.

P

Passport to Your National Parks- I was introduced to the passport stamps that the parks participate in. One of my first stamps was from when I went to Acadia National Park. I can't wait to fill up by book!

Q

Quick Trips- I was able to go for a quick little trip with my parents to New Hampshire. It was a blast!

R

Roger Williams National Memorial - A site that I would sometimes visit. The sunflowers that are growing there are beautiful.

S

Secretary Haaland-I was able to teach Secretary Haaland how to play Backyard Bass. She even got her junior angler badge.

T

Turtles - I was able to spot many turtles throughout my time at the Blackstone. However, my favorite was probably this snapping turtle.

U

Uncovering Wildlife- One of my favorite parts about my internship was spotting wildlife that I had never seen back home. Here's a cute little frog that I found.

V

Vamos a Pascar- This fishing event focuses on teaching Hispanic and Latino families how to fish. Helping with these events was amazing because I would get to watch people catch their first fish. Their excitement was awesome!

W

Wilkinson Mill- Where I did all my office work during my internship.

X

eXpert on Fish- Throughout the summer I have had the chance to practice my fish ID skills. Being able to repeatedly practice this skill has greatly improved my confidence.

Y

Yellow Poplar-The Yellow Poplar is my favorite tree. I was so excited to see that there were several around my site when I first got to Rhode Island.

Z

Zillions of Reasons I Don't Want to Leave- I am so grateful for all the wonderful people I met this summer. It is going to be really hard to say goodbye.

Thank you Rhode Island for being my Home this summer

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1 Comment
  • Holly Johnson
    Posted at 09:08h, 05 August

    So glad you were able to spend your summer experiencing new and different places, people and things to learn and carry with you through your life. What a blessing!!