2025 Conservation Intern Year End Reflection – Claire Drake

End of year internship reflection

I don’t even know where to begin, except to say once again that this has been the best job I have ever had the pleasure of working in. It far exceeded my expectations in every way. When I received the job offer from Kate at the beginning of the year, I cried happy tears. After working toward this position for three years, I couldn’t believe it had finally happened. It truly felt like a dream come true. The variety of the job is one of the things that made it so special. One day I was counting blades of grass; the next I was teaching groups of schoolchildren about bighorn sheep on Mount Blue Sky; the day after that I might be watering the medicine garden or wading through a swamp in search of boreal toads. Even during the height of field season, when grass surveys were the primary focus, every day brought new challenges and joys. Through this position, I gained skills, tools, and techniques that I will carry with me throughout my career. One example being the plant ID skills I developed and honed. I never imagined there were so many different grasses and forbs in Colorado. The first time I walked up to one of our monitoring sites, I thought, “Alright, I can see a few different species here, this won’t take long.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. An hour and a half later, Kate and Tim were still finding new species within the same 1 m × 1 m plot. I’m deeply grateful for the knowledge I gained about grasses and grasslands. Beyond the day-to-day work, we were also invited to take part in some truly unforgettable “museum moments.” I got to pet a rhino, feed a giraffe, help band baby kestrels, examine bees up close, hold the head of a young bison, and meet penguins face to face.

While I expected to work on a variety of incredible projects, I didn’t anticipate just how many wonderful people I would meet along the way. My “sod squad” is incredibly dear to me now. Kate and Tim have been the most supportive, knowledgeable, and inspiring supervisors I have ever worked for. They are exemplary leaders and dear friends. My fellow intern, Chelsea, was a joy to work alongside, and I feel privileged to have shared this experience with someone so clever, driven, and kind. Alex is one of the smartest people I know, always eager to share his enthusiasm and expertise and I learned so much from him this season.

Thanks to the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, I was granted the opportunity to work in my dream job, and I had the honor of representing the zoo with pride wherever I went. My goal is to return as full-time zoo staff as soon as I complete my bachelor’s degree.