For the first time since 2014, PLC had a summer intern! Maddy Smith, who grew up in Lyndeborough and is a Junior at the University of New Hampshire, spent 10 weeks assisting PLC’s Stewardship Coordinator Dan Ewald. Maddy’s primary responsibility was to author Baseline Documentation Reports (BDRs) for several PLC conservation easement properties. BDRs document the current conditions on a property and are essential to the effective enforcement of conservation easements and the perpetual protection of conservation lands as they provide a benchmark against which the Stewardship department can track changes to a property’s condition over time. Maddy also assisted with other stewardship tasks such as maintaining trails, updating property files, and installing PLC signs.
Maddy was a tremendous help all summer, and her efforts ensured the continued smooth operation of the Stewardship department. Part of Maddy’s planned work included a final reflection on time spent with PLC, which you can read below.
In Maddy’s Words:
I started to think about a summer internship in January. I wanted to move on from my old summer job and explore the environmental field, hoping for an opportunity to gain experience and learn more about what I might want to do for a career. When I saw the PLC Stewardship Intern posting, I knew it would be a perfect fit for me. I liked the idea of getting to spend the summer helping to protect the natural world, and working on properties in the region I grew up in.
I had basic knowledge of conservation and stewardship from classes and research, but my summer at PLC has given me a much deeper understanding of everything involved. I’m certain it helped me develop skills that will benefit me throughout my career.
PLC was a great place to explore career paths in natural resources and conservation- . I was able to take the time to ask questions and learn from the staff, Stewardship Committee members, Trustees, and volunteers I met along the way. So much work goes into protecting land — fundraising, deed writing, baseline documentation, monitoring, enforcement and more. Between the variety of projects and tasks I worked on and office discussions, I now understand the full scope of land protection projects from acquisition to stewardship.
The majority of my work this summer pertained to five Baseline Documentation Reports I worked on with Stewardship Coordinator Dan Ewald. Being a part of the BDR process helped me understand deeds, how to interpret and follow surveys, the complexities of landowner interactions, and a better understanding of the plants and animals that live in our region.
Writing BDRs gave me the chance to learn both technical and soft skills required in this field. I’ve gotten better at identifying trees and their common afflictions and invasive plants, I honed my GIS skills and now know my way around a GPS unit, and I learned about the accreditation process for land trusts and what an important part BDRs play in that process. I’ve also gained experience working with landowners to revise and sign BDRs, and answer any questions that may come up in that process.
Though BDRs were my focus, other tasks I worked on taught me a lot. Dan let me assist with monitor trainings and I was able to learn about how our monitors do their job and what they need to do it. I also had the experience of working on Risk Assessments, touring with individuals from backup grantee organizations and placing and retrieving trail cameras. I worked on the early and late stages of trail projects by mapping out potential routes and marking finished ones. I also learned about easement enforcement and the process of working to resolve encroachments with landowners. There was so much variety in what I worked on — no two days were the same!
Working at PLC was so worthwhile and rewarding. I will use the knowledge and skills I learned here, and I hope to maintain the valuable connections with the people I’ve met and built relationships with. I’m lucky to have been able to meet everyone, go everywhere, and learn everything that I did this summer.
