Share

Student Intern - Month 3!

See what Rachel has been up to in her third month as a student intern!

I have learnt not to get too excited about opportunities that are weather dependant this month… As you can probably guess, the trip that I had planned to the Calf did not go ahead. But fear not, I have a plan up my sleeve to ensure I am able to visit for a longer period before I head back to university. The strong winds also meant that the thermal imaging drone could not be taken out to better estimate the population of wallabies. This has thankfully been rearranged and I am looking forward to learning about the data collection method as early as January 2023!

Despite mother nature's attempts to ruin my plans, you will be glad to hear that I have still had a busy, albeit slightly more office based, month with MWT.

Wallaby at Close Sartfield

© Graham Makepeace-Warne

I have been making progress on the wallaby project, although it is becoming quite challenging, I must say! When I began the project, I was aware of how the topic is controversial among residents, but I underestimated the amount of critical evaluation it would require.

 

I have got to say, I love the designs that I have been working on, as did Leigh and Graham when I presented my designs for feedback, but I think the whole project may need a big discussion before I go any further.

My research into freshwater pearl mussel reintroduction is going swimmingly! Lara has been helping me gather lots of information that has been gathered on the quality of Manx rivers. I have been really enjoying the process of digging through data looking for habitats that FPMs would thrive in. So much so, that I have been looking into possible career options in data management and began to learn Python coding in my spare time. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the future lately. I am notorious for getting too far ahead of myself!! Anyway, once I have more solid findings and research on the pearl mussels, I will write up a report and then we shall see where it goes from there!

monkey bars

In other news, the Hairpin Woodland Logstickle course is in full swing! The monkey bars are certainly going to challenge even the toughest!

I have been getting very mucky with the muckers this month. November has been full to the brim with ditch clearance. It has been nice learning about more of our reserves, especially Glen Dhoo now that the truck is back on the road! I highly recommend a walk to Glen Dhoo, it is gorgeous.

I also have taken part in an excel course this month, led by Fiona Rowe. It was a valuable course as I learnt a lot about shortcuts and formulas. I am sure it will come in very handy when I return to university for my dissertation.

On to the newest additions of my to-do list…
  • Dawn, the education officer, has set me off on a task to price up a ‘flat pack’ butterfly garden kit for schools on the island. This is going to include seeds, a year management plan and a system for the students to record sightings and complete surveys. It is a lovely project, and it will be great for the students to learn more about the importance of the fragile pollinators and take pride in their gardens.
  • A meeting has been set up with Kathleen Graham at the Wildlife Park to discuss the potential of beginning a feasibility study on the reintroduction of wood mice. This work would require me to spend some time on the Calf (fingers crossed this time!).

 Finally, it has been nice to catch up with my newly appointed academic tutor from NTU. Matt was impressed with the way my placement has been going so far. He doesn’t know a lot about the Isle of Man, but I am sure he wasn’t expecting me to begin chatting about wallabies!!

So, what is in store for December? I am hoping to continue making progress on my research projects as the rainy weather is sure to continue through the winter months. We also have Christmas to be looking forward to (and we have a glorious tree outside the office - the light switch on was ace!), including some MWT team building at Ardwhallan!

As usual, be sure to follow my Instagram page for more updates @rachels_placement and feel free to send any questions to rachelsmith@mwt.im

Related blog posts