Written by Julia Fischman, 2025 undergraduate summer intern hosted by Alex Arrow and Emily Jung of the USFWS Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR)

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work with and learn from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife team at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Hosted by Alex Arrow, the Wildlife Refuge Specialist, I learned an extensive range of skills and gathered many new experiences.

Manatee Migration

The focus for many in Crystal River, especially from November to April, is the manatee! Although most of them had migrated to the warm gulf waters by the time I began working, I gained experience releasing rehabilitated manatees back into the water. Typically, manatees are rescued when signs of cold stress, emaciation, boat strikes, or other threats are noticed. Once they’re ready to be released back into the wild, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission staff and volunteers assist that process.

Egmont Key Shorebird Surveys

Once a month, we made a trip down to Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, south of St. Petersburg, to evaluate the species and abundance of nesting bird populations. The main nesting species were Royal Terns, Laughing Gulls, and Brown Pelicans. By keeping track of the species present and the number of adults and chicks, I honed my skills of shorebird identification, taking data while in the field, and informing the public of our survey’s purpose.

Education and Outreach

My first outreach event was with Save Crystal River for Planting Day, where we taught fifth graders about manatee ecology and the various mammals that can be found in the area. I taught similar information to the visitors of SharkCon in Tampa. At our Three Sisters Springs property, I took photos of native plants and designed posts to line trails and teach visitors about the local flora. Similarly, I developed a lesson plan about macroinvertebrates for the team to host an educational sampling event with local middle schoolers.

Around the Refuge

On the more traditional workdays, I assisted in weekly tasks and upkeep around the refuge. Twice a week, I checked Eastern Bluebird and Carolina Chickadee boxes and recorded the state of the nest as well as the presence of eggs or chicks. Once a week, I changed the air filters at our Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge to support one of our projects of measuring and improving the air quality there. I also sat in on meetings with our staff and volunteers to learn what it takes to successfully manage a refuge.

Thank you

I am so grateful for having had this experience and the significant impact it has had on affirming my passion in wildlife conservation and management. I’d like to thank Alex Arrow, Emily Jung, and the rest of the team for taking the time to advise me and make this internship so enjoyable. Thank you to everyone at NCBS for rewarding me with this opportunity!

| Follow the link to learn more about the UF/IFAS NCBS Undergraduate Summer Internship program. Read more intern blogs here. |

Featured image credit: UF/IFAS Photo by Cat Wofford

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