Internship Week One

My first week at the National Marine Life Center has been all that I could hope for. The great group of staff members and volunteers has welcomed me and has already made me feel comfortable at my new internship.

In addition to getting to know everyone at NMLC, I have learned a lot about caring for and rehabilitating endangered species of turtles. I came into the week knowing fairly little about what goes into preparing an unhealthy animal to return to the wild, but I am quickly finding out just how extensive of a process this can be. Helping out with water quality testing and admitting
new patients has been interesting and very informative. I never would have imagined how much attention the little turtles require in order to ensure that they are healthy enough to be released
into their natural habitat.

I have also enjoyed helping to educate the public about turtles, marine mammals, and the goals of NMLC. Answering the questions of inquisitive girl scouts as well as their parents on Monday was a lot of fun. The release of the red-bellied cooters on Friday gave me a chance to pass on what I have learned in this week to the enthusiastic families who came to assist and watch. It was also exciting to see the turtles raised by NMLC, along with over one hundred others, released into a pond where they will hopefully thrive and help to increase the population of this beautiful endangered species of turtle.

I am excited for what I will learn over the remainder of the summer about rehabilitating animals and educating people who pay a visit to NMLC.

Posted by Brian Q.
Brian is a Summer, 2011 Intern at the National Marine Life Center.