Two seasonal conservation assistants joined the team in September and they are already hard at work supporting our research staff. Their main focus is assisting with field and office activities associated with the Sanctuary’s Western Everglades Research Center and its science-based land stewardship program. Here through February, these staff members will assist with plant, aquatic fauna (small fish and crayfish), amphibian, reptile, mammal, and wading bird monitoring, including Wood Stork nest surveys. Research duties will also include processing aquatic fauna samples back in the lab, recording observations from camera trap images, and entering and managing data. They will soon be trained to serve as members of the Sanctuary’s Prescribed Fire Team, with fire season beginning in December.
Madison Lutes
"Originally from Arizona, I graduated from the University of Arizona last year with a degree in wildlife conservation & management and a certificate in entomology.
During undergrad, I surveyed fish and insects, interned at a fish hatchery, and worked in the aquatic ecology lab on campus. After graduating, I started working for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, where I surveyed lizards and tortoises. After that, I worked for the University of Nebraska on their Wild Turkey project.
My main passions are insects and herps, but I am interested in expanding my knowledge of birds and plants. I am a huge fan of wetland ecosystems, so I’m very excited to be here at the swamp."
Kaylie Beale
"I grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Delaware with degrees in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation and Insect Ecology & Conservation.
Birds are my main area of interest and I'm a lifelong birder. I'll be happy to see some of my old favorites here, like the Anhinga, and I'll always be looking for new ones.
Most of my field jobs so far have involved birds: surveying birds in the deserts of Nevada and California, surveying Sandhill Cranes in Texas, and most recently gathering data for the New York Breeding Bird Atlas III. I'm excited to now study an entire ecosystem, the swamp."
Did you know?
Admission fees, annual memberships, and donations make seasonal positions at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary possible. Will you consider supporting these valuable experiences for budding conservationists?
