In June I wrote a blog post to introduce myself and Alice, and updated you on our exciting first month as Marine Futures Interns. Since then we have been busy writing our reports, learning about offshore wind and getting stuck in with engagement events. With all of that going on we have slightly neglected this blog...
Here's my look back at what this internship has involved and some of the things I have learnt along the way.
As part of the team of 9 interns, we have travelled around the country with the rest of the interns on our programme, learning from conservation organisations and experts in the marine sector. These trips have taken us to Skegness where we visited a developing saltmarsh plant nursery and Grimsby where we learnt about the value of engaging with locals about the offshore wind industry.
We have also spent time with The Crown Estate (our internship sponsors) in London, where we have received training for our professional development, and have learnt about the role they have with leasing the seabed.
These trips have taught me the importance of collaboration and networking within the marine sector, and have demonstrated really great examples of inspiring people getting work done!
As I mentioned back in June, our main internship project has involved conducting research on kittiwakes nesting at a nearby offshore wind farm. We took photographs of these birds and their nests in Summer, and since then we have been analysing the data and writing up a report on our findings. We also presented our results, and discussed the challenges we faced along the way in two presentations to audiences made up of fellow interns and project partners.
This project taught me valuable skills including the ability to adapt in the face of challenges, and continually refine my focus to be able to work to deadlines. It also gave me the opportunity to contribute to wider industry understanding of issues surrounding birds and offshore wind farms. It was amazing to be able to experience being surrounded by turbines out at the windfarm, something not many people can say!
I have gained some valuable, practical (often cold and wet) experience by joining in with the seagrass restoration project underway in Cumbria. This has included walking the extent of the seagrass bed, picking seeds, processing seeds and planting them back out at the restoration site. The conservation team are working really hard on this project and it has been an amazing experience to join them from such an early stage in the projects' lifespan. I can't wait to see the next stages in spring!
It's been a privilege to be able to represent the Marine Team at some engagement events as part of our internship. I delivered a presentation on the Wildlife of the Irish Sea to the Keswick Natural History Society, where the audience tested my knowledge and awareness of the topic through their in depth questions. This was great experience, as it was almost like delivering a lecture and allowed me to feel like a real expert.
I also hosted a rock pooling event at Parton, where we found lots of different crab species, and chatted about why anemones have their tentacles out in the water but not higher up the rocks. I was so encouraged by the curiosity and enthusiasm of the children (and adults) who attended. If I could lead rock pooling sessions everyday as a job, that would be the dream!
I had the opportunity to join an engagement day at a school in Barrow where we ran different sensory stations around nature and wildlife topics. My station was looking at the stages of a seal pup as it grows and moults- I had a great time creating the resources and engaging with the young people on the day.
My individual project has focused on grey seals on the Cumbrian coast, exploring options for studying their interactions with offshore wind farms. I have conducted a feasibility study; investigating the costs, ethical considerations and practicalities of tagging seals to gain this information. This has been a really interesting study to conduct and has required collaboration with various project partners, aiming to balance their priorities and concerns in order to produce a report that summarises the topic effectively.
I have also had the opportunity to join in with the annual seal monitoring that takes place at South Walney Nature Reserve and have contributed to Cumbria Wildlife Trusts' science communication on topics around seal pups and disturbance. Studying these seals has been one of the highlights of the internship for me and they will always have a special place in my heart.
This internship has been an amazing opportunity where I have learnt so much about working in the marine sector. I have really enjoyed being part of this awesome cohort of interns and can't wait to see where we all end up!
