The Audubon Center at Debs Park is proud to have worked with 3 incredible interns this summer.  These Audubon WINGS Conservation Education Interns help us develop and deliver our summer camp program to the community.   Over the course of the summer these interns work with nearly 200 kids, helping them see the natural world in Debs Park and teaching them about how they can make a difference for the environment.  All of us at the Audubon Center at Debs Park are honored to have worked with these talented people.

Carlos Jauregui, is a native of LA.  He is currently at California State University, Long Beach where he is majoring in Zoology.   He has helped with research on California newts and is an avid birdwatcher.  He also works with students, during the year, to help them master math. Here are some of his reflections about working  with Audubon:

 This summer I have learned a lot during my internship. I learned how to identify some plants like yucca, poison oak, black walnut, and other plants. I have also learned some interesting facts about the plants like the sharp edges on the yucca and how the seed of a black walnut looks like the face of an owl. I also learned about some resources regarding birding. I learned about eBird.org which people go onto and list the birds they have seen in a given region. This is really helpful so you can have an idea of what kind of birds you might see when going hiking or bird-watching. I also learned about different Facebook pages and organizations that offer bird walks that I can join and learn from more experienced birders. Another important thing I learned was how to interact with children and teenagers better. I was able to learn how to keep the campers’ attention as I lectured or explained an activity as the camp went by. I also learned some fun activities and ice breakers that I can use in the future.

 The internship was a great experience. I met fantastic people throughout the summer. The staff was very friendly and supportive and that helped me to be confident and lead the activities with ease. The Green Team was also very helpful, fun to work with, and get to know. The Green Team made it possible to perform the activities by having the campers stay focused and that helped us stay on schedule. They made the experience as an intern very fun and memorable. The campers were also very fun to work with. There was a wide range of campers in terms of age and energy.  It was great to work with all the campers.   They made each day different and kept it exciting. I loved working at the Audubon Center in Debs Park during the summer and it went by too fast.

Looking towards the future I can see myself using some of the activities I have learned to teach more people about conservation and nature. The activities will also help in any social situation to get people to have fun and meet each other. I can see myself staying involved with the Audubon Center at Debs Park and helping them out if they need help during events or trainings. I will also refer people to the camp whether they are looking for a camp to send their children or if some teenagers are looking for a place to volunteer at. This internship has given me a good idea of how it is to work with children and I look forward to having a related career in the future.