Ella McDougall worked with CRWC for a year and a half as the Lawson Little III Memorial Watershed Intern. She had a wide range of responsibilities that included creating education curriculum and delivering class presentations at local schools, assisting with field trips to our regional parks, managing email campaigns and our websites, and creating quarterly newsletters.
One of her most interesting duties was creating a field trip curriculum for high-schoolers about sea level rise and community vulnerability. The lesson plan intended to teach the students about floodplain management, issues surrounding environmental management and species protection, and how to predict and avoid climate-related disasters. It was successfully presented to a group of 70 kids in Spring 2019 at Carmel River State Beach. Ella was also highly involved in the organization and oversight of our annual California Wildlife Day (CWD) event. As a state-designated holiday, CWD brings together our local and regional community to celebrate and honor the biodiversity and ecosystems of California. For our annual event, Ella helped coordinate school children's art and science projects, select and organize food and service vendors, and manage day-of logistics. In 2019, our event drew more than 700 visitors! During her time with the Conservancy, Ella learned heaps about the local Carmel River Watershed and its special wildlife, was able to combine work and play by getting to know the Carmel Valley ecosystem, and met some incredible conservation advocates and wilderness spokespersons. Her fondest memory will be fishing in Mesa Pond with Lorin Letendre, the former Executive Director and current CRWC President. |