A Long Island Summer

Well my time here on Long Island has come to an end. I just finished up my last day today. Summer has gone by so quickly. It seems like I got here yesterday, and now I’m leaving.

I feel like I’ve grown as a person. I know it’s bland to say that I’ve learned a lot, but it’s true. I got to live on my own and find out what works for me. I’m a better cook, hopefully. I made some new friends and even some great mentors. In the beginning of the summer, one of my goals was to figure out what U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is and how a national wildlife refuge system works. Not only have I completely that goal, a part of me will always be with USFWS.

I am extremely grateful for the kindness shown by all members of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex staff for making me feel at home. From them, I learned that helping out each other is an essential part of life. I also reinforced my key values of reliability and encouragement. I have more confidence in myself. I’m a little bit braver. I have better communication skills. I’m trying not to complain and avoid my no, not’s, and never’s. I’m still pushing myself to be a better me each day, and not just me, for the wildlife of the Earth. This internship reassured me that I’m going down a good road, a road I want to continue on.

This summer I helped out the refuge’s summer camp, co-lead programs, led programs of my own, got trained and instructed archery, visited 4 other Long Island refuges and helped out biologists, recorded a ton of footage on the go pro, trained volunteers on the Virtual Geocache program, created flyers, wrote up signs, counted fees, entered in deer hunting applications, found little critters in the Carmans River, saw and identified a lot of wildlife, went to so many places in my down time like the aquarium and Brookhaven National Lab, and met so many great people with amazing stories.

It’s been a good summer. This is me signing off.
Until next time,
Jane Wong