American Conservation Experience (ACE) Interns Lend Hand In Canaveral National Seashore

By Lisa D. Mickey

ACE interns help maintain the park’s canoe trails. (Photos courtesy of the National Park Service)

Six interns in the American Conservation Experience (ACE) program spent time working at Canaveral National Seashore this summer. They were at the park through August under Canaveral’s maintenance division, but also had opportunities to work with the resource staff.

The American Conservation Experience / Environmental Service Corps is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing environmental service opportunities for young adults and emerging professionals of all backgrounds. ACE partners alongside federal and state agencies, nonprofit/ non-governmental organizations and other groups for essential conservation tasks. The program allows participants to explore and improve public lands, while gaining practical professional experience.

Interns in this year’s program worked with park staff on canoe trails, general park maintenance and dune restoration projects.

“It has been hot with a lot of hard work, but it’s very rewarding at the end of the day knowing that our crew was a part of conservation efforts,” said Monty Lang, of New Smyrna Beach, who recently worked as a naturalist and park ranger at Skidaway Island State Park in Georgia. “These experiences have allowed me to refine my skills in conservation, along with gaining experience in manual labor, team building and using power tools.”

Michaeli Jervis of Titusville was looking for entry-level conservation opportunities in the Brevard County area and applied for the ACE internship at Canaveral National Seashore.

“It’s been a boots-on-the-ground experience reinforcing dunes, assisting with park maintenance and having an abundance of learning about Florida’s natural habitat,” said Jervis. “Although it’s hot, I really enjoyed the dune work because it is incredibly rewarding to protect my home.”

Jervis is interested in a career in urban planning and plant advocacy and said the program’s hands-on experience stoked an interest in protecting Florida’s natural resources.

“There is a terrible amount of overdevelopment happening in Florida and protecting the loss of our hammocks is crucial,” Jervis added. “I’d love to serve on a board advocating how to live with nature in our developing cities.”

Some interns, such as Michael Earles, came to the program with previous park experience – having worked as a river ranger for Bridger Teton National Forest in Wyoming and at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. His highlight experience at Canaveral National Seashore was assisting with the canoe trail and dune restoration.

Luke Kolinsky of Orlando worked with the team in all of the daily projects and said even tasks, such as prepping parking lots for paving, allowed him to learn things he did not know.

“It allowed me to get hands-on experience with a variety of tools,” he said. “We also had the opportunity to install dune fencing and plant native plants.”

In addition, Kolinsky learned how to create and install oyster reefs in the Indian River Lagoon, but said his summer experience had one highlight that stood out.

“My highlight has been working with the park’s wildlife biologist on dune restoration,” he added. “We were able to assist with every aspect of the work. Just to see the finished product was very rewarding.”