When I began my position as a summer intern here at IRWA, I had no idea what was in store for the next few weeks. I have learned more than I possibly could have imagined: from how to properly hold a kayak paddle to how to classify macroinvertebrates with a dichotomous key to how to garden on a roof. My focuses at IRWA include social media and campaign spreading, education and outreach, and macroinvertebrates, each of which I have learned to love.
Grace and Tessa led a paddle from our Riverbend dock.A big part of my job is helping Rachel with the #4OurRiver Campaign. I have made flyers, social media posts, and quizzes to help spread information about our river and our campaign. I work to find interesting and engaging material to get people excited about the river. In the coming weeks, I’ll be helping Rachel with a give-away incentive to increase involvement with the campaign. We’re hoping people will learn that a few simple changes can save our beloved river!
This summer has also tested my knowledge of the river through our summer outreach program. The second week on the job, Grace, Rachel and I visited and hosted large (60+!) student groups and taught them about our watershed and river. I hope it was as fun for the kids as it was for me! I loved walking through the woods with the younger kids and viewing nature through the eyes of a city kid. It really shows how lucky we are to live in a beautifully green town like Ipswich.
Grace and Tessa welcome the B-Safe group from Ascension Church to Riverbend.These past few weeks, I have been focusing more on small-scale things—literally. Ryan assigned me 6 samples of macroinvertebrates to sort, classify and record. I would have never thought that I would ever be this comfortable touching bugs. While it may be a little smelly, it is amazing to see how much variety lives under the surface of our river. Each sample brings a new surprise.
Besides these three central areas of work, I have had so many other fun opportunities! Grace and I planted succulents and sedums on the office’s impressive rooftop garden, we have led beginners paddles where we get to share our excitement for paddling, and we’ve played fun water games with the students from the outreach.
This summer has been incredibly fun and educational and I can’t wait to spread my love for the river even further.
-Tessa Devoe