Animal Care

By Jimmy Black, Program Intern


Caring for pets is almost every kid’s dream, be it a vet, zookeeper, or cute puppy owner. I still dream of a career in pet care, making the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center a perfect opportunity for me to discover where my passion for nature truly lies. Right now I am leaning toward vet school, so being assigned to the animal care rotation first is exactly where I wanted to be. Many of the skills I have been acquiring in animal care are directly transferable to vet school: animal handling, animal diet, animal hygiene, and of course, the horrid animal smells.

I knew coming into this internship that dealing with animals is not all bottle feeding the cute baby deer or scratching the hard to reach places on the lions like you see on most zoo's summer intern programs, but many people have this rose colored glasses view about interning at a zoo. As expected, the first thing I did in animal care was clean an animal's enclosure. What was not expected was the extent that animals can decimate an area. The opossum is a fine example of an animal that will test your squeamishness. Unlike the skunk, opossums spread their feces not just on ever surface of their cages, but all over themselves as well. I clean up after them every day and the repetition and smell of this is definitely a struggle for me.

Smells have always been important to me whether it's the type of deodorant I put on every morning, the glade plug-ins I buy for my room, or the perfume a girl wears, so the eye-watering smells I come across in this position are difficult. The opossums are one thing, but if you don't gag cleaning up after them I'd like to see how you handle the otters after they are fed vast amounts of fish. That is as bad as the smell gets in animal care. I was gagging the whole time wondering why I ever found them to be cute.

I joke a ton about the smells that animal care has introduced me to, but there is so much more to it. Every morning I prepare food for the raptors and help clean the animal enclosures. One of the most tedious tasks is picking up feathers in the raptor exhibits. This is something that gets overlooked by most visitors, but is unknowingly appreciated. It reminds me of working at Dick's Sporting Goods and putting items on the right shelf after customers put things back in the wrong place. They don't think about the associate who makes a minimum hourly wage needing to put everything back in its rightful place. Now whenever I go to a store I recognize how things seem to be right above the correct price. Relating back to the feathers, I'll be sure to take note on how feather-free a bird exhibit is at any zoos I visit in the future.

My favorite parts of animal care would have to be preparing the animal diets, running errands such as transporting animals to Fish and Game, or going to the vet's office, and oddly enough cleaning the bear exhibit. Cleaning the bear exhibit includes hiding food all over their night pens, washing down the floors of the night pens, and scooping poop in their exhibit. Call me a little kid, but every time I scoop bear poop I laugh to myself about the amount of waste these animals produce. It's hilarious and smells more like my compost at home than I had thought.

All and all, even though animal care has its challenges and I know that a career in zoo keeping is not for me, it is full of great experiences. I am enjoying and learning a lot from the time I've spent!

Program Internship Wrap-Up

By Sarah Kelly, Program Intern

With just a couple weeks of summer left, I’ve found myself stopping to take a moment and think about how grateful I am for what I’ve been able to do these last few months at the Science Center. It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over but I guess time flies when you’re having fun and I’ve been having a blast. Being from New Hampshire, I’ve been coming to the Science Center since I was little and have always loved it. When I discovered that they offered an internship I was so excited and sent in my application immediately. Looking back to that time is a bit surreal when I consider that I’m here now. This experience has been everything I hoped it would be.

I started this summer shadowing one of the naturalists through his classes. Sitting through these programs taught me very quickly the basics of the natural history of the area and of the animals we have at the Science Center. From there I started to go off campus and assist with outreach programs at various camps, libraries, and community centers. From these programs I continued to learn about the native wildlife of New Hampshire from the naturalists and had the opportunity to talk to people about them myself. I’ve done a lot of this since in the Up Close to Animals presentations held daily for visitors. These presentations are a great opportunity for me to inform people of the special characteristics of New Hampshire wildlife, and for visitors to see and gain appreciation of the animals up close, and bring up topics that concern them. I’ve been able to discuss these ideas with people of all ages, especially kids, which was helpful for the next part of my internship.

This part involved helping out with summer Guided Discoveries, which are day programs focused on environmental themes. This gave me a much better look at how younger children learn and become engaged to new ideas about the world around them.

I’m finishing my internship working in animal care. Here I see and work behind the scenes taking care of the animals by cleaning, feeding, and enriching. Getting to work up close with some of the animals is an invaluable experience that I’ve always hoped for and now will never forget.

It’s amazing to me the amount that I’ve learned this summer. While I am studying pre-veterinary medicine in college, I haven’t learned too much about wildlife or environmental studies there, so I’ve picked up a great deal of knowledge in just a couple months. After college, I hope to find a career working with wildlife. This internship has been an amazing experience but also has put me in the direction that I would like to pursue. I am beyond grateful for the time I’ve had at the Science Center and the people who have taught me so much this summer. The Science Center has always been one of my favorite places and I’m so lucky to have been given this experience of a lifetime.

Fast Facts about North American River Otters

By Alexa Cushman, Program Intern

In the short time that I have been interning at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center I already have a favorite exhibit animal, the adorable and playful North American river otters. I know I am not the only visitor that enjoys watching the otters gracefully swim through the water, and play with each other. These enjoyable mammals can be found across North America, always near a body of water. Otters have amazing adaptations that help them survive in the wild and excel as predators both in water and on land. Their body is streamlined, with a long rounded tail, and they have webbed feet to help propel them through the water. They are able to close both their ears and nose by using specialized muscles so they can stay underwater for up to eight minutes. River otters are able swim up to 6 or 7 miles an hour both on the surface and under the water! They are even faster on land and they have been known to run up to 18 miles an hour to escape predators.

If you stay at the exhibit long enough, or if you have been to River Otter Feeding, you have probably seen the otters playing. North American river otters are very playful in the water and on land. Often wild otters can also be seen playing in the water, and sliding through the mud. Sometimes their slides can even be 25 feet long. Other than just for fun, these activities and behaviors are actually used to strengthen social bonds, or practice hunting techniques.

These intelligent mammals use many different forms of communication. They vocalize through various growls, whistles, chuckles, and screams, and can have up to a dozen different vocalizations. River otters are a part of the Mustelidae family which includes weasels, marten, fisher, and mink. Most animals in this family are able to communicate in a very different way than most other animals; through scent markings. Otters have scent glands near the base of their tail that produce a musky odor. They use this form of communication mainly to mark their territory. They also communicate through posture and other body signals just like us.

Even though river otters can be found throughout the United States, they are not commonly seen animals. They are mostly nocturnal and tend to den in sites that have a lot of bush cover for protection. In the twentieth century otters were often hunted and trapped for their rich, waterproof furs. Hunting and increasing water pollution caused otters to be extirpated in many places. Luckily for us, trapping and hunting regulations were developed and there have been many reintroduction efforts to help river otter populations recover. In many areas the river otter is back and doing well, but otters are easily affected by pollution and unclean water so they are not commonly seen around densely populated areas.

These amazing feats and adaptations have allowed the North American river otter to excel as a predator across the United States!

Our Interns

I know we say every year how great our summer interns are, and this year is no different. Marketing Intern Tom Howe, Program Intern James Seager, Program Intern Rachael Sitzer, and Program Intern Aubrey Voelker were fantastic! Thank you all for a great season!

James Seager

Rachael Sitzer

Aubrey Voelker

Tom Howe

An Unforgettable Experience

By Aubrey Voelker, Program Intern

It's amazing how fast 11 weeks pass by working as an intern at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. Being a program intern this summer was better than I could have ever expected. I got the amazing opportunity to work with so many incredible people and animals that made this summer an unforgettable experience.

 Interning at the Science Center involves three different rotations: animal care, outreach, and guided discoveries. During my animal care rotation I got to experience the vast amount of time and work it takes to care for all the animals that the visitors come to see. Most days consisted of cleaning enclosures, preparing diets, doing Up Close to Animals presentations, and a variety of other tasks that allow for no one day to be the same.

The outreach rotation involved going to different places all over New Hampshire, such as libraries and campgrounds, presenting live animal programs with the naturalists. Since I am from Wisconsin and have never been to this part of the country, I really enjoyed being able to travel all over this beautiful state and meet many new and interesting people; I even met a woman from Africa. These outreaches also gave me the chance to get to know the naturalists well and learn a great deal from them.

My final rotation was Guided Discoveries which are week long day programs for kids and each program has a different theme. I got the opportunity to help out with four different Guided Discoveries: Earth Songs, Reptiles and Amphibians, Plant Power and Wild Art. These programs gave me a lot of experience in educating younger students about the natural world around them. All the exciting activities that the students engage in allow for a great deal of learning to occur without the kids even realizing it because they are having so much fun.

While I was significantly able to expand my knowledge about the environment at the science center, I also had access to many other resources. Living in a rustic cottage in the woods, I was able to hear barred owls almost every night. Spending my days off on Squam Lake, I got to observe a variety of birds; a loon family even swam past me once while I was sitting on the dock. I even hiked to the summit of Mount Washington, observing a diversity of plants all the way up (we definitely do not have that kind of hiking available in the Midwest).

My short time at the science center is an experience I will never forget and will benefit me in my future. I cannot recommend this internship enough to anyone who is interested in studying anything relating to wildlife and the environment. This internship gave me experience handling a wide variety of animals, educating others about wildlife that they may find in their own backyard as well as preparing me for the road ahead after college. It saddens me having to leave the Science Center so soon. Every single person here made my summer incredible and I am so thankful I got to work with all the people and animals that make the Science Center so extraordinary.

More than Just Educating

By James Seager, Program Intern

When I was accepted into the internship program at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, I thought it would be a simple summer job and a great resume builder, but I never expected to learn as much as I have in such a short time. I am currently getting my degree in Secondary Education-Biology at Husson University, hoping to one day become a high school biology teacher in New Hampshire. This internship has taught me that being knowledgeable about something means much more than just educating people about what you know, but rather getting those people excited and wanting to learn more on their own once they leave your classroom.

At Squam Lakes Natural Science Center there are many great and hardworking educators that make the Science Center the fun and information rich place that people have come to know and really enjoy. Everyday these experienced educators arrive early to get a start on planning, preparing, and reviewing for their programs they have throughout the day. Whether it’s a mini-talk, lake cruise, or outreach program, every educator has their own style of sharing their information on the natural world with the public, which never fails in creating that excitement and curiosity for all the visitors. It seems that no matter what mammal, raptor, or reptile any of the educators are going to speak about they always know exactly how to approach it and what the public are going to be interested in hearing about. Some of the education staff has been here for over 10-15 years educating the public about our natural world, yet each day they carry the same enthusiasm and interest about the program they are working with and pass that energy onto the public. The amount of time to research, understand and be comfortable working with all these animals takes a very long time, which is why the education staff here at the Science Center does so much more than just educating.

Being able to observe and learn the multiple teaching styles presented by each educator, I have been able to develop my own style of educating the public on a range of different animals. Having this internship has been one of the best experiences in not only my pursuit to become a great teacher, but for me and my confidence. During my time here I worked with a large range of animals, interacted with people from around the country, and spent lots of time doing research and expanding my knowledge of the natural world. I have learned that wanting to be an educator takes much more time outside of the classroom to do research, paperwork, and practice lesson plans so when it is time to educate a group of people I am confident, while enjoying the work I do. One of the most important things I will take away from this internship is that fact that you should enjoy what you are doing every day or it’s simply not worth it. At the Science Center all the staff always seems to be interested and wanting to learn more about what they can do to make the public’s experience here more fulfilling, which is how I want to approach my teaching career when educating the young minds of the future.

 The experience I have gained here during my internship is one that I will carry with me the rest of my life. Thanks to the education staff and everyone else at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, I now have the confidence and experience in educating people as well as the knowledge of the time and hard work it takes to make a great lesson plan, which is something I will use throughout my teaching career.

Patience and Time

By Aubrey Voelker, Program Intern

If you have ever been to Squam Lakes Natural Science Center you may have attended an Up Close to Animals program. During these programs certain education animals are presented so that the public can get up close to a wild animal and learn about its way of life. While presenting a few of these programs I have received multiple questions regarding the training process that our animals go through so that they are comfortable being in the spotlight. How is it that the skunk or woodchuck are content just hanging out on the table with the many distractions around them? The answer: Patience and Time.

 As a program intern, I've been given the op¬portunity to help train a few future education animals and have experienced this vast amount of patience and time that is needed. One of the main concerns when an animal is on the table is that they will not jump off. It usually doesn't take too long for the animal to realize that it is much more enjoyable to keep their feet on the table. Since we want the animals to feel as comfortable as possible, treats are given to the animal when they are on the table. By doing this the animal associates going on the table with receiving treats making the experience more enjoyable for them.

A young porcupine is one of the animals I helped train. Like most of the animals, it took the porcupine a few jumps before realizing the joys of staying on the table. The next step was getting the porcupine to be comfortable enough to start eating the treats we presented to it. This is when I realized that it's necessary to celebrate the little successes to prevent frustration when progress moves slowly. For many days the young porcupine would just sit in one spot, making few movements. The days that it would stiff at the treats, were days of progress. Finally one day after the porcupine spent the first five minutes sniffing at a piece of apple, it picked it up and started eating. I realize this doesn't sound too exciting to most, but after spending days and days watching the porcupine ignore the treats, this progress made me happier than a bird with a french fry. While this young porcupine is still in the training process, it is beginning to show its face to the public and doing well.

Although the training of an animal can be a long and frustrating process, it is definitely a rewarding experience. In the end it is worth the time and the knowledge I gained is something that I hope to continue to use in the future and beyond my internship.

Reflections

By Miranda Furrer, Program Intern

As I sit here reflecting on my summer experience at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, two thoughts come to mind. One is ‘how is it already August?’ and the second is ‘do I really start school in a week?’ Neither seems quite appropriate for the journey that has taken place over the past 10 weeks. There have been new experiences for me, and others that I have had before, but in a completely different setting.

As a small town Midwestern girl, I have been used to the sights and sounds of country life. Cornfields and cows are an everyday sight. Now, I have gotten accustomed to seeing mountains and lakes. That is something that I have grown quite attached to. From day one, the atmosphere at the Science Center has been one of a welcoming nature. All of the staff has been very helpful at making sure the interns were comfortable in the ‘rustic’ intern cottage. Even some of the docents (our volunteers) have made their lakeshores available to us. I had no trouble transitioning to real ‘grown up’ life 1,200 miles away from my safe home state of Illinois. I am an only child, so being so far away from my parents and not seeing them for 10 weeks was hard for me, especially since cell phone service in Holderness is spotty, at best. Being away from home, though, can be a good thing. It gave me the opportunity to travel up and down New England and see some incredible things during my stay in New Hampshire.

I have enjoyed all of my internship. When asked what my favorite part was, I have to pause and think. Was it Guided Discoveries, where I got to watch young minds grow? Or maybe outreaches, where hours were spent in the Science Center vans and interesting facts were learned? Animal Care, where I got to be just inches away from a mountain lion? All of these were worthwhile experiences, but I would have to say that my favorite thing of the whole summer was being able to work with the birds of prey. They have always been of great interest to me and I enjoy being able to handle them every day. This experience has been beneficial to me in several ways. It gave me a clearer view of what it is like to be an educator full-time. It showed me how exhausting it can be to teach kids all day. It also showed me how much work goes into keeping the animals happy and healthy.

As for a career, well, I’m still not 100% sure. I love working with animals and I very much enjoy the education, but time will tell what I will actually end up doing. A lot of doors are open to me, and I am looking forward to exploring more of those options. Something that can tie my two majors (Animal Ecology & Agricultural Business) together would be perfect, but I haven’t figured out quite how to make that happen yet. I enjoy the education aspects of the job, and could definitely see myself being an educator in the future. I also like to work behind the scenes. The experiences I have had this summer will stay with me as I continue to figure out where my future will take me.

I am thankful for the opportunity to come to such an amazing science center and learn the ropes. I have loved my time here at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, and am sad to be leaving so soon. August 20th will be here before I know it and I will be starting my senior year at Iowa State University. Long gone are the afternoons at the lake and nighttime video game challenges with ‘the guys’. Now I must head into the next chapter in my adventure, senior year.

Thank you, Holderness, for putting up with me for the past 10 weeks and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Don’t worry, New England, I will be back one way or another.