My name is Miriam and I am the aquatic invasive plant monitoring intern at Friends of the Rouge. I am currently in my senior year at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I am majoring in biological sciences.
I first got involved with FOTR in March, volunteering to plant native trees along the lower branch of the Rouge River. Ever since then, I enjoyed being around the lovely FOTR team and I wanted to be part of it. Additionally, I wanted to gain fieldwork experience. With the internship, I’ve been able to do a variety of tasks in the field with professionals: Frogbit surveys, fish surveys, and crayfish management.
Nothing beats working outdoors. I became passionate about the natural world after taking ecology courses in college. It became clear how much anthropogenic activity was affecting our planet. I wanted to help mitigate the changes we’ve created. By working with FOTR, I’ve been able to get my hands and wader-covered feet in the water, and survey for aquatic invasive plants around Michigan. I have loved every second of it thus far, specially knowing the impact we are making by doing something like invasive plant management.