June 2023 Intern Claire Moe during her Youth Corps internship in spring 2022.
During the month of June, Jefferson Land Trust got a big helping hand from intern superstar Claire Moe. Claire, who has just completed her freshman year at Colorado College, first got involved with the Land Trust last year, when she participated in our annual spring break Youth Corps paid internship for high school students.
“When I did Youth Corps, I was like ‘Wow, this is exactly what I was looking for.’ I really enjoyed the experience and wanted to do something similar again,” she says.
Growing up in Kingston, Claire has always enjoyed being outside and learning about the natural world, and currently plans to major in environmental science. When she was looking for something to do over the summer, she took the initiative to call Carrie Clendaniel, our Preserve Manager. In addition to overseeing our nature preserves, Carrie leads our youth educational programming, including Youth Corps. She worked with Claire to design a month-long internship that builds on her Youth Corps experience.
During her time with us, Claire got to learn a lot about forest management and the inner workings of land trusts. She worked with our staff field crew on various projects at our nature preserves; helped conduct our forest health assessments, both in the field and through data analysis; and even assisted with conservation easement monitoring.
Claire (third from left) posing with fellow Youth Corps interns in 2022.
“I’m really excited that I got to follow along [on the easement monitoring] because it gave me a better sense of that side of what the Land Trust does,” she says.
As for us, we’re thrilled to have had Claire on the team this month! Not only is she a wonderful asset in the field and office, but having the chance to support the next generation of people who care for the land is an important goal of our work. Claire’s interest and commitment to conservation represents an exciting response to the energy our organization has put into youth education programs over the years.
We’ve all enjoyed getting to know Claire over this past month. Thanks for your hard work, enthusiasm, and wonderful attitude, Claire!
