A nature community? What is it and how do you build one? During her internship with the Maryland Biodiversity Project, University of Maryland student Barbara Sikorski was very active in cataloging living things to help build a vibrant nature community in Howard County.
Sikorski, a dually-enrolled student, is working on her Certificate in Applied Agriculture in Ornamental Horticulture while also earning her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP). Landing an internship that allowed her to work with plants to benefit the environment was a perfect fit.
Housed at the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks in Columbia, Maryland, Sikorski managed a pollinator meadow in Centennial Park, took photos of flowers and insects, identified trees and plants, led a group of Weed Warriors to weed out the meadow, and removed Purple Loosestrife (an invasive species). She created the Centennial Park spreadsheet, updated the Herpetology (reptiles and amphibians) spreadsheet, and conducted butterfly, dragonfly, and moth counts at other park locations.
Sikorski says her favorite part of the internship was “taking photos of the plants and insects as well as contributing to the Maryland Biodiversity Project.” Some of her photos are published on the website. One of her least favorite parts was taking site inventory, which included going into underdeveloped areas, noting animal behavior and inventorying plants. But, she is quick to add, “I still enjoyed the experience it gave me.” She gained valuable skills in communication, creating spreadsheets, and identifying plants and insects.
According to Sikorski’s IAA advisor Ken Ingram, "Barbara was the first Ag Forward student to transfer from Ornamental Horticulture to Environmental Science. The ideal internship would involve plants and the environment and not the usual greenhouse/landscape job. We were fortunate to find a job with the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks involving plant and insect inventory work and the supervision of volunteers in Centennial Park and other county properties. She was able to spend a lot of time with her supervisor, which is not always the case for interns. I think it was a very interesting and worthwhile internship, we have included blog posts in INAG299A for the past three years and Barbara, without question, had the most thorough and interesting posts of any IAA student."
Ingram added that he finds Sikorski dedicated and hardworking in everything that she does in and outside the classroom. Although uncertain of her specific career path, Sikorski would like to focus on ecology and conservation, a direction reinforced by her internship.
