The Intern Experience at the Wolf Education & Research Center
Tracking in the Wilds of Idaho
Leah Kramer Heyman, Winter 2008 Intern
Leah is a 22-year-old recent graduate of the Audubon Expedition Institute at Lesley University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a concentration in education. She grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts where she was immersed in respect for the natural world and learned to love to play outside as well. She is no greenhorn to the non-profit sector working with the Fresh Air Society and the Chewonki Foundation. She is having a wonderful time doing hands on learning at camp and looking forward to more education opportunities with WERC through outreach programs in local schools. She hopes that this amazing experience will open up new opportunities and ideas for the future.
Kim Harle, Summer 2007 Intern
One of four interns here for the summer of 2007 at WERC, Kim Harle is native to Pennsylvania. Going into her senior year at Delaware Valley College, located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, she majors in Small Animal Science, but possesses a great wonder for the outdoors and wildlife. At college, Kim has been a member of Del Val's collegiate softball team for 3 years and was named co-captain for the 2006-2007 season.
Outside of college, Kim enjoys hiking, kayaking, camping and exploring nature by being outdoors.
After learning of this internship opportunity and all it had to offer, Kim knew this was exactly what she had been looking for and was thrilled to be accepted into the program. Kim has always had a passion for the care and well being of all animals, the wolf in particular. Living a new, unique and exciting lifestyle, she now gets to see the wolf in action. Learning first hand the social structure of the pack and the mysteries behind wolf behavior all intrigue Kim as she observes the pack daily. Building a bond with the pack and beginning to grasp concepts that were once foreign to her is what is most exciting about the internship. She sees this internship opportunity as a huge step toward her future, which she knows, will be devoted to animals in some way shape or form.
Chris Smith, Summer 2007 Intern
Chris was raised in the Puget Sound region, attending school at Olympic High School near Bremerton. While growing up, Chris volunteered at the Northwest Raptor Center and took classes through Wilderness Awareness School on tracking, wilderness survival, edible and medicinal plants, and bird language, completing their Kamana 4 Naturalist Training Program in 2006.
In the summer of 2006, Chris worked as a Wildlife Techinician for the Olympic National forest, completing ecological surveys of timber plots for the Spotted Owl. Chris currently attends Washington State University as a sophomore in Wildlife Ecology, where he volunteers at the Captive Ungulate Facility, does taxidermy for the Conner Museum, and participates in the Raptor Club and Wildlife Society. During his free time, Chris can often be found in the woods bird watching, shooting his recurve bow, or journaling tracking animals.
Matthew Christman, Summer 2007 Intern
Raised in the small town of Ephratah, just a few minutes south of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, Matthew has had a lifelong interest in the natural world around him. A 2007 graduate from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a Bachelors in Wildlife Science, Matthew knew that working with wolves was his calling and that Winchester's small town atmosphere suited him. While working at the WERC, Matthew hopes to develop a strong bond with the current pack and gain the necessary handling experience to continue working with wolves once his internship is completed. Although he is not exactly sure where his career is going from here, he knows that wolves will remain a part of his future.
An avid outdoorsmen, Matthew spends his free time hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and playing sports such as football and baseball. A fan of ice and snow Matthew is also an avid skier and snowboarder.
Matthew has also spent the last five years as a member of the New York Air National Guard, and has achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-5) as an Aircrew Life Support Journeyman and hopes to soon become a commissioned officer and enter the Navigator field to begin flying for his unit.
Chiji Ochiagha, Summer 2007 Intern
A Minnesota native, Chiji Ochiagha grew up in the only one of the lower 48 states where wolves were never driven to extinction. Chiji graduated in 2007 from Pomona College, located in California. While there he majored in Environmental Biology and minored in both geology and anthropology. Chiji has been involved in many research projects, including a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant he received from the National Science Foundation to study the effects of temperature on the foraging of the North American pika and Ochotona princeps, in Colorado during the summer of 2006. In his free time, Chiji enjoys hiking, backpacking, and camping.
While at the WERC, Chiji is interested in learning more about one of the few social predators in the United States. With a profound interest in nature, he is interested in educating the public about the social behavior and ecological importance of wolves. Working and socializing with the pack is one of Chiji's favorite things to do at the WERC. Chiji is very happy to be sharing his knowledge about wolves and the natural world with visitors to the WERC.
