TU internship creates fond memories

Trout Unlimited summer intern Jacob Fetterman (with backpack electroshocker) samples a Pennsylvania stream in hopes of finding wild trout.

By Jacob Fetterman

Life has brought me on one exceptional ride thus far. From my decision to pursue an undergraduate degree in ecology and environmental biology at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania to this past summer being a biological field intern with Trout Unlimited I have had many great experiences.

My passion for the outdoors and preserving its integrity for many years to come is what sparked my interest in environmental biology. As I developed through my studies and experiences I knew that an internship with Trout Unlimited was my dream. One spring morning I received a greatly anticipated e-mail offering me this amazing opportunity to gain vital experience while working to protect the fisheries I have grown up enjoying.

As I reflect on this summer as an intern at Trout Unlimited I have many fond memories of protecting the brook trout of Pennsylvania, which was always our first priority. The beautiful landscapes we called our office are some that I would argue cannot be matched. Kettle Creek and its tributaries are some of the state’s most pristine trout waters and therefore support a wildlife safari. We observed bald eagles, great blue herons, timber rattlesnakes, a hellbender, and an abundance of native brook trout.

Seeing the wildlife that so greatly depends on these waters made our work there of even greater importance. In the Kettle Creek area alone we completed population estimate studies, continued temperature and flow monitoring, strategically placed habitat structures, and monitored water quality improvements coming from the Twomile Run abandoned mine drainage (AMD) treatment systems.

The whole summer wasn’t quite as glamorous as the majestic bald eagles of Kettle Creek. A few weeks were spent completing unassessed water surveys for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Unassessed Waters Initiative in the West Branch Susquehanna River and Delaware River drainages.

These days largely saw us either being ecstatic about finding native brook trout populations, with hopes to classify a stream as Wild Trout in order to warrant a higher level of protection, or completely aggravated by another dry or AMD-impacted stream.

Knowing that we were able to make a difference for the future of these streams, as well as the larger streams and rivers being influenced by these tributaries, again made me realize how important and spectacular our jobs really were.

Working alongside like-minded conservationists at the Lock Haven Trout Unlimited office made every day just as enjoyable as the previous. Each member of the office offers constant aid to each other, interns included, and share the same passion to protect the brook trout populations of Pennsylvania. I always felt like an equal member of the team and as though my voice was just as accepted as theirs, which I’m sure is not something an intern is always granted.

As a whole I enjoyed a summer working my dream internship in the beautiful outdoors of Pennsylvania while helping preserve and protect habitat necessary for brook trout to continue to thrive. The experience has solidified my desire to work in the field of fisheries management and continue to research the effects of human development on vital habitat to the native fish populations of the United States. I could not be more thankful for the opportunity to work for such a dedicated conservation group as Trout Unlimited.