Meet the 2022 Dr. Marc Taylor Interns

This 2022 season, Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition hired two Dr. Marc Taylor Interns to pair up on tackling field projects.

Pictured on the left side of the photo is Brooke Tillotson of Windsor Locks, Connecticut. She is a rising junior studying Earth and Environmental Sciences at Boston University and is interested in pursuing a career in ecological restoration and water management. Brooke gained valuable experience working at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and has volunteered with a lake management committee, gardens and greenhouses, and a trail in her hometown to detail online mapping.

On the right side is PRWC intern, Zoe Kleeblatt, of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Zoe attends Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and is a rising junior studying Environmental Studies. While Zoe resides in Wethersfield, she is familiar with the Pomperaug Watershed area as her grandmother, Francine McDougall lives in Woodbury. She has experience in community outreach, gardening, and mapping and is looking forward to getting her feet wet in local watershed conservation.

The two will be working on completing stream crossing assessments for the town of Woodbury following the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative protocol. The goal of the assessments is to examine the integrity of the structures such as bridges and culverts for aquatic life passage from one side of a stream to the other. This tool can be used by towns and state agencies to prioritize repair or replacements of poor and failing stream crossings under roads.

The interns will also play a role in planning and executing a buffer planting along Lake Stibbs in Southbury. The planting will complement an invasive species control project to further improve Lake Stibbs recreational use and protect rivers downstream.

Throughout the season, the interns will have the opportunity to lead clean ups, assist in education programs, and participate in stream sampling.