Harris Kopp
When I arrived to the Nature Conservancy branch office in Nags Head Woods for my first internship day I wasn’t sure what to expect – I had spoken to students from previous years about what my duties might be and who I would be working with, and I’d even already met my mentor Aaron McCall during our two weeks of orientation. Even so, I felt like a small cog in the large ambiguous machine of ‘conservation work’ until I walked into the office and looked around.
Immediately I was struck by both how physically small it was and how comfortable everyone was with each other. The main building was simply a front desk facing a small lobby with five offices in the back, but as I was coming in everyone was exchanging friendly banter and the atmosphere was light. It was refreshing to be able to work in such a relaxed yet professional environment – it reminded me of being out in a lab for a class back in Chapel Hill.
Over my months at The Nature Conservancy I worked with Aaron to maintain the trails crisscrossing the woods, manage the invasive species in the area, and keep the preserve accessible to people without robbing it of the ‘wild’ quality that draws so many nature-lovers. My favorite assignment was trail maintenance where I would go out and survey the trails and ensure that anyone who used them would be able to find their way even if they weren’t normally comfortable being in the woods.
The above picture is from my favorite trail – Sweetgum Swamp – and exemplifies everything that I loved about the trails in the Nags Head Woods. There’s abundant natural beauty, but at the same time the varied topography keeps the hike interesting as over the course of a few hundred feet there will be a mix of ridge-line, forested paths, and low swamps. I’m extremely grateful that I’ve been able to spend so much time in those woods, since they both remind me of the forests of the Appalachian Mountains while being distinct enough to be new and memorable.
The other main type of work I was involved in during my internship was controlling the invasive species that are found throughout the preserve. While my first two internship days were spent spraying herbicides on small fern-like invasive plants, the one that sticks in my mind the most is the Elaeagnus angustifolia, or Russian Olive, and by far the most memorable thing about that plant is its natural defenses.
I spent several days digging Russian Olive out of the ground and cutting it up, which gave me more than enough time to become intimately familiar with its surprisingly sharp thorns. While handling the plant could quickly turn painful if I was careless, it was always cathartic to sever the last remaining root and pull it out of the ground – rarely in my time as an Environmental Studies major have I experienced such a crossing-over of conservation work and stress relief.
To any future students or citizens interested in conservation and stewardship work, I would highly recommend volunteering for the Nature Conservancy to get an idea of what the field is like. It’s a remarkable feeling to be able to be a part of protecting such a unique and beautiful area, and my time spent in the Nags Head Woods has only strengthened my commitment to the stewardship of our worlds undeveloped places.