My name is Matea Denisen. I’m the Lavern Norris Education Intern at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. This season I’ll be connecting with students and doing a blog to share the wonders of Rookery Bay with anyone curious enough to paddle alongside. I’ll be capturing my journey with videos, photos, written reflections and posting them here. We have some exciting adventures planned including water monitoring, birding, shark research and getting out all over the reserve. I hope you’ll join me on this incredible ride!
Growing up in Naples, I had always heard about Rookery Bay, but I hadn’t truly experienced it until recently. In just under a month here, I’ve discovered that the opportunities stretch far beyond the 110,000 acres the Reserve protects. With four dynamic sectors-education, stewardship, coastal training, and research – I get to dip my toes into all of it. One day I’m guiding a field trip, the next I’m leading tours of the Environmental Learning Center, and sometimes you’ll even find me feeding the resident critters alongside the aquarist. Luckily, this is just the beginning.
My love for wildlife and the natural world has been with me for as long as I can remember. Now, Rookery Bay allows me to immerse myself in those roots, contribute to the betterment of the world around me, and deepen my connection to nature. More importantly, I’ve found myself part of a community of forward-thinkers- people who understand the value of the environment and have dedicated their lives to protecting it.
Through this blog, I hope to showcase the diverse experiences this internship offers and inspire future interns and volunteers to find their own place in the natural world. This internship isn’t just about gaining professional experience- it’s about building connections: with the environment, with the people who dedicate their lives to protecting it, and with parts of myself I didn’t know I’d find here. So, if you’re curious about what life looks like where science, education, and conservation meet, you can find me where the ocean meets the bay.
