My Conservation Banking fellowship with U.S Fish and Wildlife at the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office has come to an end. 

Prior to this fellowship, I had spent my time with California State Park as park aide for the Lake Oroville Sector located in Oroville, California. I originally was going to use this position to fulfill my internship hour requirement for California State University, Chico but was fortunate enough to be informed about the positions MANO/HAF had thanks to my professor Jesse Engebretson. Even though I enjoyed working as a park aide, I felt too comfortable and wanted to develop more growth within myself. Not only that but discovering that there was a position with U.S Fish and Wildlife available only encouraged more than ever. 

As these last few months come to an end, I bid farewell to the SFWO and all the amazing individuals I met along the way. I cannot express how appreciative I am to be given this opportunity and the experiences I gained in the process. There were challenges during my time here but these challenges only shaped me to become a better individual. Some of these challenges included understanding a new language that the conservation banking used and the process of managing banks. Even though we had opportunities for in office days and site visits, they were often short lived due to an increase of covid which was unfortunate. Despite that, we continued with the challenges and adapted to the changes along the way. 

A huge thanks to the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office for welcoming me with open arms and guiding me throughout the process. In addition to that, I am extremely grateful to have such an amazing supervisor Erin Cole who helped and supported me during my time at SFWO. She was always understanding and always had time when it came to questions or just casual check ups. If she didn’t have the knowledge, she wasn’t hesitant to find the answer or someone who had the answer. I couldn’t have asked for a better supervisor for this fellowship. Another individual who I would like to thank is Marissa O’Donnell with the Conservation Banking Division. Without her help, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to know what I know today. She was super helpful and amazing. She not only provided knowledge of work related projects, but also provided great information when it came to professional development. A final thank you to Anastasia Hernandez from HAF for allowing me to experience an opportunity like this. Words often cannot express how excited and happy I was to have been selected for the position. This fellowship has not only provided me with such a great opportunity, but an amazing experience that I will never forget. I will cherish the memories that I’ve made during the fellowship along with the people that helped me throughout it. 

Thank you Hispanic Access for such an amazing opportunity, I cannot express enough how grateful I am to have been given the opportunity.

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Location: Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office