KCT Welcomes Stewardship Intern Rachel Mendez

KCT Welcomes Stewardship Intern Rachel Mendez

Rachel Mendez is a Senior at the University of New England's Biddeford campus with a major in Animal Behavior and a minor in Environmental Studies. She works alongside Juliann Lapierre, KCT’s Property Steward.

“My internship has consisted of a variety of experiences including creating iNaturalist projects to collect biodiversity at each of the Trust's properties, developing a meadow management plan for the meadow at Todd's Trail, and contributing data to the Trust's ongoing long-term monitoring projects e.g. the invasive species plots at the Smith Preserve,” she said.

Rachel brings a wealth of experience and passion with her to the Trust, with a background in researching meadow biodiversity as a Mass Climate Corps intern with Mass Audubon, and most recently, working as a Zoo Camp Counselor with Zoo New England. She is currently involved with Dr. Zach Olson's research lab at UNE, studying scavenger food preferences.

Rachel had this to say about her KCT internship “I hope that the iNaturalist projects I created will help the Trust have a more well-rounded picture of biodiversity on each of their properties, and pinpoint areas of interest for further study, such as a specific invasive or rare species. I also hope to bring in fresh perspective/creative ideas, I am not afraid to get outside to collect data or help with a project or event.”

In her free time, Rachel enjoys photography, hiking, birding, playing video games, painting, singing, and playing ultimate frisbee.

Photo by Ruby Aylward.