Peter Smith, 2014, Undeclared
As an intern with the Princeton-based D&R Greenway Land Trust, I worked to improve the health of ecosystems on their preserves, and beyond, by mitigating the impact of invasive plant species. My summer experience encompassed many facets of the Greenway’s mission, from growing native plants in a nursery to be planted on the preserves, eradicating invasive plants on the properties with loppers and herbicide, working on a farm, to cultivating thirteen different species of native wildflowers and grasses whose seeds will be used on a landfill in Staten Island. I gained insight into the operations of a land trust by attending stewardship meetings and accompanying staff members on surveys of conservation easements. Another intern and I also devised materials for a donor-initiated Children’s Discovery Trail on one of the preserves. I am considering a major in sociology, and seeing how D&R Greenway fits into the social fabric of Mercer and Hunterdon counties led me to ponder ways to incorporate environmental issues into that field of study.