The FWIMP Team’s Impact at Biscayne

When it comes to being an all-rounder, dipping your toes into every puddle of water close to you, no one does it better than the Fish and Wildlife Inventory and Monitoring Program (FWIMP) Team!! Since day one, my supervisor, Vanessa McDonough, has made me feel welcome, whilst keeping me engaged and on my toes. Not only Vanessa, but the entirety of FWIMP has made me feel welcome, useful, and accepted as one of them. FWIMP is a team within the Resource Management division at Biscayne National Park with tasks including fish identification at recorded reef zones, creel surveys at the Homestead Bayfront and Black Point marinas, marine debris cleanups, Elliott Key beach cleanups, mooring buoy maintenance, Elliott Key sea turtle nest protecting, invasive reptile removal, helping out the other departments, and many more. Sometimes partnering with NOAA, University of Miami, Fish and Wildlife, and the other national parks of South Florida, the FWIMP team is a unit of highly skilled and experienced individuals willing to help in whatever way they can with park and visitor services.

Over the past two months, I have had a blast learning about Biscayne National Park, working with the different divisions on their projects, and being able to add some awesome people to my growing science-based network. All of this has been possible due to my Mosaics in Science internship with the National Park Service and Environment for the Americas. Through them, I was able to go to Biscayne National Park, work with the best team of science-minded individuals, and gain an awesome supervisor. It’s sad to say I’ve only got two weeks left, but I’m glad that this summer was spent the way it was and I can’t wait to keep in touch with the Biscayne National Park Resource Management team, FWIMP, in the foreseeable future outside my internship.