Jaylen Besse

Hello, everyone! My name is Jaylen Besse, but I usually go by Jay. I am very grateful to have been offered a position as a Biological Intern working in St. Marks for the Summer and Fall of 2024. I am a Florida native, where I grew up exploring the diverse swamps, beaches, springs, and sandhills. I’ve always been drawn to nature, so I chose to pursue a degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. I proudly graduated in May 2024 with big hopes for protecting this great state’s ecosystems and biodiversity.

My dream is to restore and protect Everglades National Park, but that’s quite a ways down the road.

I spent my time in Gainesville studying how our natural world works, with a particular interest in herpetofauna. Any time I hit the trails I’m on the hunt for snakes and salamanders, eager to find something slithering and dithering about. Some of my most valuable experiences to date occurred through UF, where I took field courses based at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station. At the OSBS I practiced field techniques such as bird banding, mist-netting, dip-netting, radio-telemetry and so much more. I also spent time volunteering with the Alachua Conservation Trust, where I helped remove invasive plant species from local trails to open up space for native plants to grow.

I am excited to gain experience at St. Marks working with red-cockaded woodpeckers and frosted flatwoods salamanders, two species in need of protection. This internship gives me the opportunity to put my energy into something I am passionate about, and I look forward to the people I will meet and the experiences I will gain. Thank you for the opportunity to further develop my career as a wildlife biologist!