Dr. Ed and Hilda Carney Support for Interns

Dr. Ed Carney is a dedicated and generous environmental protector. If you are from this area you may know him as a long time gynecologist and obstetrician. He also served as the Chief Operations Officer at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.  Somewhere in his busy medical life he became a dog judge for conformation and field trials.

Generous donations by Dr. Ed and Hilda Carney annually have allowed the Friends to support four advanced student interns annually since 2014 that have significantly contributed to the mission of the refuge to protect and conserve wildlife, natural areas, and imperiled species. The interns’ work with the imperiled Frosted Flatwoods Salamander, Red Cockaded Woodpeckers and Long Leaf Pine habitats have been particularly fruitful.

They are known as the ‘Carney Interns’ and come from universities across the country.  You can read their biographies and comments in the ‘Intern’ section of this website.  Refuge Biologist Joe Reinman said, "The Carney Internships have been the biggest boost to the Refuge's biological program in my 36 years at St. Marks."  

The Carney interns, while providing invaluable wildlife conservation service to the Refuge also further their education and gain a head start on their environmental careers.  As one intern aptly put it:  “Each project has been a learning experience that allowed us to gain more knowledge in our field while giving us the opportunity to see cool wildlife we don’t usually see in the classroom.” 

The Carney Intern program is contributing to the next generation of wildlife conservationists.