Hello! My name is Emeleigh Luckenbaugh and I hail from a small country town in south-central Pennsylvania. I am so excited to start my internship with St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge for the fall season!! This is a vastly different ecosystem compared to the Cumberland Valley and Appalachian Mountains that I am accustomed to.

A little snippet about me: as a child I was obsessed with dinosaurs and watching The Croc files (I think that most herpetologists born in the 90s were heavily influenced by Steve Irwin J). I set out to become a veterinarian, but I was able to assist wildlife biologists with the Pennsylvania Game Commission while attending high school and decided that was my dream job... specifically to be a mammologist. I attended Shippensburg University for both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. My first non-require biology course for my undergraduate degree ended up being herpetology and I fell head over heels in love for all those slimy and scaley critters.

 I have a particular fondness for snakes which are often misunderstood by most. But snakes are so incredibly adapted to their specific habitats and not to mention gorgeous! I compared two populations of Common Gartersnakes and Northern Watersnakes in an urban and natural habitat during my bachelor's degree. But for my master's thesis research I focused on The Demography of the Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum) in south-central Pennsylvania, which was interrupted by the pandemic, but I persisted and finally graduated in April. Woo! I plan to work during a gap year(s) to gain real-world experience and make more connections then contemplate returning for a final time to pursue a PhD. I love conducting demographic and natural history research on all herps which is vital to conservation efforts, especially with our rapidly changing climate and expanding urbanization. I especially enjoy figuring out how species impact each other within a given habitat, especially urban or fragmented habitats.

Formally I was a head graduate teaching assistant during my master's at Shippensburg University, a student technical intern for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) at Kings Gap State Park, and a student intern for Benzon Research lab while I was obtaining both degrees. I have gotten to experience working for a university, a state, and private company filling three vastly different roles, but all connected through STEM fields and or research.

When I applied for this position, I was excited to have the opportunity to work not only with Frosted flatwood salamanders but other taxa that I don’t have much experience with (Red-cockaded woodpeckers, etc). I am also thrilled to have another agency and role under my belt as I continue forward with my professional career as a wildlife biologist.  I know that this position will be immensely beneficial for my success and future endeavors, and I am so thankful to be given this opportunity. To call oneself a wildlife biologist you need to have the willingness to always be learning which is what I plan to do.