Julia Thomas

Hi everyone! My name is Julia Thomas, and I am incredibly excited to be a Biological Intern
at St. Marks NWR for the summer of 2025. I was born and raised in Georgia where I grew up loving
the outdoors. I have always had a passion for wildlife and conservation, stemming from working
alongside my dad to restore the Longleaf Ecosystem on our family land in South Georgia. Getting to
help him on this project gave me my first taste of working with wildlife and I quickly knew this
work was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Montana and am studying Wildlife Biology
and Ecological Restoration. Between classes I enjoy running, backpacking, and reading. I am also a
member of the Wildlife Society, Book Club, and Honors College on campus. I’ve had many great
opportunities to volunteer on wildlife projects during my time at UM including hands-on experience
working to monitor watershed health with the Watershed Education Network as well as volunteering
for a graduate student to help process camera trap data. I am extremely grateful for all of the
opportunities I have had and am excited to continue my education, taking with me everything I learn
while at St. Marks.

After graduation, I hope to continue with seasonal work around the country to gain a variety
of experience with different species. However, I hope to eventually end up working long term in the
Southeast and pursuing a masters degree. I am extremely passionate about working to protect
threatened and endangered species as well as managing human and wildlife conflict. Working at St.
Marks will give me the opportunity to build my skill set and work with many of the incredible
species present in the refuge. I am looking forward to continuing to learn and work here in Florida
and being able to contribute to the work that St. Marks does. I am extremely excited for this
opportunity and know that it will help me with whatever work I pursue next.