My name is Camille Rieber, and I am so excited to be starting 2021 working as a St. Marks Biological Intern. I am from Virginia but have had the chance to call many different parts of the country home, and I am excited to make Florida the next! I grew up with the forests, estuaries, and farm lands of the Mid-Atlantic, and fell in love with these different ecosystems. In high school I got my first taste of field research when I volunteered with USGS conducting amphibian surveys, and salamanders have held a special place in my heart ever since. College took me to Missouri, where I was able to explore different research paths (including short-lived stints in plant and genetics research) and figure out what really excited me. I spent a semester at University of Melbourne, in Australia, so that I could work in their Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group lab. There I was able to apply my interest in quantitative/statistical work and methods to model conservation funding allocations for Australian endangered species. My college highlights also include a summer interning in the animal behavior lab at the St. Louis Zoo, and convincing my friends to focus our semester research project on spotted salamanders.

After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis in spring of 2019 with a double major in Environmental Biology and Math, I spent a five-month season in Fremont County, Wyoming working as a wrangler on the Bitterroot Ranch. I loved being able to work and live outside in the splendor of the Rocky Mountains, and being able to ride and work with horses (my non-wildlife passion) every day. With the many covid-changed plans of 2020, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to complete most of a field season conducting amphibian surveys with USGS’s Northeastern Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative in the Mid-Atlantic during 2020. My favorite experiences were surveying for endangered Shenandoah salamanders in Shenandoah National Park; I was thrilled to spend time with one of my favorite species in one of my favorite places on Earth and be able to call it a job!

I hope to begin graduate school this fall, but until then I am grateful to be able to keep doing what I love, namely working outdoors contributing to conservation efforts. Florida’s wildlife and unique ecosystems have always held a special fascination for me, and I am excited to work directly with the amazing species here. Having the opportunity to continue my passion for salamanders and help in the conservation of the frosted flatwoods salamander makes this internship even more exciting to me. In the future I hope to work for a state or federal wildlife agency such as USFWS, so I can’t wait to begin my first taste of Wildlife Refuge work at St. Marks!