My name is Zariah Zosel and this past year I skipped my seasonal allergies by avoiding the spring altogether and going to the southern hemisphere. From the end of February to the beginning of June, I lived on the island of Chiloé doing an internship with a branch of the Chilean forest service, INFOR (Instituto Forestal).

One may hear Southern Hemisphere and islands and expect a tropical climate, however, for Chiloé, this image is very inaccurate. The island of Chiloé is the largest island in the Chiloé archipelago just off the coast of Chile’s mainland Patagonian mountains. Due to its latitude, coastal breeze and inland mountains, the Chiloé archipelago is home to a temperate rainforest, a biome akin to that of Washington State’s Olympic National Park. As such, the ecology of the islands’ forest across the archipelago are unique and host a plethora of endemic and rare species of flora and fauna.

Despite initial anxieties about all the unknowns of living and interning in a different country and language, the experience exceeded any expectations by leaps and bounds. My time at INFOR was filled with learning, friendship, and an immersion in the culture that left me as though I had gained a new home in Chiloé.

My global theme is resources and sustainability, and my global challenge is how different countries and cultures approach the science and practice of forest ecological restoration. My perspective on my global theme and challenge have shifted as during my internship I grew a greater appreciation for the importance of community knowledge and education when it comes to issues of sustainability and forest ecological restoration.

Throughout the internship, I had the opportunity to assist with several different projects and tasks. These included a project called the FONDECYT Regular (Evidence-Based Restoration of Fire-Disturbed Temperate Forest Ecosystems of Chile); an experiment of differing thinning treatments done on native and endemic species; and the production of and care for seedlings and saplings. The diversity in tasks and projects helped to provide a unique experience that introduced me to many aspects of forest restoration work.

Because of my experience in Chile, I better understand the ways that different places and cultures interact with ecological integrity and restoration. On the island of Chiloé the main industries are fishing, agriculture and forest timber harvesting. Due to the climate in the region the island of Chiloé offers perfect conditions for the cultivation of many invasive and non-native species, of fish, tree, and livestock (examples of these include salmon, eucalyptus, and sheep). These industries are greatly affected by and connected to these invasive species due to their ability to thrive on the island. As such, the education of the local communities on how they can incorporate native alternatives into their industries is vital for gaining support for restoration efforts. One such project I was able to be a part of led to my writing of a report for the island’s community. The report took a scientific government report on ecological restoration works on the island and created a community-level report that was more accessible to the average member of the community. This project specifically challenged both my Spanish skills, and my understanding of the ecological restoration work I had been assisting with during my internship.

After my internship, and the writing of the community report, I’ve learned a much greater appreciation for the importance of tone when it comes to restoration or any scientific work. To greater effect change in any place, across the globe, a focus on others’ individual experience and values is imperative.

This summer, I participated in a NASA Montana Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) internship with UM’s Zettlemoyer lab. The greater Missoula valley is home to several native cushion plants, including the endemic Missoula Phlox. The Zettlemoyer lab focuses on the ecology of these native cushion plant communities and how climate change may influence their populations. I assisted in their research this past summer and honed in on a specific species, looking at potential drivers for its presence and abundance.

Before I started this experience, I was anticipating a summer full of rigorous field work and data interpretation. While I did get my fill of 16 hour field days and meticulous data organization, I was surprised by how rewarding the experience was in terms of global impact. During this experience, I completed a scientific paper in which potential drivers and risk factors for populations of a specific cushion plant species were discovered. Our results highlighted what aspects of shifting climate zones pose the greatest risk to alpine cushion plant communities (hint: its a lot more complicated than just warming temperatures!). Working with active researchers in the field also provided a lot of insight into the challenges scientists (and specifically conservation scientists) are facing in today’s political climate.

This experience furthered my understanding of my global theme (resources and sustainability) and challenge (how to measure and preserve ecosystem integrity in a changing climate) in several ways. The research I conducted over the course of my internship aimed to understand the key factors that influence Montana native plant survival and success (ranging from changes in UV exposure, soil chemistry, shifting pollinator populations, to physical human disturbance from recreation). The data I collected on the current populations and the analysis conducted to determine their risk factors will help build an essential network of data that can be used to better inform future management and conservation efforts in the Missoula valley. Cushion plants also exist (and are understudied) all around the world, so this work has global reach.

Working in the lab definitely furthered my leadership skills. I was in charge of the final scientific paper produced based on our key findings. I had to set expectations and dates for writing this paper, as well as heading the interpretation of results (and what areas need to be further looked into). The realm of academia was entirely new to me at the start of this experience. Because of this, I didn’t have a clear idea of the kinds of people I would be interacting with. As it turns out, academia is a lot less stuffy and uptight than I thought. Because we were working outdoors, often near public recreation areas, I also got to interact with a wide variety of people from the general public. It was interesting to hear about the different perspectives the average person has on conservation science. While I still don’t think academia is for me, this experience showed me that its not as scary as I thought and is entirely within the realm of my capabilities.

In the upcoming year, after graduation, I look forward to a career in land management. Monitoring and analysis of ecological data is a very important part of this occupation, and this experience provided me with the opportunity to learn and practice a lot of these hard skills. Additionally, I learned how to confidently communicate with peers in the research field. As I enter the work force, I will utilize these skills to continue to make important conservation decisions. I’m so incredibly grateful for this opportunity!