My name is Amanda Cugno, and I am a University of New Hampshire student going into my last semester in the Wildlife and Conservation Biology program.  This summer I will be working with a variety of organizations to complete environmental projects in New Hampshire.  I will be doing trail work, invasive plant control, forest inventory, habitat managament, and other types of nature-based work.  Many projects will help maintain environmental health on properties under conservation easements, and others will be related to public recreation in protected areas. 

My last semester this fall will be spent in New Zealand through UNH's EcoQuest program, where I will be taking field-based courses and participating in a team research project related to current environmental issues in New Zealand. Following graduation I hope to work in a research or wildlife management position, before applying to graduate school for my field. This past year I had the opportunity to work for New Hampshire GRANIT, where I worked on a variety of mapping projects and learned an array of GIS skills, which will help in my future wildlife work.

I grew up in Coventry, Rhode Island, and vacationed every summer with my family to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and every winter to the mountains of Maine. These vacations put me out in nature where I developed a great respect for wildlife and the environment.  I also started photographing nature--and still do--and found that I wanted to make my career working in nature.

I am very excited for this intern experience with the Stewardship Network: New England and its partnering organizations!  I will have the opportunity to work with:

• UNH Cooperative Extension
• UNH Office of Woodlands and Natural Areas
• Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
• Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
• NH Fish & Game

I can't wait to get started helping these organizations with their summer projects and learning about their work!