This year we hit the ground running; its been busy, busy, busy! I have been a part of the planning process for multiple events so far that will run through the rest of the calendar year and beyond. So Far this summer we’ve had the Urban Bird Festival, the EcoArts Festival, and various pop-up events throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

EcoArts is an annual festival that continuously grows each year. It focuses on exposing new audiences to different cultures and how the lives of all people around the globe have been interconnected with nature. I was happy to be a part of it and helping to pull it off. I’ve been heavily involved in the fishing pop-up program we have been hosting. These events appear in local parks and lakes and the general public is encouraged to come fish - for free! The next event I attend will be at the Mall of America, where we are celebrating pollinators.

Back at the refuge, I’ve been hard at work planning my own event and working on my own project. We have a fun Mexican-art themed camp, Arte de la Tierra, happening at the refuge during Latino Conservation Week. In addition to this, I am planning another Latino Conservation Week event for children while I work on my project. This project focuses on diversifying the audience of the Fish and Wildlife Service. I'm researching what efforts have been previously been done, what we are currently doing, and what we can do going into the future.

Overall, it has been an exciting experience coming back, and I am more than ecstatic to see how the rest of the summer plays out!