Conner Nye, Field Intern.
We are excited to welcome Conner Nye as our new Field Intern at the Ice Age Trail Alliance!
Conner recently graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he majored in Environment, Sustainability, and Geography, with a concentration in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). While in college, Conner discovered the Superior Hiking Trail and hiked a lot of it with friends. “I enjoyed experiencing the Trail in all four seasons and it piqued my interest in trail maintenance,” says Conner.
During undergrad, Conner was involved with various environmental organizations. For example, he was the Treasurer for the Plant the Revolution club at U of M Duluth, which supports sustainable agriculture and the University’s student farm and farmers. Conner was also a Sustainability Leader for his class year and helped organize sustainable events and initiatives on campus.
Fun fact: While living in Duluth, Conner thinks he even crossed paths with the Alliance’s Trail Manager, Dave Caliebe (a proud Duluth resident).
When exploring post-grad career opportunities, Conner explains, “I had a lot of GIS internships that were centered on public works and utilities, but I want a GIS career with an environmental focus.”
“The Field Intern position at the Alliance seemed like the perfect experience to gain ‘boots on the ground’ fieldwork and understand habitat management and trailbuilding work,” says Conner.
In this role, Conner will be doing just that! He will work with the Alliance’s Trail and Land Conservation teams to support large-scale Trailbuilding and Habitat Improvement projects, be the liaison for contracted Trailbuilding crews, and learn GIS and GPS data collection basics.
So far as the Field Intern, Conner has been helping with trail maintenance and habitat restoration work, such as attending the Maintenance Sweep in Langlade County in June and pulling invasive species at the Alliance-owned SwampLovers Preserve. Additionally, this land restoration work is allowing him to learn what native landscapes in Wisconsin look like.
A highlight of the job was attending the Alliance’s Ice Age Trail University event in June. Conner learned about Trail plumbing and all the factors considered when creating sustainable Trail.
What is Conner most looking forward to in his new role? “Exploring different Ice Age Trail segments throughout the state, while simultaneously learning about conservation and environmentalism related to trail maintenance and building. I’m also excited to do GIS field work to enhance data usage related to the Trail,” Conner shares.
In his free time, Conner enjoys spending time outdoors, playing boardgames with friends (Codenames is his current favorite), reading, and he’s trying to get into biking.
The Field Intern position was funded by:
The Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS) through their National Trails Intern Program.
We look forward to working with Conner to conserve, create, maintain, and promote the Ice Age Trail!
