
One of the cooler fly fishing moments that I’ve had was sea turtle related. I was in Costa Rica fishing for sailfish when we trolled past a couple of sea turtles. Immediately a dorado (aka mahi mahi aka dolphin fish) came out from below the sea turtles (they love hanging out under debris… or turtles) and started chasing the hookless plugs that we had let out behind the boat. We teased the fish in to the boat, I cast my fly to it, hooked it, and caught it after an amazing battle. It was a perfect example of how ecosystems work with the fish using turtles as cover to ambush prey. Unfortunately, our experience with sea turtles from the previous year’s trip wasn’t so heartwarming, as another boat from our party came across a turtle that had been tangled in commercial fishing long lines (nothing like what sport fishermen use). Luckily they were able to get the turtle in the boat and cut it free from the tangle of lines, but it was a reminder of how many risks sea turtles are facing out in the wild (see below for a picture of the turtle as it was being rescued). The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is a non-profit organization that is trying to protect sea turtles from these threats of pollution, coastal development, commercial fishing long lines, and shrimping nets. Continue reading about Sea Turtle Restoration Project…

My first day of orientation at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations included a great story from David Price, one of CBS’s Early Show hosts and formerly the Fox 5 Weather Guy. He told us about how he spent 4 years living with an animal. The animal was his Freshman year roommate (whom he decided to continue living with for the next 3 years for some crazy reason). The best story about David Price’s roommate was when he ordered a sheet (sicilian) pizza after a long night of drinking. He ate about half of the pizza, but then realized that he was becoming very tired. Before he passed out, he decided to staple the remaining pieces of the pizza to the wall next to his bed. That way as he drifted in and out of sleep, he could enjoy his pizza by only slightly moving his neck to reach the pizza that was stapled to the wall. David Price is second only to Jane Goodall when it comes to living amongst animals. In case you aren’t familiar with Dr. Dame Jane Goodall, you should know that she spent a good part of her life living among chimpanzees to study their social and family interactions. She also founded the The Jane Goodall Institute, which offers some interesting internship opportunities. Continue reading about The Jane Goodall Institute…

When I was 6th grade, my entire Middle School class (all 51 of us) went on a whale watch trip. It was supposed to be a good way for the class to bond, but it ended up creating more cliquiness. The Cape Cod weather in September was delightful, but the seas were apparently a little too rough for whale watching. We spent a lot of time buying taffy and other novelties instead. On the last day we were able to get out for half a day of whale watching. The seas were still rough, so the teachers encouraged all of us to take half a tablet of dramamine. Being the manly 6th grade man that I was, I decided that I would take a full tablet. For some of my classmates the half tablet wasn’t enough, and they spent most of the boat ride with their heads over the railing technicolor yawning. I, on the other hand, fell right to sleep - a side effect of the dramamine. I woke up just long enough to see the 2 whales that we encountered, and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my nap. Those were the first whales that I’d ever seen, but I’ve seen some since, and I’m always absolutely amazed by them. If you’re fascinated by whales (and not susceptible to seasickness), an internship with The Whale Center of New England might be a great way to spend this fall or spring. Continue reading about Whale Center of New England…

If you haven’t read our article The Couch Potato’s Guide to Job Search, you should. We got the idea for it when we wrote about entry-level jobs at the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums. The short of it is that we saw that GEICO commercial (yes, we’ve featured GEICO’s entry-level jobs too) where the gecko is at the aquarium talking about the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and it got us thinking about finding jobs or internships while watching tv. We decided that watching tv is a legitimate job search method and that your mom can no longer yell at you for being lazy and not having a job when you’re parked in front of the tube. Anyway, we thought it was time to covers internships with the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums, so here we go. Continue reading about American Association of Zoos & Aquariums…

After I graduated college, it took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. One of the best ways I spent my “time off” was a trip to Oregon. My girlfriend happened to have a volleyball tournament in Portland, and the Deschutes River in September is prime for steelhead fishing. I put together a trip of 3 days in the Oregon desert, and 2 in the heart of Portland. It was absolutely amazing. Although I didn’t figure things out right away, I found that the Oregon desert is a perfect place to spend some time considering the next step in your life. It’s also an awesome place to be outdoors. The High Desert Museum is located in Bend, OR and it has quite a few internships that will allow you enjoy the desert, get relevant work experience, and ponder your future. Continue reading about High Desert Museum…