Read the full article written by Meg Parent on the EarthLab website, where she writes about “Finding My Piece of the Puzzle” regarding her experience as a Conservation Science Intern this summer. Start reading below…
Finding My Piece of the Puzzle
By Meg Parent
Conservation Science Intern, Summer 2026
Puzzles have always made sense to me. Grouping the pieces first by edge and non-edge, and then by color or pattern, and then eventually fitting them all together to create one big picture. Each piece fits nicely in the palm of my hand, with just a few identifying colors or shapes, seemingly insignificant until it fits into place.
I have realized that environmental work is a lot like that.
I tend to have the same conversation when I tell someone I’ve just met that I am studying environmental science. They smile and say, “Oh great! You’re going to solve climate change!” And I nod enthusiastically, not showing that they have placed the burden of one of the world’s greatest challenges squarely on my shoulders.
This summer, in my position as a Conservation Science Intern with The Nature Conservancy and UW EarthLab, I have spent a lot of time at the Port Susan Bay Preserve, a four thousand acre estuary in Stanwood, Washington. I have been tromping around in the wetlands, carefully collecting data about the plants, fish, birds, and bugs of the Stillaguamish River basin. Some days that meant zooming around on a boat, netting and measuring fish, and other days it meant…
