Hello! My name is Mara Anderson-Skelly and I am one of the spring 2026 environmental education interns at Shaver’s Creek. As the season comes to an end, I wanted to share some reflections of my experiences here over the past 20 years and how they have shaped me as an individual. I grew up in Lemont, Pennsylvania, so my first memory of Shaver’s Creek is from a kindergarten field trip. I remember rushing around the aviary and leaning against the wooden fence posts to get as close as possible to the incredible birds that lived here. As I got older, I attended Discovery and Explorer summer camps and it was a highlight of the summer each year. As I think back on my time as a camper, I remember a strong sense of belonging and joy. I was aware of the special community of this place from day one.
After I aged out of the main camps, I attended Rock n’ River and Raptor Camp and eventually joined the Leaders-In-Training (LIT) program. When I started, I would not have used the word “leader” to describe myself; that role challenged me to step into a place of leadership, and I gained valuable experience that laid the foundation for my career. I returned again in 2022 as a member of the summer camp staff, and it was there that I heard about the environmental education internship.
Working at Shaver’s Creek this season has truly been a dream come true. When I was nine years old, I dressed up as a “Shaver’s Creek worker” for Halloween; my dad gave me an old welding glove and we stuck a stuffed animal great horned owl on it with velcro. Clearly my career aspirations have not changed much in the fourteen years since, and I feel incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities offered through this environmental education internship.
Returning to Shaver’s Creek as an intern has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I have never felt the Shaver’s Creek community more strongly than I have this spring. Interns work with nearly every department and become fully integrated members of staff in a very short amount of time. This program has prepared me for a career in environmental education and is uniquely designed with the intern experience in mind. From tapping sugar maples and making syrup to teaching local elementary students to training animal ambassadors, I have developed many crucial skills that I will carry with me throughout my career.
Shaver’s Creek is a place that helps people discover new things about themselves and the world around them. I have so much love for this place where I built foundations for many different chapters of my life. This summer, I will be working at the Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings, Minnesota, as an avian field work and education intern, and I am excited to apply the experience I have gained here wherever I find myself in the seasons to come.
