06/24/2026
Last week, our two Friends of Five Rivers Naturalist interns who have been with us since the start of the year, gave their required project presentations to a small attentive audience of staff and volunteers before their six-month term with us came to an end.
Kerriann Schor shared her research on river otters, which are one of New York’s greatest conservation success stories. “My presentation explored their incredible adaptions, their conservation comeback in New York, and why they’re considered indicators of healthy waterways,” said Kerriann, adding, “Their success story is a great reminder of how important it is to protect our watersheds and the wildlife that depend on them.”
Caleb Jura taught us about bioactive terrariums and how they provide a semi-self-sustaining ecosystem for ambassador animals and pets. “These terrariums provide a multitude of benefits for the animal as well as some relief for the keeper as there are less maintenance tasks and upkeep required,” explained Caleb. In fact, our Five Rivers ambassador corn snake, Maisey, will soon reside in the new bioactive terrarium that Caleb set up in the visitor center as part of his final project. This new exhibit is coming together nicely with the hopes of moving Maisey in by mid-summer once the plants have settled.
We wish Kerriann and Caleb well in their careers as we welcome two new Naturalist interns to finish out the year at Five Rivers.
To learn more about the internship programs at Five Rivers, visit our website: https://friendsoffiverivers.org/about/
