Hello! My name is Declan Hunter and I am from Bourne, Massachusetts and I am this summer’s Kerry Mackin Intern at IRWA! I am a rising senior at Connecticut College with a double major in environmental studies and education. Growing up on the water has given me a deep love and appreciation for the environment, and I am always looking to spread that love to everyone around me. This summer I will be designing educational activities and coordinating with local youth programs to teach children about our watershed and the importance of environmental conservation.
The most exciting aspect of environmental education here at IRWA has been leading paddle trips up and down the river for a wide range of students. With a high school group with fifty students one day to a summer camp for elementary schoolers the next, every class or camp that visits us presents unique questions to be answered and challenges to be solved. All of the planning that goes into the trips culminates in an incredibly rewarding experience that lets young people explore and engage with the river in ways that are new and exciting for them. As someone who wants to teach once I graduate, the opportunity to teach about the environment and see the impact outdoor education can have on students has been a great experience, and has already given me many ideas as a teacher in the future!
For the rest of the summer, I am very excited to introduce the activities I have been working on to different groups visiting IRWA. Keeping the educational offerings at IRWA fresh and interesting is really important to keep people coming back, so I have been creating new activities to engage students in various ways, such as birding, data collection, and water conservation. Outside of my work, I am looking forward to exploring the north shore as much as possible! I have been loving Ipswich so far and I hope I will have plenty of time to check out the rest of the area while I am staying here.