The Johnson Creek Watershed Council works with many interns each year, from bilingual, community science data, to watershed engagement interns. They keep the wheels at the council turning, working in seasonal cohorts to recruit volunteers, manage data, acquire donations, create events, provide IT and event support, and spread the word via social and traditional media outlets. They each bring unique perspectives, skills, and passions to our work. Our interns know that environmental and nonprofit jobs in the Portland area are competitive, and that having direct work experience through an internship will bolster their resume and set them ahead of other candidates. Interns serve a minimum of 100 hours, often balancing work, school, and family life. We simply couldn’t do our work without them. Thank you to our winter interns!
Josh Abulencia
My name is Joshua Abulencia and I currently am a undergrad at the University of Portland. I moved up here from Sacramento California but was originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am studying to become a therapist or a nurse and I saw this internship as I great opportunity to have better communication skills and learn more database management skills! My favorite things to do is going snowboarding and wrestling. I love watching crime shows and basketball!
Annie Carter
My name is Annie Carter and I’m recently moved to the Portland area. I grew up in Cleveland, OH and became interested in environmental education and wildlife conservation while volunteering at the local natural history museum. During college, I continued to pursue education and working with animals. I graduated from Tufts University in 2017, where I majored in Biopsychology and Environmental Science. Since graduating I’ve had a pretty eclectic assortment of work experience; I taught English in Brazil, worked as an environmental educator on Nantucket, and most recently worked on an organic goat dairy west of Portland. I am interested in continuing to explore sustainable agriculture, wildlife conservation, and environmental education here in Oregon. I look forward to getting to know the watershed and learning about the environmental scene in Portland!
Emmy Thomson
My name is Emmy Thomson. I currently live in government camp. I moved to oregon 8 years ago. In NC I owned a Landscape and water feature business for 13 years. We built pondless water features and new landscape installs. I moved to Cascade locks and I fell into a tap room manager job at a local brewery. I enjoyed the work but wasn’t fully satisfied. I wanted have a positive mark on natural resources and be outside more. I looked into the fishery program at MHCC and decide that was the program and degree for me. I love to hunt, fish and kayak. I also love to volunteer in community and teaching my 3 daughters to give back.
Aaron Muñoz
My name is Aaron Muñoz Gonzalez, I am 21 years old, and I’ve been an Oregon native all my life. I grew up in Salem and attended West Salem High until my senior year. Then I moved to Portland, finished high school at Wilson High, and stepped into employment upon graduation. Over the past couple of years I have worked for a variety of employers, and did everything from camp counselor to apprentice roofer. However while working I learned an appreciation for the natural areas in Oregon and decided to pursue a career in Forestry. I am now attending Mount Hood Community College in their Natural Resources Technology Program. I hope to use the lessons I learn from Mount Hood, and the experience I earn from Johnson Creek Watershed Council, to better protect the environment of Oregon.
Joshua Betts
I am a student at Portland State University. I’m what you’d call a “non-traditional” student, as I spent a number of years out of school after only one year of community college back in 2009. Having aged out of the Foster Care system right as 2008 economic crisis hit, I had a rough time financially and decided to work fulltime. In 2016, I decided it was time to go back to school. I started at Portland Community College while sleeping in my SUV at the time. Eventually, I met the requirements to transfer to PSU and move in on campus. Currently I am an Environmental Studies Major. I’ve got about 2-3 years left before I finish my degree, but I hope I can use this degree to have smoother sailing in my 30’s than I did in my 20’s. Ideally, I’d like to have a career in conservation or environmental work where I can leverage both my strengths in science and my strengths in technology and liberal arts.
Kelley Delpit
Kelley Delpit joined the Johnson Creek Watershed Council in fall of 2018 as a Watershed Engagement Intern. She holds a MS from Oregon State University in Water Policy and Management, and a MA from Lewis and Clark College in Elementary Education. Kelley began her career in the environmental realm by working with non-profit organizations and local landowners to restore riparian systems in the Klamath and John Day Basins. She has spent the past several years in Washington DC, San Francisco, and Portland, working as an elementary teacher, and as a mother to her two small children. Kelley is eager to “get her hands wet” again, by engaging our local community in making Johnson Creek Watershed an even better place to call home.
Jeffrey Lee
Jeffrey Lee is a life-long Portland native—well, technically, he’s from the far reaches of Clackamas, Oregon. He cultivated his love for science and nature while earning his B.S. in Biology at Pacific University and M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. Over the past two years, Jeffrey has worked and volunteered under a number of federal agencies (AmeriCorps, USFWS, USFS) and local nonprofits (JCWC, Columbia Land Trust, Friends of Trees, Portland Audubon Society). With #goals of being an expert generalist in biological monitoring, natural resource management, and environmental stewardship, Jeffrey is thrilled to get the watershed community involved as one of our Watershed Engagement Interns.
Erin Rivers
My name is Erin Rivers, and I am an ecologist and PhD candidate at Portland State University. I am interested in ecosystems in the built environment and the role that humans play in shaping and reshaping these ecologies. My doctoral research investigates the influence of climate, design, and maintenance on the ecological function of green stormwater infrastructure in cities across the US. I am so excited to dive into the nonprofit world and serve as an Intern for Johnson Creek Watershed Council because I believe that connecting communities to their watersheds is the most important step in protecting and conserving our water resources. When I’m not in the office, lab, or field, I can usually be found goofing around with my German Shepherd.