The 2026 conservation and outreach interns at Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter have completed their summer season, according to a September 30 report. The interns participated in diverse tasks ranging from invasive species management to wildlife monitoring across the 1,200-acre wildlife habitat.
Intern Lucy Aikin reported that seasonal work included pulling noxious weeds, repairing fences, and mapping signage during the early summer. As the season progressed into early fall, tasks shifted toward collecting native seeds for reseeding open areas and repairing beaver dam analogs. Aikin noted that volunteers assist on Wednesday mornings with weeding and seed collection. In the afternoons, interns monitored mountain bluebird boxes and American kestrel boxes, submitting kestrel data to HawkWatch International. Other responsibilities included setting up camera traps to observe wildlife behavior, writing for newsletters, and releasing biocontrols for invasive weeds.
Intern Kate Clapier described the seasonal variability of the work, noting that tasks depend on the weather and the time of year. In late spring and late summer, staff perform weeding before invasive weeds go to seed, while they also conduct weekly monitoring of bird boxes. Clapier recounted a specific incident where interns assisted a young Sandhill crane stuck on the wrong side of wildlife fencing between I-80 and Highland Drive, eventually reuniting the colt with its parents. She also noted that the preserve is working to restore the land from ranchland to wetland through annual native seed collection.
The interns participated in several educational opportunities, including the Utah Master Naturalist Watershed Course and Summit County CWMA training for noxious weed identification. They also attended a community day at the 910 Ranch and volunteered with Sageland Collaborative to build beaver dam analogs along Huff Creek. Additionally, the interns attended events such as the Bike n' Botany event with the Basin Recreation open space team and a planting session in the greenhouse.
The Swaner EcoCenter is scheduled to be closed on Wednesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 8. The facility is located at 1258 Center Drive, Park City, Utah 84098.
