Hello all!

I’m Annie O’Connell, the newest addition to the NepRWA team. I am so excited to get started as the Environmental Science Fellow. I grew up not too far away in New Haven, Connecticut. I’ve always been interested in environmental issues, especially pertaining to resource management and hydrology. This fellowship really appealed to me because of the wide variety of projects I’ll have the opportunity to be involved in.

When I was younger, I couldn’t get enough of the outdoors. My interest and excitement about nature eventually led to me pursing a degree in the field. I recently graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in Environmental Geoscience. During my undergraduate career, a lot of my courses focused on topics related to water quality and management. I was interested in the science behind these issues, but I really fell in love with field work. I’ve had the fortune of having internship experiences that allowed me to work outside – first at the Yale University School of Forestry, and later at the Parks Department of Dublin’s City Council in Ireland. Both internships involved participating in studies focusing on salt marsh habitats. I’m eager to apply what I’ve already learned to the field work I’ll be doing here at NepRWA.

During this fellowship, one of my major responsibilities will be to coordinate the CWMN program. I am especially looking forward to meeting all of the dedicated volunteers involved with this effort. I’m already really impressed with the scope and longevity of the program. I couldn’t think of a better place for me than NepRWA. I think I stand to learn a lot from this position, and I can’t wait to really get my feet wet (literally).

June 29, 2017