Meet Our Interns: Summer 2021

July 5, 2021

In 2014 the Mendocino Land Trust began an annual and evolving summer internship program to provide hands-on educational opportunities for students interested in conservation. Though modest at first, in recent summers, donor funding has enabled multi-student internships, providing environments that vibrantly showcase the value of teamwork and experiential diversity. This year’s internships build upon these ideals. For the summer of 2021, thanks to generous donors, we have added, on top of the annual Paul Siegel Salmon Intern sponsorship, two new positions: 1) a digital media intern (creating informational and inspirational content) and 2) an outreach intern (focusing on engaging the Latino community in outdoor activity and conservation through a newly-founded North Coast chapter of Latino Outdoors). Learn more about each of our interns:

Finn: Siegel Salmon Restoration Intern from Reed College
Finn Newman joins the Mendocino Land Trust this summer as the 2021 Paul Siegel Salmon Restoration Intern from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Growing up in Hillsboro, he developed a lasting love for the outdoors, which has compelled him to major in environmental studies and pursue this internship. So far, he’s been loving his first time on the California coast, and he’s excited to learn more about conservation easement processes as he helps with MLT’s many public stewardship projects.

Esme: Latino Outdoors Outreach Intern from Fort Bragg
Esme Plascencia grew up in Fort Bragg and has been drawn toward exploring the great outdoors for as long as she can remember. Now a college student at Sacramento State, Esme has been working with the Mendocino Land Trust, MendoParks and the Mendocino Woodlands Association on ways to better engage the local Latino community in the great outdoors. Esme’s internship with the Mendocino Land Trust is funded by the DeLucia Family Fund, a donor advised fund through the Mendocino County Community Foundation. We would like to congratulate Esme on founding the Northcoast chapter of Latino Outdoors!

Tauren: Digital Media Intern from Mendocino
Tauren is MLT’s new digital media intern and social media host. He grew up in the Mendocino-Fort Bragg area enjoying our vast selection of gorgeous trails daily—many of which are courtesy of MLT—and he’s thrilled to be combining his passion for photography and film with his love for nature as he works to increase coverage of MLT’s many transformational projects. He is nearing the end of his gap year (after graduating from Mendocino High School in 2020) and will be off to UC Berkeley soon!