Seventy-three years ago today, a fateful explosion altered the lives of the thousands of people living in communities around Alamogordo in a devastating and irrevocable way. White ash fell like warm snowflakes over the desertContinue reading
Category: students
July Updates
Hi everyone! I’m over halfway through my internship and I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. I’ve just been chugging away at working on our urban refuge campaign and doing research for a paper.Continue reading
Ben Siegelman
conservation, environmental economics, environmental policy, forests, internships, Monitoring for Community Engagement in Filipino Mangrove Restoration, students, sustainability, travel
conservation, environmental economics, environmental policy, forests, internships, Monitoring for Community Engagement in Filipino Mangrove Restoration, students, sustainability, travel
Questioning Our Roots
“Hi Joe!” I hear this cheery call often while doing community-based conservation in the Philippines. Filipinos frequently call foreigners “Joe.” It’s a rich, if casual, reference to the military nature of U.S.-Filipino relations: “Joe” derivesContinue reading
Taos Pueblo Corn Dance, New Mexico Ablaze, and an Oral History from the Manhattan Project
Deep voices wove and echoed rhythmically through the sun-baked pueblo and as I walked closer into the main plaza the source of these foreign chants were finally revealed. On the North and South sides ofContinue reading
Ben Siegelman
conservation, forests, internships, marine studies, Monitoring for Community Engagement in Filipino Mangrove Restoration, students, sustainability, travel
conservation, forests, internships, marine studies, Monitoring for Community Engagement in Filipino Mangrove Restoration, students, sustainability, travel
The Mud of the Mangroves
I suppose the smell hits you first. As you walk into a mangrove forest, the deep, gaseous, almost sulfuric smell of the swamp tells you where you are. There’s no point wearing shoes here, andContinue reading
Hawaii: a Paradise in Transformation
What comes to mind when you hear a friend leaving for Hawaii? Coconut palms swaying with the trade winds? Postcard worthy white-sand beaches speckled with lounge chairs and sunbathers? Or on a more sinisterContinue reading
Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge
Working in the heart of the nation’s capital can be filled with excitement, but it’s always nice to get away from the monotony of “grown-up” life and go reconnect with nature at an urban refuge.Continue reading
Illness, Compensation, and Corruption: a Whistleblower’s Story
Sparkles of light ricochet off of Vero’s pale blue eyes. I am struck at first by his slightly unusual mannerisms, though it is apparent immediately that he is a very kind person. “Speak louder…I haveContinue reading
What’s in a Workshop?
“Ben, you’re bombing.” I stood in front of 50 Filipino Local Government officials, a mic in my hand as I described the participatory mapping activity set before us. It was the first morning of aContinue reading
Moving Up
I’m spending my summer helping communities all around the United States connect to their environment with the National Wildlife Refuge Association