My Park Story: Megan Spina

Megan at the Devils Postpile columnar basalt formation.

NPS / Megan Spina

Growing up in central New Jersey, I didn’t feel connected to the National Park Service. I thought of national parks as faraway out west somewhere, in places I had never been. I took field trips to Gateway National Recreation Area in nearby Sandy Hook without realizing what it was. When I was 12 years old, I visited Acadia National Park in Maine. As I became older, I began to comprehend the vastness and variety of national park sites.

Megan holding a female Hooded Warbler at the banding station. All birds were caught and handled by trained professionals with the necessary state and federal permits.

NPS / Megan Spina

I majored in ecology, evolution, and natural resources at Rutgers University. After graduating in 2022, my career began with a Student Conservation Association internship at Devils Postpile National Monument in California. I loved working in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as a resource management technician/educational outreach specialist for four months. My duties were varied. I helped monitor vital signs for the monument, collecting meaningful data to manage its resources. This included deploying bat detectors, surveying for the California spotted owl, and testing air and water quality. Interacting with visitors each day was special too. I hosted Postpile Walks, educating visitors about the monument’s rich natural and cultural history. I created a Table Talk where visitors of all ages could learn about common birds. I even stepped outside my comfort zone to co-host a Star Talk about the constellations. How was I working at a national park? How did I get here? It seemed so foreign to me, but I was in my element at the same time.

Having this wonderful experience led to my second internship. In winter 2023, I was hired through the Scientists in Parks program to do research at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. I am a natural resource management assistant working on our Birds of Conservation Concern Focused Condition Assessment. I analyze data from different sources, including eBird and the Greater Akron Audubon Society. My project is to determine the population trends of 30 birds of conservation concern that breed in the national park.

During the field season, I deployed acoustic recording devices called songmeters. These are used to detect secretive marsh birds. I also counted birds in a single location, called point counts, mapped birds in Brecksville Reservation, created a bird survey form with bird breeding codes, and helped band birds. Working in avian conservation is now my passion. I find it so meaningful to collect and analyze data that can inform management decisions such as where to build trails and how to restore habitat.

I have always loved nature—especially animals— so I can’t think of a better job than what I have in my internship right now. I love working in a national park, learning new things every day, and creating lasting relationships. I hope to continue helping birds through a career in avian conservation and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.