Sonoran Desert Network Scientists in Parks Interns: Summer 2024–Summer 2025

The Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network (Sonoran Desert Network) partners with Conservation Legacy to host interns through the Scientists in Parks program annually. There are two program application periods, one for fall/winter start dates and one for spring/summer start dates. Applications are due in mid-January and mid-June. Open positions can be found on the Scientists in Parks website when available.

The Sonoran Desert Network is based at the Desert Research Learning Center at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. Our Scientists in Parks interns work at the learning center and in parks throughout the Southwest. Interns embark on a year-long journey of fieldwork, science communication, and/or natural resource data science.

From summer of 2024 through summer of 2025, the Sonoran Desert Network hosted four excellent Scientists in Parks interns: Justin Sontag, Naomi Friedman, Annika Munson, and Bryn Callie. Each of them had an individualized experience with our monitoring work. Read about their experiences below!

Justin Sontag

Left to right: Justin on a fire crew in the Rincon Mountains (Saguaro National Park) collecting data at fire effects plots; Justin hugging a saguaro cactus (ouch!); Justin identifying vegetation along the Santa Cruz River in Tumacácori National Historical Park.

NPS/S. STUDD/A. PINGATORE/E. SCHNAUBELT

Justin, from Orlando, Florida, came accustomed to the heat but perhaps not the dryness of the Southwest. Justin went to Johns Hopkins University for a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and had a formative outdoor experience while there: for a course about forested landscapes, Justin camped in Shenandoah National Park and spent time “naturalist-ing.” Justin hiked trails while identifying species and studying the ecosystem. After interning with the Bureau of Land Management, the Scientists in Parks program helped Justin continue the mission of serving and protecting public lands. Fun fact: Justin has been to 124 national parks!

Accomplishments

Justin focused on the effects of fire on vegetation during the Scientists in Parks internship, but that’s far from all Justin did. While working at the Sonoran Desert Network, Justin…

• Performed quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and ran many Generalized Linear Mixed Models on Sonoran Desert Network vegetation monitoring data and NPS Fire Effects program data.
• Performed a focused condition assessment of post-fire vegetation at Chiricahua National Monument, focusing on the longer-term effects on abundance and distribution of Lehmann’s lovegrass (an invasive plant) and changes in woody species composition and lifeform abundance (such as the ratio of shrubs to trees).
• Wrote a report summarizing the focused condition assessment, which will be published soon.
• Collected data for upland vegetation monitoring, riparian vegetation monitoring, wildlife monitoring, and fire effects protocols.
• Became certified in Wilderness Advanced First Aid and trained in field safety procedures.

Parks Justin Worked In

Justin worked on natural resource monitoring projects in four Sonoran Desert Network parks and numerous Pima County properties during multi-day hitches and day trips, including one backpacking hitch into the Rincon Mountains:

• Chiricahua National Monument
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Saguaro National Park
• Tumacácori National Historical Park

What Next?

After finishing the Scientists in Parks internship, Justin joined a fire effects monitoring crew in the NPS Northern Great Plains Fire Management Office. We are excited Justin is joining the National Park Service!

My favorite park in the network is Organ Pipe Cactus NM. I’m drawn to its incredible diversity of plants, animals, and landscapes—it truly embodies the vast, unspoiled beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The park also brings into sharp focus the complexities of our international border, offering a powerful real-world context for conservation work. What makes it even more special is how deeply the network team values and respects this place. That shared appreciation is moving and meaningful to me.

—Justin

Naomi Friedman

Left to right: Naomi pointing to an acoustic recording unit strapped to a tree near a spring (installed to help identify amphibians using the water); Naomi sitting with two crew members at a backcountry spring in the Rincon Mountains; Naomi and a crew hiking to a monitoring plot on Mica Mountain (Saguaro National Park).

NPS/E. SCHNAUBELT

Naomi grew up in the Philly area of Pennsylvania and attended Drexel University, attaining a degree in environmental science with minors in French and fine arts. Naomi got the bug for combining environmentalism with fine arts through a research trip to Cameroon where, over the course of assisting with data [chimpanzee poop] collection, Naomi designed a children’s book for the local environmental education center. This experience sparked Naomi's commitment to work that connects communities to nature through art, inspiring multiple projects during her Scientists in Parks internship. During time off, Naomi enjoys climbing outdoors!

Accomplishments

Over the last year, Naomi accomplished a wide breadth of projects in the field and office. Naomi…

• Painted a 300 ft² mural at the Desert Research Learning Center.
• Created the coloring book, “Life in the Sonoran Desert.”
• Assisted science communication and outreach efforts by representing the Sonoran Desert Network at southern Arizona community events at Reid Park Zoo Lights and La Fiesta de Tumacácori.
• Collected natural resource monitoring data on springs, vegetation, streams, wildlife, and amphibians over the course of 10 overnight, multi-day hitches and a “whole lot of day trips.”
• Helped maintain the NPS vehicle fleet and field gear.
• Performed QA/QC on seeps, springs, and tinajas data.
• Became certified in Wilderness Advanced First Aid and trained in various field safety protocols.

Parks Naomi Worked In

Naomi collected natural resource data at nearly every Sonoran Desert Network park, as well as one Chihuahuan Desert Network park* and multiple Pima County properties.

• Chiricahua National Monument
• Coronado National Memorial
• Fort Bowie National Historic Site
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
• Montezuma Castle National Monument
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Saguaro National Park
• Tonto National Monument
• Tumacácori National Historical Park
• Tuzigoot National Monument
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park*

What Next?

After wrapping up the Scientists in Parks internship, Naomi will be pursuing a master’s degree in marine science and management at the University of Sydney, Australia. From Philly to Cameroon and the American Southwest to Australia, Naomi is gaining a vast range of ecological experiences across multiple continents.

I have learned how to push through mental and physical difficulties through shifting my focus. There were so many times in the field throughout this year where I got stuck in a negative mindset because I was hot, sweaty, tired and all the above. But with each hitch, I learned how to shift that mindset by focusing on the beauty of the nature that surrounded me and the lovely coworkers (friends!) that always supported me and made me laugh.

—Naomi

Annika Munson

Left to right: Annika sitting amongst hoodoos, doing quality checks on vegetation data sheets in Chiricahua National Monument; Annika surveying for amphibians and reptiles along the Gila River (Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument); Annika and a partner setting up an acoustic recording device to scout for Chiricahua leopard frogs and other species of interest.

NPS/E. SCHNAUBELT

Annika is from Alexandria in Northern Virginia (according to Annika, the “Northern” part is very important). Annika then moved to the Midwest, graduating from the University of Chicago with a major in biological sciences and minor in geography, urbanization, and the environment. During this time, Annika was able to join a lab studying bird habitat defense behavior in the Himalayas. That experience cemented a love for fieldwork and motivated Annika to apply for the Scientists in Parks field position at the Sonoran Desert Network. When not in the field, Annika loves to paint.

Accomplishments

Annika’s internship was filled with variable field experiences and data projects. This last year, Annika…

• Collected natural resource monitoring data on wildlife, upland vegetation, riparian vegetation, streams, springs, and amphibians (i.e., all the Sonoran Desert Network’s projects!).
• Painted a 300 ft² mural at the Desert Research Learning Center.
• Authored protocol instruction documents that explained how to decontaminate springs gear, how to use a Leica smart antenna for mapping spring systems, how to manipulate Leica data, and how to use Scaniverse to visualize spring systems.
• Pioneered a project to visualize springs by researching visualization techniques, manipulating and ensuring quality of geographic data, and using ArcGIS Pro and Scaniverse to create maps and visualizations of springs in Saguaro National Park.
• Became certified in Wilderness Advanced First Aid and trained others on protocol-specific safety procedures.

Parks Annika Worked In

Annika worked in seven Sonoran Desert Network parks, three Chihuahuan Desert Network parks*, and Pima County lands during many overnight hitches and day trips:

• Chiricahua National Monument
• Coronado National Memorial
• Fort Bowie National Historic Site
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Saguaro National Park
• Tumacácori National Historical Park
• Big Bend National Park*
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park*
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park*

What Next?

Annika accepted a position to stay at the Sonoran Desert Network through an agreement with the Tucson Bird Alliance. Annika will continue to be a critical field crew member on various monitoring projects, but this new position will focus on our springs and streams monitoring and helping us reintroduce Chiricahua leopard frogs to our parks.

Getting to paint a giant mural [was unforgettable]! Working with Naomi as a creative duo to express what the Sonoran Desert Network contributes to conservation was a delight and truly a unique experience. I’m so glad we had the chance to come together as an office and all help out with one big love letter to the Desert Research Learning Center.

—Annika

Bryn Callie

Left to right: Bryn hiking down a steep slope with a backpack full of monitoring gear; Bryn calibrating a water quality probe in a backcountry cabin (Saguaro National Park) with the monitoring crew; Bryn collecting a water sample from a spring to later run water chemistry tests.

NPS/E. SCHNAUBELT

Bryn is a Tucson native, having returned to the city after graduating from the University of Oregon with bachelor's degrees in environmental science and cultural anthropology, including minors in biology and geography. Bryn spent time working with a population and community ecology laboratory while in Oregon, which sparked a new appreciation for ecology and conservation and opened the doors to data science. In coming home to Tucson, they were looking forward to seeing the Southwest with fresh eyes and excited to make an impact in conservation. Bryn loves being outside, running, and spending time in nature, so this Scientists in Parks internship offered a perfect balance of field opportunities and time to hone data science skills.

Accomplishments

Bryn contributed to numerous projects as an intern. To name a few, Bryn…

• Reformed the Sonoran Desert Network and Chihuahuan Desert Network’s publishing process for HOBO Data Logger temperature data by developing a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedure with R code. (And then published data from Tuzigoot National Monument.)
• Built single-season occupancy models for 2024 Saguaro National Park, Tucson Mountain District wildlife data to determine which areas of the park each species was using. (The results are cited in “Wildlife Monitoring at Saguaro National Park, Tucson Mountain District: 2024.”)
• Created maps and authored content for wildlife and upland vegetation monitoring reports.
• Used AI to soft-sort wildlife camera photos from the 2025 monitoring season in Saguaro National Park (Tucson Mountain District) and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
• Collected natural resource monitoring data for seeps, springs, and tinajas, upland vegetation, wildlife, groundwater, and a biocrust experiment.
• Stewarded the sustainable foods garden at the Desert Research Learning Center.
• Became Wilderness Advanced First Aid certified, as well as trained in protocol-specific safety procedures.
• Created material for outreach events and represented the Sonoran Desert Network at la Fiesta de Tumacácori.

Parks Bryn Worked In

Bryn worked in six parks in the Sonoran Desert Network (and properties in Pima County) over the course of 18 field trips, three of which were multi-day hitches:

• Coronado National Memorial
• Montezuma Castle National Monument
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Saguaro National Park
• Tonto National Monument
• Tuzigoot National Monument

What Next?

Following their Scientists in Parks internship, Bryn will continue working with the Sonoran Desert Network (via the Tucson Bird Alliance) to tackle the ever-growing number of data science, management, and reporting projects. We are delighted to keep Bryn on the team!

The most standout experience I’ve had during this internship was going on an overnight hitch to Manning Camp to monitor high-elevation springs. When I went on the trip in October, I had already been working with the network’s springs data, so it was very fulfilling to get to see firsthand where the data was coming from and to get to help collect it. I also really enjoyed hiking around at the top of the mountains and spending time with the crew disconnected from daily life.

—Bryn

Want to Intern?

Every Scientists in Parks intern that has worked with the Sonoran Desert Network has left an imprint on the network. Their names are in the databases; their faces are in site photos; their jokes are still laughed at in the office. The Sonoran Desert Network is proud of how these internships have kicked off excellent careers in environmental fields and natural resource protection, and we look forward to hosting future internships and fostering knowledge exchange.

For more information, the Scientists in Parks website has details about the program. Our internship webpage has contacts and more internship stories.

Article created by the Sonoran Desert I&M Network, June 2025.