Meet Our 2025 Fall Interns!

Lindsey Bell

Hello, my name is Lindsey Bell! I am a recent graduate of Merrimack College where I earned a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in Conservation. I grew up in central Maine, where I spent the majority of my childhood running around the woods and learning to love the natural environment. To this day I still spend as much of my free time outside as I can, usually fishing, hiking or exploring! I started my work in the conservation field the summer leading into my junior year of college as an intern with the Maine Army National Guards Environmental Office. Leading up to this internship I was unsure if I wanted to pursue a career in conservation, but after spending a summer trudging through the northern Maine woods, grasslands, and endless wetlands, I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. I spent two summers at this internship where I assisted the lead biologist on various land management projects, most notably surveying a few properties for the endangered Northern Long Eared Bat (myotis septentrionalis) using acoustic detectors. After graduating this past May, I headed out to Yellowstone National Park to work as a Biological Sciences Tech with the Aquatic Invasive Species team. While in Yellowstone I worked at the boat check stations, took water samples from water bodies throughout the park to send to a lab for DNA testing, and assisted the fisheries department with various surveying methods for invasive or native trout.

I am super excited to continue my career in conservation at Big Oaks this fall, and am eager to help any way I can! Please say hello if you see me around, I would love to chat and get to know everyone!

Michelle Mattson

My name is Michelle Mattson and I am one of the interns here at Big Oaks. I am originally from Massachusetts but I graduated from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL (about 30 miles north of Chicago) in 2023. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. I have grown a deep appreciation for the Midwest region and its unique ecosystems and wildlife. I am excited to be here and work with Big Oaks Wildlife Refuge to gain more field experience and knowledge. This summer I previously worked with Massachusetts State Dept. of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) as a Conservation Biologist. In the summer of 2024 I worked with the National Park Service as a Shorebird Intern in Cape Cod, MA. In Massachusetts there were 3 species that were monitored daily; Piping Plover, Least Tern, and American Oystercatcher. While working as an intern I was able to help out with other special projects such as; identifying fish in estuaries, horseshoe crab tagging, swallow nest box monitoring, and Diamondbacks Terrapin surveys. 

I'm a novice birder but definitely excited to see the Henslow Sparrow and other rare species that are located on the refuge. So far from driving around and getting the bearings of the 50,000 acres I’ve spotted; Wild Turkeys, Bobwhite Quails, Turkey Vultures, Cooper’s Hawk, and Eastern Meadowlark. Definitely more to see as the season gets in full swing. I recommend using the Merlin Bird ID app if you're interested in starting out. Feel free to say hello.

Tate Ryan

Hello! My name is Tate Ryan, one of the interns at Big Oaks. I am from western Nebraska and attended Wayne State College on the eastern side of Nebraska where I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Conservation Biology and a minor in Criminal Justice in 2024. For as long as I can remember, I have always had a deep love and appreciation for our natural spaces and the wildlife that calls them home. In recent years I have had the opportunity to pursue my passion for a career in conservation through a variety of seasonal experiences. My first field job was with the Montana Conservation Corps on a wilderness trail crew  where I got to experience living out of a backpack deep in the backcountry. In the summers of 2023 and 2024, I was a member of a research field crew with the Forest Service that was studying the successional effects of wildfire on wildlife, habitat, and timber in multiple National Forests across the west coast. This past summer, I worked in Yellowstone National Park on a gill-netting vessel tasked with removing the invasive Lake Trout and gathering data on native Cutthroat Trout. I am really enjoying the process of traveling to new locations and collecting a wide variety of work experiences as I begin to narrow down my future career goals.

I am very excited to work at Big Oaks NWR and gain as much experience as possible while getting to explore and learn about the beautiful environment that the refuge protects.