Hello Riverwatch Captains! This is Shannon, one of the interns working for the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper as an Americorps intern. I have been interested in environmental issues since elementary school when I would drive my parents nuts telling them to recycle. I majored in Environmental Policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology so I am so happy that I found a job related to my field in Buffalo.

When I first started with Riverkeeper, Robbyn took us on tours of different sites along the Niagara River, Buffalo River and their tributaries. She pointed out potential areas for habitat restoration that I never knew existed. I have since become very interested in habitat restoration as well as invasive species. I am looking forward to the Captain's training where we will be learning to remove invasives such as the purple loosestrife. I think that restoring indiginous plant species will help to restore air and water quality, which will help everyone.