Riley, an environmental biology major and political science minor from Morris, Illinois, took advantage of a great opportunity with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources last summer, managing land along the Illinois and Michigan Canal. The experience was so transformative that he hopes to work for the Department of Natural Resources full time after college, working his way to ultimately be a conservation officer, which requires police academy and conservation training to enforce law in state parks.

Riley and other co-workers clearing a felled tree after a storm.The internship engaged Riley in many new areas of work and responsibilities including maintaining 35 miles of trail system and seven state parks. He learned new landscaping skills, including clearing felled trees after a storm and mowing 35 acres of grass in a single day, as well as heavy machinery operation, sinkhole repair, and interacting with pedestrians.

The conservation efforts he was learning about in his classes combined with his training at the DNR, particularly about “how the public and ecosystems can coexist. I was able to appreciate the beauty of nature and learn something for the future,” he says.

He also described some of the challenges he faced through his work. The Illinois and Michigan Canal where he worked was built in the 1850s, and due to federal ordinance, it required tedious and historically accurate repairs when it was damaged. He also found the manual labor in tough conditions to be hard, especially when he regularly found himself covered in poison ivy rashes. But being a collegiate athlete and member of the Beloit College baseball team, Riley enjoyed the challenge and dealt with these issues head-on.

He recounted a moment where he floated downstream in a boat with no motor, with only handheld tools and his wits to fix the sides of the canal where there had been erosion. In situations like this, he always showed appreciation for his classes at Beloit and how they taught him to think critically.

Riley leaving for work (left) and driving along his daily patrolling area next to the canal (right).“Beloit does a tremendous job of preparing you to solve problems,” Riley said. “The hands-on classes are very beneficial and prepared me.”

Riley encourages everyone he talks to, including the entire audience of students, to engage in internships like this one. He described how his love for nature and animals grew immensely through this process. “I got to do something I really enjoyed with this experience. It was awesome,” he said.