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BCnature Winter 202225Summer Student 2022- Joanna Shan Author - Joanna ShanI grew up in Coquitlam, surrounded by the North Shore Moun-tains. Those mountains mean more to me after my summer working with BC Nature. Instead of just an eye-catching landscape to look at, I now see that the mountains host an ecosystem of wildlife and flora, I see that the mountains are living and changing by the second, and I see how this changing ecological network impacts me as well. I haven’t always been able to see the natural world around me through this new lens. When I first stepped into the office, I was still very much focused on the task at hand. How would I best perform my duties as a Marketing and Fundraising intern at BC Nature? Luckily, I had a supportive network of co-workers who helped me ease into the role. I’ve gained valuable experience through designing a draft strategic plan, creating a donation brochure, drafting grant letters of inquiry, creating prospect lists, managing new social media posts, and performing a plethora of diverse and new tasks. Throughout this process, my supervisors have taken steps to ensure that I would take away much more than just the business aspects of this internship. I’ve had the opportunity to go into the field and learn first-hand about our natural environment, species at risk, and climate change. One of my most memorable trips was BC Nature Photo Contest 2023Prizes will be awarded to the following six categories listed1. Wildlife 2. Botany, Landscape 3. Weird and Wonderful 4. Entries from Youth 12-18 5. Entries from Child 11 and under Submission can be uploaded to our website - January 1 - February 24, 2023. Please note: All entries must include the name of your subject i.e. botany, wildlife, birds. Landscape entries should also includenames. To be considered all photo content to be from British Columbia. Please note the category number on your entry.Continued page 26participating in invasive species removal with the Burke Mountain Naturalists. By engaging in the task myself and speaking with the event hosts, I gained a deeper understanding of BC Nature and our environment that I wouldn’t have been able to if I were sitting at the office desk buried in my own work. Speaking with