Environmental Internship Program - 2019 Booklet
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BIODIVERSITY AND<br />
CONSERVATION<br />
Heather Callahan ’21<br />
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY<br />
Certificates: <strong>Environmental</strong> Studies, Language<br />
and Culture<br />
PROJECT TITLE<br />
Impact of Grazing Regimes<br />
on Rangeland Quality and<br />
Wildlife and Livestock Use<br />
ORGANIZATION(S)<br />
Rubenstein Group<br />
LOCATION(S)<br />
Mpala Research Centre,<br />
Nanyuki, Kenya<br />
MENTOR(S)<br />
Daniel Rubenstein,<br />
Class of 1877 Professor<br />
of Zoology, Professor<br />
of Ecology and<br />
Evolutionary Biology,<br />
Princeton University<br />
I spent the summer in Laikipia County, Kenya,<br />
assisting in a study focused on livestock grazing<br />
practices. Raising and selling cattle is a major<br />
source of income for many Kenyans. During<br />
the biannual transition from the dry to the wet<br />
season, the animals often become ill and lose<br />
weight as their stomach microbiomes adjust to<br />
more nutritious food. This leads to profit loss for<br />
ranchers trying to sell these animals. Our team<br />
tested a silage treatment to prevent this period<br />
of transitional weight loss. Each week, I helped<br />
weigh the cows, create time budgets describing<br />
their behavior, and set up GPS trackers to<br />
determine how far different herds foraged for<br />
food. I also assisted with analysis of all data<br />
collected. Through this position, I learned how<br />
to conduct original research, which will be<br />
extremely valuable to me as I begin my senior<br />
independent work.<br />
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