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	For me, one of the best parts of living in Michigan is the diversity of seasons; fall colors that litter the sky, winter storms that consume the landscape, the smell of spring soil, and the lush green dominance of summer.&nbsp; I need every season.&nbsp; What&rsquo;s more, at Au Sable each season is associated with a new batch of students eager to explore the outdoors, and new interns that help guide their discovery.&nbsp; With little over a week left of the fall internship, our interns have plenty of stories to share, but first some introductions:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Wil.jpg" style="float: left; width: 167px; height: 250px;" />Wilhelmina Witt is currently enrolled as a junior at Tabor College.&nbsp; Growing up in nearby Central Lake, Will&rsquo;s experience with Au Sable first began as a homeschool student attending environmental education programs with her siblings.&nbsp; This past summer Wilhelmina went one step further in her association with Au Sable, attending Summer Session II as a college student, and now joins us as an instructor helping to teach students from around her northern Michigan home about the environment she is so familiar with.&nbsp; Will practices a more traditional style of natural history and is constantly looking for opportunities to learn. &nbsp;On one of our field trips, I accidentally hit a red squirrel with the van. &nbsp;At Wilhelmina&rsquo;s insistence, we turned the van around so that she could practice her taxidermy.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Maya.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 189px; float: right;" />Maya McElfish joins us from Sauquoit, New York, which she will promptly tell you is nowhere near New York City.&nbsp; Maya holds a degree in Biology from Houghton College with minors in Environmental Stewardship, Art, Intercultural Studies, and Recreation.&nbsp; As you can imagine from such a background, Maya is well suited for environmental education.&nbsp; Additionally, Maya has spent several summers counseling special needs children at Camp Northwood and led their outdoor education component.&nbsp; A herpetologist at heart, Maya has been scouring the pond and sedge meadow since her arrival hoping to catch glimpse of a hognose snake before the cold drives them into hibernation.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Ivy.jpg" style="width: 176px; height: 250px; float: left;" />Ivy Sustaita traveled nearly 1200 miles north from El Paso, Texas to join our teaching staff this fall.&nbsp;&nbsp; A graduate of Wayland Baptist University, Ivy majored in Biology and is passionate about the role of Christians in the environmental movement.&nbsp; The running joke on campus is how Ivy is adapting to the cold of northern Michigan and the discrepancy between what Texans and Michiganders consider a winter coat.&nbsp; In spite of the cool weather, Ivy has done an excellent job introducing students to our Michigan environment.</p>
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	The seasons are of course by themselves magnificent, but the memories we associate with each season is really what makes them special. &nbsp;It is the driving force behind our seasonal longings. And now, with 5 years of memories associated with Au Sable and the Environmental Education Program, I look forward to each season because along with a changing landscape, it is also a harbinger of new interns, new students, and new memories.</p>
