FLIGHT Interns Fledge the Nest at the Audubon Center at Debs Park

At the Audubon Center at Debs Park, the start of summer brings a bittersweet milestone: our FLIGHT interns have officially “fledged the nest.”

After nine months of learning, restoration work, bird walks, field trips, this year’s cohort wrapped up their time with the program last week. We’re so proud of everything they accomplished and grateful for the energy, curiosity, and care they brought to the center.

FLIGHT, which stands for Future Leaders Igniting Greater Habitat Transformation, cultivates the next generation of environmental leaders. Through collaborative internships, FLIGHT provides youth with opportunities to engage their communities, learn about California’s native flora and fauna, and grow into confident stewards of the environment.

At the Audubon Center at Debs Park, FLIGHT interns come from across Los Angeles County, often with little to no background in conservation or birds. Many are placed at the center as a worksite by a partner organization, which means their time at Debs Park is often their first experience with birds, nature, and even having a job in general.

This year marked the first curriculum-based version of the program. Over the course of 9 months, 10 FLIGHT interns spent about 400 hours at the center, building new skills and deepening their connection to the natural world.

They learned about California native plants and habitat restoration, practiced birding and helped lead bird walks, supported the care and maintenance of restoration sites and the center itself, planted more than 400 California native plants, and even launched their own independent mini-restoration site, putting their new knowledge into practice while getting their hands dirty!

This year, we were also able to expand the FLIGHT experience beyond Debs Park. During a field trip to Audubon’s Starr Ranch, the interns connected with other members of Audubon California’s incredible conservation team, including Aimee Alvarenga, field manager, who introduced them to some of the ranch’s coastal sage scrub, grassland, oak woodland, chaparral, and riparian habitats.

For most of the interns, it was their first time traveling outside of Los Angeles. The visit left a lasting impression, providing an opportunity to make new connections in the conservation field and helping many of the interns begin to imagine themselves in this work beyond their time at Debs Park.

For their final field trip, the interns went whale watching off the coast of Long Beach. For every single intern, it was their first time being out at sea. Alongside whale naturalist Brittany Munson, they looked for marine life and learned how to identify shearwaters, fin whales, common dolphins, and more.

The excitement on the boat was palpable. The interns were so eager to capture everything they were seeing that a few phones nearly went overboard!

We hope this year’s FLIGHT interns continue connecting with us, with birds, and with the natural world wherever they go next. And as they fledge the nest, we’re celebrating all they contributed to the Audubon Center at Debs Park and all the ways they helped care for this special place.