My name is Johan Eide and I recently had the opportunity to contribute to the conservation of our great nation’s resources and spend the summer as a Brad Rowse Policy Fellow. I had no idea what the summer would entail before departing from California, all I knew for sure was that I loved to hunt and fish and I wanted to see the rights and access that I have now protected in the future. When I have time outside of my schoolwork I enjoy and regularly go deer, waterfowl, antelope and elk hunting, spearfishing, abalone diving and fish FLW and Bassmasters at a collegiate level. I am currently studying to be a BioResource and Agricultural Engineer at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. Leaving behind my bass boat, truck and camouflage in California I headed to Washington DC with high aspirations.
I was immediately greeted with open arms at CSF’s main office on Capitol Hill. CSF made it easy for me to understand the national and state level legislative process, even with no background in law or government affairs. I quickly realized that I was in a professional environment that would allow me to apply myself and an engineering approach to sportsmen’s related legislature and research. Furthermore I recognized that even my work, however small it may be, could be heard and used nationally to make a difference for wildlife, conservation and public access. Over the summer I worked with every member of CSF on a wide range of issues on what seemed to cover every issue in hunting, recreational shooting and angling. I personally worked on a national assessment of ASCF funding, post session reports, issue briefs, marine policy, a national ranking/assessment public access to private lands, a national assessment of hunting access, state legislature, and much more. Interning at CSF truly helped me to improve my own professional conduct in a real business environment in a way that is not possible in an educational setting. Taking what I had learned at CSF back to college has now influenced my senior project and my appreciation of, as well as my respect for, our nation’s wildlife and natural resources belonging to all.
Overall I saw the great work the CSF is doing nationally and I was pleased to be a part of it. The summer was not all work though and DC turned out to be a great contrast to life in California. After work friends and I found time to grab a beer at Tune Inn, go fishing in around the monuments in Tidal Basin, watch a few Nationals baseball games and even some trap and indoor shooting trips. I would recommend the internship to any college student working in law, conservation-related fields or even if you just love the outdoors like me!
To learn more about the Brad Rowse Policy Fellow program, click here.
Gallery
