Serena Yu is an incredibly talented illustrator, designer, and all around nature-lover from Vancouver, Canada, currently studying Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design.
She told us she was “excited to contribute her passion for scientific and educational illustration to the DCLT as a creative fellow, while learning from the DCLT community to inform creative assets for trail signage and marketing.” Through this summer fellowship, Serena hopes to expand her knowledge of New England ecology, engage thoughtfully with local conservation practices, and advocate for the intersection of art and science.
Serena comes to us as part of the 2026 Maharam Fellows, a group “working in arenas not typically associated with art and design students.”
The site reads: “They have the opportunity to effect real change in sustainability and social justice through internships with local and global organizations and communities. As part of the program, fellows blog about their experiences throughout the summer and make a final report to Maharam about what they discovered through their internships.”
Serena just wrote her first blog post about her adventures with us so far.
Here’s a teaser, click on the link below to read her full story!
“Much of my time have been spend shadowing TerraCorp members Charly Raymond and Lydia Reinhart in conducting fieldwork and exploring several of the DCLT’s conserved properties. From salt marsh to swampland to sand dunes, much of my day is spent out in the sun doing biodiversity surveys, collecting samples, and gaining a deeper understanding of the different ecological landscapes. It is amazing to see how diverse different environments can look within one township!
Two species of note that we have been monitoring are the Spadefoot Toads and Diamondback Terrapins, both endangered. Spadefoot Toads can be distinguished by the ‘hourglass’ patterning on their back and dark marks on their feet (see below for an example of one we found, compared to the spotted patterning of the common American Toad). We went out searching for these toads in the evening, when they come out of their burrows and hang out in sandy, open spaces near vernal pools. There is an ‘eyeshine’ technique that helps you spot them in the dark. I am excited to say that I am the first and only person so far who has found a Spadefoot Toad in one of the DCLT’s properties! (I cant specify because you aren’t meant to publish where you find endangered species; another thing I have learned)…