A Classroom with a View

Tim Lorah '14

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Serves As a Beautiful Internship Backdrop

Standing on a ridge along the Blue Mountains, on the edge of the world's first refuge for birds of prey, Tim Lorah ’14 is in his very own classroom.

As an intern at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a wild bird sanctuary and research and education center in Kempton, Lorah worked on a land management plan for invasive plants – ideal work for the earth science/environmental policy major.

Interning during his final semester of college, Lorah conducted personal research, contacted professionals, and used use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map out the land of the 2,600-acre refuge. Lorah’s previous experience with GIS, having taken a course at Moravian, sparked the interest of his Hawk Mountain supervisor, Todd Bauman. At the conclusion of his research, Lorah then documented his findings for future reference for Hawk Mountain staff members.

“My biggest take away is my experience contacting and traveling to meet with professionals.”

- Tim Lorah

Lorah’s internship at the sanctuary, a popular destination for birdwatchers and hikers, fit the Moravian student’s personality as he is active by nature. This spring Lorah garnered All-America honors in the javelin for the second consecutive year at the 2014 NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships. Not surprisingly, the opportunity to work outside didn’t disappoint him, though a long winter kept him indoors longer than he hoped.

An internship undertaken at a bird sanctuary developed abilities Lorah, who hails from Middlesex, N.J., likely didn’t expect. “My biggest take away is my experience contacting and traveling to meet with professionals,” he explains. “This opportunity has really helped me develop my communication skills. My internship has definitely given me the confidence to go out and communicate with others on a much better, and more professional, level than when I started.”

Following his Hawk Mountain experience, Lorah plans to pursue work in environmental consulting. “I’d like to work for a firm that wants to improve their environmental compliance, energy savings and sustainability,” he says. “I believe that my internship experience will really help me out in regards to my career goals.”