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Elizabeth Shin UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Landscape Architecture
Our second week at Pine Trails Ranch, Dalia and I took on the task of cleaning and organizing the greenhouse. The greenhouse on site is a single gable structure, with large glass panels spanning the length of the wall that let in plenty of sunshine during the day. We found an assortment of items inside, ranging from propagated plants, cat carriers, lithium batteries, and gardening supplies. But what surprised us most was the number of spiders living in the greenhouse. Despite being the “Garden Whisperers,” Dalia and I share an extreme fear of spiders. As we started clearing out boxes, we uncovered hundreds of daddy long legs, jumping spiders, black widows, and dozens more species that we had never seen before. Though we are reluctant to admit it, spiders are incredibly beneficial for controlling plant-damaging insects.
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Dalia Carbajal-Robles UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Landscape Architecture  A greenhouse is made out mainly of glass, wood, or metal. During the day, sunlight enters the greenhouse that heats the inside of the greenhouse. At night, the heat is trapped by the glass walls and absorbed by plants and objects, hence why a greenhouse can be used even in colder climates! In other words, light energy is converted to heat energy! It is great to grow plants here because it protects them from extreme cold. Think of a stove and its baker, a greenhouse allows humidity and warmth for the gardener’s plants to grow. A fun fact is that tender plants, such as tomatoes, aubergines, and cucumbers grow really well in greenhouses. We are excited to see this greenhouse in action and grow some plants!
Nora Bahr UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology  As Romeo rocketed around the stall like a small missile, Claire and I shared a wide-eyed and slightly terrified look. This week, we focused on harness training, having already gotten the piglets used to human touch. As Care Bear is displaying in the photo above, what we thought was going to be a simple and calm training session quickly turned into a circus.
Jessie Ostrove UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Environmental Science and Management  This week, I focused my “horse whisperer” duties on creating an experimental design for measuring the human brain response to equine interactions. After reading quite a bit of scientific literature regarding the many corners of animal intervention therapy, we found a missing link to be the study of human-animal eye contact in therapeutic settings. With this in mind, I focused my attention on creating an experimental design regarding human interactions with horses, measuring brain waves in settings both with and without eye contact, in order to see if there is a difference in brain wave responses.
Claire Short UC Davis graduate, Spring 2022 Major: Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology  Romeo after eating messy fruit as training treats. Romeo’s earsplitting scream echoed across the ranch, and I was afraid that the children who were there for horse riding lessons might think we were murdering him. Nora and I frantically tried to restrain him, but he kept jumping, twisting, and kicking like a bucking bronco. A mini pig rodeo was not part of our training plan – we were trying to harness train Romeo so he could eventually provide people with therapy outside of his enclosure. Unfortunately, the harness had slid down his torpedo-shaped body, and the neck hole was stuck around his belly. When we finally got the harness off, Romeo acted like nothing had happened and rolled over for belly rubs a couple minutes later. Piglets seem to experience life with an intensity that they share with everyone around them. Their stress and their joy are equally contagious, and they can switch from one to the other in an instant. For the piglets to be successful therapy animals, we will have to both minimize their stress and keep their enthusiasm under control.
Claire Short UC Davis graduate, Spring 2022 Major: Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology  Me and my rats, Logan (on shoulder) and Liam (on head). Romeo’s round, wet nose pressed against my fingers and his tail swung like the pendulum of an overzealous clock. He and his two sisters hurried to explore every inch of their new home and investigate the new humans who had entered their lives. As the piglets learn more about me and how to be therapy animals for research, I want to learn as much as I can about them, both through training and observation and by reviewing literature. I’ve had a passion for training animals since I was 12 years old, and I’ve done research on animal behavior through UC Davis. I recently graduated with a degree in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. I was thrilled to find an internship that integrates my experience in research with my hobby of animal training, while learning about the human-animal connection.
Dalia Carbajal-Robles UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Landscape Architecture  Hi, It's Summer!!
Nora Bahr UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology  My journey to this position began when I was very young. Every year around Easter time, my family would make the journey to my grandparent's goat farm in Virginia. I would spend entire days in the field with the goats. One year, my grandmother woke me up at the crack of dawn to tell me that one of the pregnant females was in labor. I jumped up and followed her to the barn, where I watched the kids being born (a simultaneously gross and amazing sight). I named one of the kids Lily, and we became in separable. These annual trips shaped my love for animals.
Jessie Ostrove UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Environmental Science and Management  Hi, y’all! My name is Jessie Ostrove. I am a fourth year Environmental Science and Management major with a Natural Resource Management track at UC Davis, and I am the “Horse Whisperer” of the Calisi lab, in that of which we are currently working with pigs, horses, and plants (oh my!). Besides my passion for horses, environmental policy and communication, and camping, I also participate in triathlons and play a variety of instruments- my favorites being the piano and trombone.
Elizabeth Shin UC Davis undergraduate, 4th year Major: Landscape Architecture  When I was younger, my Korean grandmother would make annual summer trips to my family’s home in Central California. My favorite activity we did together was pick blueberries at Rancho Notso Grande, our local blueberry farm. We would spend hours plucking the fattest blueberries until our baskets were full and our backs were aching. I never learned to speak Korean, so our time spent together was always in silence. Despite the language barrier, gardening with my grandma built a long-lasting bond. I felt the most connected to her when we were outside, working and spending time together in the land. I attribute my love for plants to my grandmother. She taught me that gardening is not just about tending and cultivating plants, but tending and cultivating relationships with people and landscapes. The time I spent harvesting fruit with my grandma has become one of the fondest memories of my childhood, and my goal as “Garden Whisperer” is to share this experience with others.
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