he Nature Conservancy’s GLOBE (Growing Leaders on Behalf of the Environment) summer internship program hires undergraduate students, graduate students, or recent college graduates (2016, 2017, and 2018) to fill paid internship positions during a 10-week summer internship. Our mission is to provide a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between academics and the real-world conservation work that contributes to the health and sustainability of our world. The GLOBE Program recruits individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are interested in contributing to our conservation goals in various fields. The GLOBE Program offers a structured orientation, professional training, network opportunities, mentoring program, and real work experience.
The Texas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is looking to hire two (2) Monitoring GLOBE interns. The interns will assist with on-going research and monitoring activities at preserves throughout the state, as well as, with data management for those projects and completed projects. The interns will particularly focus on collecting vegetation data at our Cibolo Bluffs Preserve, located about 30 miles from the San Antonio office and Love Creek Preserve, about 90 miles from the office. The intern’s work at the preserves will build on previous monitoring and allow us to measure how vegetation on the preserve is changing. They will also assist with other on-going monitoring activities at preserves throughout Texas.
During fieldwork, they will learn the following skills: vegetation monitoring techniques for a variety of habitats, plant identification, using GPS units, and driving off-road. These skills are required for most entry-level science and stewardship positions in The Conservancy. Transportation, food and housing (when appropriate) will be provided for all field visits.
When not in the field, the interns will work in our San Antonio office. They will focus on digitizing old science and stewardship files containing valuable historical and scientific information that is currently difficult for staff to access. Working with these files will teach how to work with CONNECT, as well as provide an opportunity to learn about The Conservancy’s history in Texas. Finally, we will provide time for the intern to take GIS courses on-line and apply those skills to both the field work (e.g., preparing maps) and document scanning (e.g., digitizing old maps). GIS skills are in great demand in a variety of fields.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Assisting with field work and data collection for vegetation surveys, off-road driving, and navigation in the field
- Entering data into electronic database, scanning documents into Connect library, composing preserve summary report.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience working both independently and with a team
- Strong composition and writing skills
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Valid driver’s license and compliance with Conservancy’s Auto Safety Program (see Auto Safety Policy section)
- Experience with vegetation sampling
- Experience with ArcGiS software
- Training of plant ID skills
ELIGIBILITY
The Nature Conservancy's GLOBE Program candidate should demonstrate at least one of the following:
- Contribution to diversity of The Nature Conservancy. Applicant has circumstances, experiences, skills or talents that would benefit others and would enhance the diversity of the organization.
- Understanding of communities and skills that aid in the trust building process essential for collaborative efforts with urban communities, organizations and leaders—ability to cross boundaries, find common ground and work together across differences
- Commitment to diversity. Applicant has shown and can demonstrate a deep and active commitment to the issues of conservation and human diversity.
- Commitment to equity. Applicant shows an understanding of inequity and its context and has experience with engagement and inclusion of those from disadvantaged and/or underserved communities
- $12.50/per hour (undergrads) and $14.50/per hour (graduate and recently graduated level students)
- This is a full-time, temporary internship position with a 10-week term of June 4 – August 10, 2018.
- Housing stipend is provided
INTERN SELECTION PROCESS
- Applications will be screened for eligibility, qualifications and experience level related to the project;
- Applicants will be notified of next steps in the process (within 3 weeks after the posting date ends)
- 2-3 telephone interviews will be conducted for selected applicants;
- Additional information may be required before making a final decision;
- All applicants will be notified of final selection by late-March