The Summer Conservation Intern will report directly to the Islands Land Steward, with frequent interaction with the Islands Program Manager, the Eastern Massachusetts Program Director, and native plant specialists. Work on this project will primarily take place on Martha’s Vineyard, with potential work on the other islands. During the three month period, the intern will:
- Gain practical experience in land stewardship, preserves and facilities management, and restoration;
- Learn proper research and monitoring protocols for restoration projects;
- Become knowledgeable of the plants and animals endemic to the Sandplains;
- Be exposed to The Nature Conservancy’s mission, culture and values.
Duties:
- Assist the Islands Land Steward in managing and restoring Sandplain grassland and shrubland ecosystems on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands;
- Become knowledgeable in the local flora of the island’s ecosystems to assist in site inventory, restoration project monitoring, and effective management;
- Facilitate the management of a native plant nursery by supervising volunteers, weeding, transplanting seedlings, operating irrigation systems, collecting seed from early-flowering, low stature, or rare species;
- Assist in stewardship and preserve management activities such as boundary posting, legal monitoring, invasive species control, and equipment maintenance;
- As needed, assist TNC partners such as shorebird monitors, the Oak Bluffs Shellfish Constable, and graduate students.
Note: Specific responsibilities will accommodate the Intern’s background and interests.
Compensation: a one time stipend between $2500 and $3000.
Housing:
The Nature Conservancy houses its seasonal staff at the Hoft Farm Field Station on Martha’s Vineyard free of charge. The Hoft Farm Field Station is a 90-acre property that contains morainal woodlands, open fields, freshwater ponds and swamps
Internship Mentors:
Elizabeth Loucks, the Islands Land Steward for The Nature Conservancy’s Massachusetts Chapter, will directly supervise the Middlebury intern. She has previously been involved in stewardship activities for The Nature Conservancy in Missouri, South Carolina, and Maine. Liz is a graduate of Warren Wilson College with a BA in Environmental Studies in 2000 and of the University of Kentucky with a MS in Forestry in 2004.
Senior mentoring will be provided by Matt Pelikan, TNC’s Islands Program Manager, and Tom Chase, Director of Special Projects. Matt has a BA in English from Carleton College (1980) and an MA in English from Boston University (1984). He is an avid naturalist and, as a free-lance writer, has written extensively on the ecological communities and natural history of Martha’s Vineyard. Tom earned a bachelor’s degrees from the University of Florida (1978) in Zoology and Archaeology and a master’s degree from the University of Maine (1986) in Quaternary Studies (paleoecology and archaeology). He is a native Vineyarder and has worked for The Nature Conservancy’s Islands Program almost since its inception, which is more than ten years.
For more details and to apply:
See posting on MOJO