Summer Internships with CES and Partners

A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum’s mission is to provide exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.  The Arboretum’s vision is to inspire environmental stewardship, provide respite and healing, and celebrate natural and cultural diversity through the joy and wonder of the natural world.  Adkins Arboretum is the only arboretum or public garden focusing solely on plants native to the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain. Because of its location on the Delmarva Peninsula, at the junction of the Piedmont and the coastal plain where northern and southern plant life overlap, it includes diverse habitats that support more than 600 species of native shrubs, trees, wildflowers, grasses, and ferns.  With approximately five miles of trails winding throughout the natural areas and approximately one acre of cultivated gardens, maintaining, enhancing, and preventing the spread of invasive plants throughout those areas is key to providing an educational and enjoyable experience for our visitors.

Adkins Arboretum is looking for a positive and energetic individual to join our team this summer as the Cultivated Gardens and Natural Areas intern.  This individual will play an active role in the conservation and enhancement of the Arboretum’s native flora and plant communities in natural areas while helping maintain attractive demonstration gardens that inspire visitors to plant their own conservation landscapes, including pollinator and rain gardens.  The internship includes active, hands-on work pruning, weeding, planting, and watering. The intern will also support the Arboretum staff with general operations, including setups for on-site programming.  The intern will be required to attend brief daily staff check-in meetings.  Throughout the internship, the student will document the daily locations and type of work underway to provide accurate details for our Stewardship Log and inform future land management.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist staff with garden, trail maintenance, and invasive plant removal efforts. This will include group and independent work to mobilize daily and tackle projects in various locations on-site.  The physical nature of this position will require much standing, walking, bending, and lifting.
• Specific responsibilities will include identifying plant material to save or remove, weeding, pruning, planting, and occasionally watering new plantings.
• Most days will be spent outdoors, so the intern must come prepared to work outdoors with appropriate clothing, footwear, sunscreen, and insect repellent.
• Complete program setups for public programs and events such as lectures and art classes.
• Stay in communication with Arboretum staff through on-site, e-mail, or video check-ins.
• Document areas and specifics of garden and natural areas maintenance completed, including optional use of a GPS device to capture locations for us to document areas that have been managed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Passionate about conservation, land management, and community engagement.
• Working towards a degree in Biology, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, or related field and having completed two years of study is encouraged.
• Competency in plant identification is helpful but not required.
• Experience with gardening, invasive plant removal, and driving a golf cart is preferred but not required.

LOGISTICS:

The student intern will work remotely at Adkins Arboretum approximately 32 hours per week over 8 weeks. Requires using a personal vehicle to travel to Adkins Arboretum 4-5 days a week. On-campus housing will be available if desired. The ideal date of service is May 19th-July 11th. 

In cooperation with Washington College, the Coastal Delaware National Wildlife Refuge Complex is seeking one (1) intern to work as part of the biology staff team at the Coastal Delaware National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex. This inclues both Bombay Hook NWR near Smyrna, Delaware, and Prime Hook NWR near Milton, Delaware. The Tidal Marsh Monitoring Technician Internship will focus primarily on several projects related to tidal marsh restoration and monitoring.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assisting with tidal marsh vegetation surveys in a restored salt marsh.
• Assist with water, vegetation, and elevation monitoring in a marsh migration zone.
• Assist the Delaware Bay Coastal Program with tidal marsh field work off-refuge, invasive plant mapping, and other duties

QUALIFICATIONS:

• In good physical shape and comfortable walking on uneven terrain
• Able to tolerate excessive heat, humidity, and biting insects
• Able to lift and carry 50 pounds
• Applicants who have a strong interest in wildlife management and species conservation.
• Preferred: Have a valid U.S. driver’s license and are able to commute to the job site.
• Preferred: Can commit to 10-12 weeks of employment. 
• Preferred: Some prior wildlife management or biological field work experience (or exposure).

LOGISTICS:

Bunk-house style housing will be provided at no cost at St. Jones Reserve in Kitts Hummock, DE. Most work activities will take place outdoors without access to amenities.

Interns will be expected to work a standard 40-hour week with 5 days on and 2 days off, consistent with other biological program staff. A small amount of holiday and/or weekend work may be required due to program needs. 

Founded in 1966, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is the largest independent conservation organization dedicated solely to saving the Bay. Serving as a watchdog, we fight for effective, science-based solutions to the pollution degrading the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams. Our motto, "Save the Bay," is a regional rallying cry for pollution reduction throughout the Chesapeake's six-state, 64,000-square-mile watershed, which is home to more than 18 million people and 3,000 species of plants and animals.

The Oyster Restoration Intern will help CBF staff with the planning and execution of our Maryland Oyster Restoration Program.  Intern will be responsible for helping with operations of CBF’s Oyster Gardening Program, a community-based program that teaches hundreds of people how to grow and care for oysters to use in restoration projects throughout Maryland. Intern will also work with the Oyster Team to perform restoration work.  The majority of the work will take place in Anne Arundel County but travel to other areas within the state such as Baltimore, the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland is required. The role will consist of both administrative aspects of the program, such volunteer engagement and event planning, as well as a great deal of emphasis on field work. The Oyster Restoration Intern must be prepared to attend all events, which may include evenings and weekends. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Help CBF Oyster Team staff manage the oyster gardening program, including inventory management, engagement with volunteers, and assisting with program delivery 
• Assist with other hands-on restoration activities including spat-on-shell production, oyster planting, shell recycling, etc. 
• Help prepare materials for any events including advocacy asks, spat-on-shell, cages, spreadsheets, etc.  
• Help CBF Oyster Team staff with general office/administrative support, including data entry and filing, digital and material organization, among other tasks.  

QUALIFICATIONS:  

The successful candidate must have reliable daily transportation for travel in Maryland. In addition, in order to help manage oyster gardening and restoration events, this position must work some evenings and weekends. Housing is not provided. Due to the physical capacity of this job, interns must be comfortable lifting 30-50 pounds and be in good physical condition to work outside in all elements during the summer.  

LOGISTICS

This internship will take place in May-August of 2024. The exact start and end dates during that time frame are negotiable and hours should be 24-36 hours/week. 

ShoreRivers is a nonprofit organization that protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. With offices in Easton, Chestertown, and Galena, Maryland, the organization serves as an advocate for the health of our rivers and the living resources they support. Our programs promote environmental awareness of the essential role local rivers and streams play in the community, the issues that threaten their health and vitality, and solutions that must be implemented to preserve them.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Obtain a Maryland boater safety certificate
• Water quality monitoring by boat with Riverkeepers
• Water Chestnut eradication work on the Sassafras
• Bacteria sampling at local public access sites
• SAV monitoring by kayak
• SAV restoration via Turbulation at CES
• Co-leading community kayak tours
• Community outreach and events
• Agricultural site visits and project monitoring
• Boat and water quality equipment maintenance

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Outgoing personality with good communication skills. Must be able to work with a team, but also be self-motivated in individual tasks.
• Able to lift at least 50 lbs, swim, feel comfortable on boats and kayaks, and do physical outdoor activity in various weather conditions.
• Willing to work a flexible 40-hour schedule with some evening and weekend hours.
• Rising college junior or senior, or recent college graduate. Major in Biology, Environmental Science, or related field is encouraged.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software.
• Proficiency in ArcGIS is encouraged.

LOGISTICS

This internship is based in the Chestertown office, with fieldwork across the Chester and Sassafras watersheds, and occasional travel throughout the ShoreRivers region. Minimum of 10 weeks between May and August; start and end dates and vacation days are flexible. Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30; with occasional evening and weekend work. On-campus housing will be available.

The Center for Environment and Society (CES) seeks an intern to assist researchers and staff with various projects and events. The intern will report to Beth Choate, Deputy Director of CES. Responsibilities will vary across days and weeks. The intern will have the chance to engage with other projects happening at the Center as needed and based on interest. If you are interested in environmental work and are unsure about career pathways, this could be an opportunity to learn more about the type of work that you find most engaging and fulfilling.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Prepare for a summer high school program involving a collaboration between CES and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
• Assist with the exhibits placed in MuSE, CES's community musuem on Cross St. in Chestertown.
• Assist with field work to assess quail populations on the River and Field Campus.
• Assist with the maintenance of the new demonstration farm at SG Hall. 
• Support environmental education and community activities of staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Work independently and meet deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task.
• Effective communication skills.
• Resourceful, self-motivated, enthusiastic team player.

LOGISTICS:

Student will work at Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall. On-campus housing will be available.

NOTE: To apply for a Grassland Bird Research Internship with CES please use Paycom.

The Center for Environment & Society is hiring three interns for our summer research project on grassland birds. The team will contribute to a multi-year study on breeding biology of Field Sparrows, a common bird in decline. Our study site is the grasslands of the River and Field Campus, just across the river in Queen Anne’s County. You will start the day before sunrise and stalk birds through the fields, identifying individuals by their colored leg bands, take GPS points of bird locations and search for their nests (harder than it sounds). After the field work is done, there will be some office work such as data entry. You’ll work side-by-side with Field Ecologist Maren Gimpel and biology Professor Dr. Jennie Rinehimer and the data collected will be for peer-reviewed scientific publications.

For more information on these projects, please see our website: https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/rafc/index.php

QUALIFICATIONS:

Skills preferred: Coursework in birds and/or ecology and/or environmental studies; bird identification, using binoculars and spotting scopes, data collection, data entry. Ability to work outdoors in all kinds of weather, starting work before sunrise, attention to detail and patience are a must. This project is ideal for students with an interest in habitat restoration, conservation and field biology.

LOGISTICS:

Start date: May 20th, End date: July 26th (with flexibility). Salary: $15.00 an hour and requires approximately 35 hours of work per week over a 10 week period. On-campus housing will be provided. Owning a vehicle is not necessary, but is preferred.

The Center for Environment and Society (CES) is looking for one student to serve as a summer paid intern in the Watershed Innovation Laboratory. The interns will report to Dr. Chelsea Peters, Director of Watershed Innovation, at Semans-Griswold Hall. Through this internship, students will develop valuable field and lab skills and gain real-world experience in earth science research. This opportunity is relevant to any student passionate about hydrology, geology, ecology, GIS, data science and beyond. Hours will be determined at a mutually agreeable time.  Responsibilities will vary over days and weeks.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Researching the water quality and quantity in the Chester River by deploying instruments, acquiring archival data, and partnering with community partners, like ShoreRivers.  
• Researching water-related questions, including but not limited to, groundwater impacts on submerged aquatic vegetation, septic failure and the water quality implications for Chester River, and the permanence of wetlands. 
• Conducting updates on hydrologic research instruments in the laboratory.  
• Building weather stations to be installed across the Chester River watershed.  
• Making maps of the environmental spatial data sets using ArcGIS Pro.   

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Work independently and meet deadlines.  
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask.  
• Effective communication skills.  
• Willing to work outside in a variety of weather conditions. 
• Experience using Excel and/or a programming language, not required.  

LOGISTICS:

Student will work at Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall. Salary: $15.00 an hour and requires approximately 35 hours of work per week over a 10 week period. On-campus housing will be available.

This position in the Sustainable Food Systems program at the Center for Environment and Society will be responsible for assisting with the start-up of a small farm outside of Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall. In collaboration with Dr. Luke Drake the Director of Sustainable Food Systems, this intern will gain hands-on experience in planning and operations of an on-site farm. The farm will combine established agriculture techniques for small-scale food production and the latest advances in sustainable technologies to reduce resource consumption and maximize food outputs. This farm will use be used for research, student experiential learning, and community engagement.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain vegetable garden sustainable food production techniques
• Deploy and maintain research instruments and monitoring equipment.
• Cultivate seedlings and vegetables and supervising greenhouse operations

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Work independently and meet deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task.
• Effective communication skills.
• Resourceful, self-motivated, enthusiastic team player.
• Able to lift at least 50 lbs and do physical outdoor activity in various weather conditions.

LOGISTICS:

Student will work at Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall. Salary: $15.00 an hour and requires approximately 35 hours of work per week over a 10 week period. On-campus housing will be available.