The Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program (UCF), a program of the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, works to promote the stewardship of urban and rural landscapes to enhance the quality of life in Vermont communities. This fall we are seeking three fall interns to assist in coordinating and implementing three specific projects:
- Vermont Big Trees Program
- Vermont Village Greens Initiative
- Energy-Saving Trees Educational Program
These internships are paid and include an additional stipend for self-designed professional development.
Contact: Elise Schadler, Community Service & Involvement Coordinator, VT Urban & Community Forestry; elise.schadler@uvm.edu or 802-656-5480
Timeline: September – mid-December 2013 (15 weeks; negotiable)
Location: based in Burlington; some travel required for each internship
Commitment: 10-20 hours/week, based on intern availability; course credit optional
Compensation: $10/hour that will come in the form of a stipend, paid out twice over the course of the internship; includes an additional stipend specifically for professional development
Internship Descriptions:
1. Big Tree Program
Vermont’s Big Tree Program was started in the 1970s to locate and recognize the biggest trees in our state. There are currently 110 species and varieties on Vermont’s Big Tree list and trees are scored based on circumference, height, and crown spread. In 2008 the Big Tree Program’s founder, retired professor Jeff Freeman, gave his files and the responsibility of maintaining the Vermont Big Tree List over to Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation.
We are seeking intern support to revitalize this program by digitizing, organizing, and cataloging Freeman’s files, ground-truthing and documenting existing trees on the Vermont Big Tree List, and scoring and awarding trees that have been submitted to the Big Tree Program but have not yet been scored. Tree ID and an understanding of basic forest field measurements required.
2. Vermont Village Greens Initiative
Vermont’s village greens lie at the physical and cultural heart of our communities. We are beginning to work on a project with the Vermont Downtown Program to document, assess, and observe the historical and current environments of village greens in Vermont. This exploration – which will span narrative, historical research, ethnography, photography, and videography – will shed light on the physical and cultural significance of village greens and town forests in Vermont and will ultimately result in a final report and presence on the UCF website.
We are seeking intern support to design, coordinate, and assist in implementing the Vermont Village Greens Project. This will be a leadership role in guiding the direction and momentum of this project and will involve working with students in service-learning courses at UVM. The tasks involved with this internship potentially include: researching historical documents and writing historical narratives, inventorying trees, cataloging natural features, taking photographs and collecting historical and contemporary photography of sites, making and/or collecting maps, performing interviews with key stakeholder, and developing comprehensive case studies on the greens.
3. Energy-Saving Trees Program
This new initiative is being developed in partnership with Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) to promote and educate on the energy-saving benefits of trees to K-12 schools in Vermont. The program will offer curriculum about trees and energy conservation, and allow teachers and students to explore their own school grounds for opportunities to use trees for conservation. Classes will have the opportunity to apply for funds to support strategic tree planting on school grounds.
The UCF program will hire an intern to support this work, focusing on developing the classroom curriculum that will involve research and writing as well as assisting with program development, messaging and outreach. This program is only just getting off the ground and this internship is an opportunity for a leadership role in this program. Interest in environmental education and experience in a classroom setting are preferred.
Minimum expectations/qualifications for all three internships:
- Passion for understanding and enhancing the ways that humans interact with their natural environments
- Basic tree biology and tree identification
- Basic understanding of PC computing, a willingness to attempt troubleshooting when necessary
- Attention to detail; efficient and effective organization skills
- Effective communication skills, particularly writing
- A self-directed individual who is willing to ask questions and wants to be successful in even the smallest task
- An optimistic and positive presence when interacting with the public on UCF’s behalf
- Ability to take on a diverse set of tasks and complete them efficiently independently
- Access to personal transportation (you will be reimbursed for personal travel)
- Junior standing
- Joie de vivre
How to Apply
If you are interested in interning with UCF this fall semester, send your resume, a brief letter of interest indicating your major and which internships you are interested in, a sample of your writing, and contact information for two references to elise.schadler@uvm.edu by Friday August 30th.