Summer 2024 Naturalist Internship - Grassrootss Ecology (Bay Area)

Grassroots Ecology is a non-profit with over 30 years of experience engaging and educating the community to restore local ecosystems in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. We focus on habitat restoration, increasing native plant cover, invasive plant control, creek and watershed stewardship, environmental education, and volunteer engagement. 

Description

Grassroots Ecology's 9-week Naturalist Internship provides college students and recent graduates an opportunity to explore a career in environmental conservation and to deepen their understanding of California natural history. Through outdoor education and hands-on field training, interns will gain local ecological knowledge, habitat restoration skills,  a robust professional network, and valuable experience in the environmental field. Upon completion of the internship, interns earn the California Naturalist certification, an education and skills certificate recognized statewide. This certification is offered in partnership with the UC Environmental Stewards Program, whose mission is to foster a diverse community of naturalists and promote stewardship of California's natural resources through education and service.

Program Details

• June 17 - August 16, 2024: On-site attendance is required on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each week, there will be 14 hours of in-person sessions and 2-4 additional hours of independent work. 
• Mondays, 9am-1pm - Education Days: Experiential learning, presentations, and reading discussions on topics such as California plants, wildlife, watersheds, geology, land management, nature interpretation, and environmental justice.
• Wednesdays & Fridays, 8am-1pm - Field Days: Habitat restoration in a variety of local ecosystems. Fieldwork includes removing invasive plant species, caring for native plants, and performing ecological surveys.
• Each day of the internship will be held outdoors at a different Grassroots Ecology project site in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. The times above do not include drive time, which can be significant. 
• With an assigned mentor, each intern will complete a capstone project and give a final presentation. 
• Interns will contribute to community science projects and engage in leadership responsibilities.
• This internship is cohort-based and will consist of 12 interns who will work and learn as a group.

For more details and link to apply via google form, visit https://www.grassrootsecology.org/internships.