Summer internship at Sheep Hill

671 Cold Spring Road Williamstown, MA 01267 www.wrlf.org [email protected] 413-458-2494

Summer internship at Sheep Hill

What could be better than spending the summer in Williamstown, enjoying the outdoors, discovering some of Williamstown’s unique natural areas and learning about land conservation and nature education?

The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF) a land conservation trust dedicated to the preservation of the Williamstown area’s rural New England character, offers a summer internship to anyone who is interested in land conservation, non-profit management, natural history, and outdoor education.

Its Sheep Hill headquarters at the Mary and Craig Center for Nature and Rural Heritage in Williamstown has been developed as a place for children and adults to explore the natural environment and connect to the agricultural past of which this former farm is a part. In addition to Sheep Hill, WRLF owns 15 diverse properties totaling 588 acres, many with popular hiking trails such as Pine Cobble, Chestnut and Fitch.

WRLF works with the Williams Center for Environmental Studies to fund their summer internship. If you are offered this position, you will need to apply to CES for funding.

Information can be found at
http://ces.williams.edu/summer-opportunities/funding-research/. There may also be funding options through Alumni Internships at OCC.

About the internship

This internship is seen as an opportunity to learn about the WRLF, its land preservation efforts, and how it works within the community. It will also offer the opportunity to experience firsthand the issues involved in non-profit and land management. Interns work directly with the Executive Director and other staff, and will undertake projects that will enhance the experience of visitors to Sheep Hill and help the WRLF with outreach and marketing. The exact tasks or projects will be worked out according to the student’s interests, but assisting with several week-long children’s summer nature programs and leading outdoor stream ecology hikes for young teens throughout the summer for Overland Adventure travel are two of the key elements. There may also be the occasional opportunity to join with the WOC/WRLF trail crew on trail work.
Transportation is helpful but not required.
Potential additional projects for the summer of 2016, or develop a project in your own interest area:

• Photo documentation of WRLF lands and trails. A great way to explore the streams, trails and woodlands of Williamstown! WRLF updated its Website in early 2012, and found that its digital photograph archive, especially of the special places and qualities of its own properties and trails, needs updating and expanding. Photos will be used on the Website, social media, for marketing and outreach, and for the WRLFs photo note card series.

• Work on the design and development of north Berkshire trails Website that will incorporate interactive maps, QR codes, and other technology to better disseminate trail information electronically.

• Natural resource inventories on 2 new WRLF properties to include: plants, birds, mammals, and documentation and mapping invasive plant populations.

• Design and implement interpretive signage for selected WRLF trails

Contact:
Leslie Reed-Evans, Executive Director
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation
Sheep Hill
671 Cold Spring Road
Williamstown, MA 01267
413-458-2494; [email protected]; www.wrlf.org

Application for summer internship
Summer 2016

Name____________________________________________
Permanent Address________________________________¬__

Williams Address____________________________________

Contact info: Phone or Cell _____________________________

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Experience related to this position (or attach résumé) ________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Short statement expressing your reasons for applying for this position (use reverse side if needed)
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Special interests you would like to explore during this time
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Do you have transportation? Y N

Date you will be available to begin work: ___________________

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