What could be better than spending the summer in Williamstown, enjoying the outdoors, discovering some of Williamstown’s unique natural areas and learning about nature education and land conservation?
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 13 diverse properties totaling 560 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 2015, 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.
- Design and implement interpretive signage for selected WRLF trails
- Set up and monitor a remote wildlife camera for natural resource inventories
- Research and write property histories on select WRLF properties
- Website updating (for those familiar with WordPress)
Contact:
Leslie Reed-Evans, Executive Director
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation
671 Cold Spring Road
Williamstown, MA 01267
413-458-2494; [email protected]; www.wrlf.org
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