Position Website and Application Information
Looking for an opportunity to gain real-world conservation experience? Highstead Foundation is currently recruiting remote Conservation Interns for the fall 2022 Semester. Applications must be submitted by July 18, 2022. The Conservation Interns will support Highstead’s Conservation Program for a twelve-week period from September 19, 2022, to December 9, 2022. Interns will receive a stipend of $6,500 and will work remotely during the entirety of the internship.
Highstead is a regional non-profit conservation organization dedicated to inspiring curiosity and building knowledge about plants and wooded landscapes in order to enhance life, preserve nature, and advance sound stewardship practices. We envision a healthier, more livable world for all by working with our partners to responsibly conserve the land that sustains us and steward our natural spaces, resources, and communities thoughtfully and inclusively. Highstead is undergoing a journey to become a more diverse, equitable, and just organization, and our interns will be invited to participate in this work with us.
Highstead’s principal conservation programs include catalyzing the land protection activities of partners through Regional Conservation Partnerships, conservation finance, ecological research, policy analysis, and land stewardship.
What you'll gain from us:
- Practical workplace experience in conservation, including projects that will enhance your resume
- Introductions to others in the conservation field and opportunities to network virtually
- An opportunity to learn, grow and ask questions
- Time and space to develop your personal portfolio
- A chance to participate in our ongoing diversity, equity, and justice journey
What we need from you:
- A recent Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree or equivalent lived experience
- A passion for the environment, biodiversity, land use, or climate science
- The skills outlined in the specific job description below
- Curiosity, ingenuity, perseverance, teamwork, problem-solving skills
- A collaborative spirit who enjoys both independent and group work
- Access to a reliable network connection
Overview:
The Conservation GIS Intern will work with Highstead’s Conservationists to advance conservation in the region by bringing their writing, researching, and mapping skills to our conservation programs. Interns will work on mapping projects across two or more of the following initiatives. Some examples include:
- Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative- Assist Regional Conservation Partnerships and Audubon chapters in the production of mapping projects and analyses to support landscape-scale bird habitat conservation in the northeast.
- Hudson to Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership (H2H)- Support activities related to land protection planning and community engagement, including mapping urban assets and conservation values within the H2H region.
- Northern Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership- Support a developing partnership of organizations working in the landscape surrounding the Appalachian Trail corridor with various activities including mapping to support fundraising, partner outreach, and administration.
- Provide GIS support to new RCPs- Produce GIS maps to help new RCPs across New England identify their partnership’s boundaries and priority landscapes.
Qualifications:
- Proficient in the use of ESRI products such as ArcMap, ArcCatalog, and ArcGIS Online, to collect, analyze, and manipulate data, and create maps.
- Knowledge of cartographic principles for professional map layout and design.
- Working knowledge of data availability and sources.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills and ability to convey work to a variety of audiences through written materials, presentations, and meetings.
We encourage candidates with at least 70% of these qualifications to apply.
