Job Description:
Position Summary:
The Youth Conservation Intern will support our Youth Conservation Leadership Program, specifically the Junior Conservation Technician Program and Audubon Vermont Alumni Network. The intern will co-develop and lead lesson plans for high school students in our JCT Program on bird conservation, plant and bird identification, habitat restoration, trail work, and other natural history topics at the Green Mountain Audubon Center. They will also plan and deliver one virtual event for our Audubon Alumni Network as well as help the Youth Conservation Leadership Coordinator design an alumni survey.
The Junior Conservation Technician Program (JCT) is a paid service-learning opportunity for high schoolers to explore careers in conservation through hands-on experience at the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington, VT. (Learn more here: https://vt.audubon.org/conservation/JCT). Our Alumni Network includes past interns, Audubon campus chapter members, AmeriCorps members, and seasonal staff.
This internship is designed to provide a range of administrative and programmatic experiences with a focus on environmental education, conservation action, and supporting the next generation of conservation professionals.
This role is on-site, based out of the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington, VT.
Compensation:
$16.00 / hour
Additional Job Description
Essential Functions:
Intern Responsibilities and Learning Objectives
Plan and lead projects for high school aged JCTs in and around the Green Mountain Audubon Center such as trail maintenance, wilderness skills, plant and bird ID, habitat restoration, community science, and more.
Write articles about the JCT program and projects we’re working on for the Audubon Vermont website and monthly E-newsletter.
Be a mentor and role model teen JCTs.
Help collect data such as quotes, project impacts, and photos for grantors that highlight the success of the Youth Conservation Leadership Program (YCLP).
Coordinate and assist in the facilitation of an alumni event.
Table at events, like career fairs, to promote the YCLP.
Co-lead programs for high school and college students.
Work at our annual Sugar on Snow parties during Vermont Maple Open House Weekend 2025.
Help research and develop an alumni survey alongside the Youth Conservation Leadership Coordinator that helps us understand the impact of the YCLP and where our alumni go after the program.
Co-develop and facilitate a “Tough Conversations” webinar alongside other interns and AmeriCorps members for the public.
Partner/Collaborate/Assist with Audubon staff to ensure that equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging principles are incorporated and followed in all aspects of our work.
Internship Benefits
Interns will gain experience and knowledge in the following:
A network of professional biologists, educators, and advocates within the National Audubon Society.
Practical experience teaching and leading high school students in conservation action projects.
Natural history knowledge including plant and animal species identification.
The opportunity to join conservation biologists in the field as it fits into the internship schedule. For example, shadowing bird banding or visiting the islands we monitor for Common Terns.
Event planning and facilitation.
Field work including but not limited to the following: invasive species removal, forestry assessments, bird-friendly maple sugaring, native plantings, bird monitoring, etc.
Administrative tasks associated with running a successful education program.
Intern Schedule:
The intern will work 16-20 hours per week. Schedule fluctuates depending on the needs of the program. There are occasional evenings and weekends. The intern is expected to be available when JCTs are on-site, see schedule below:
Orientation: January 25 & 26, 9am-3pm
February break: February 24-27, 9am-4:30pm
Sugar on Snow prep: March 8, 9am-3:30pm
Sugar on Snow Parties: TBD (weekend in late March)
April break: April 21-24, 9am-4:30pm
Birdathon: May 17, 7am-12pm
June dates: June 16-20, 23-27 from 8am-3:30pm
NOTE: JCTs in person Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the last two weeks in June. Monday and Friday are virtual learning days or independent project days.
Projected Start/End Date:
January 21, 2025, and projected end date is June 30, 2025.
Qualifications and Experience:
This position is best suited to a self-driven individual who has experience in education (formal or informal) and working with high school students and can bring a creative edge to natural history interpretation and conservation projects.
Course work that focuses on conservation, environmental education, biology, natural history, natural resource management, forestry or a major in education with an interest in alternative forms of education.
Minimum 3-months experience directly working with children. Applicants with high school aged experience preferred.
Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.
Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to and experience in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Experience or knowledge of community science apps such as Merlin Bird ID, eBird, iNaturalist, and Nature’s Notebook.
Must be excited about teaching and doing physical work for full days, outdoors in a variety of weather conditions including cold, snow, heat, and rain.
Experience and ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
Reliable transportation to Audubon Vermont. This work will require coming to Audubon Vermont’s office in Huntington, VT, which is a rural location. The nearest bus stop is 10 miles away. If you do not have reliable transportation, but believe you are a strong candidate, please apply.
Basic carpentry skills (comfortable with hand and power tools).
Able to lift 50lbs (with accommodation).
Able to hike up to 5 miles at a time. We will be moving around the Green Mountain Audubon Center for projects and monitoring.
EEO Statement
The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.
Accessibility Statement
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