Website Arc of Appalachia Preserve System
Land Management Internship
Tasks & Responsibilities:
Interns will be working out of the Arc’s largest preserve, the beautiful Highlands Nature Sanctuary on the Rocky Fork Gorge (link). Usage of very small quantities of over-the-counter herbicides are involved in some of the work, safely applied with an eye dropper. No aerial spraying is performed. Small woody shrubs are pulled out by hand or with the aid of shovels.
Qualifications:
• Must be at least 18 years of age. With parental and academic consent, students younger than 18 may apply for shorter periods of time and lower stipends when applicants are associated with an official school intern program overseen by a school advisor. • Good physical condition – be able to hike up to 3-4 miles a day and have the strength to use shovels effectively when appropriate. • Have the mental capacity and physical fortitude to work out of doors in varying weather conditions and temperatures, willing to learn skills that minimize potential discomforts that inevitably accompany outdoor work, such as poison ivy and ticks. Mosquitos are not a problem in the Arc region. • Students or recent graduates in areas such as environmental science, ecology, conservation biology, land management, or parks and recreation are especially encouraged to apply, but the only absolute application qualification is a deep interest in nature, abiding curiosity for learning, and a passion for land stewardship. • Must provide a car or a bicycle.
Additional Comments:
The Sanctuary is 2200 acres in size and transportation from the intern quarters to the work sites must be supplied by each intern. The only road connecting the two poles of the Sanctuary is a busy two lane highway, making a car the preferable and safest transport.
