Environmental Stewardship Program Intern-Trap Pond State Park
Explore and help preserve natural communities and habitats in Delaware State Parks through restoration field work at Trap Pond State Park. Under the leadership and direction of our Park staff, you will serve as part of a team restoring natural habitats in our park, specifically through manual removal and chemical treatment of invasive plants. Serve alongside other interns with similar interests and backgrounds. This position is fully outdoors in the fields, forests, meadows, and other habitats that make up our beautiful park. Extensive training includes native and invasive plant identification, forest ecology, and practical control mechanisms - both manual and chemical. Interns are crucial to our management plans.
Interns will also participate in intern-wide professional development activities and experiential learning opportunities that may pull them off-site or away from placement. Each intern will complete a personalized “demonstration of learning” project. At the conclusion of the internship, all interns will present their projects during a poster session for peers and Delaware State Parks staff.
Location Trap Pond State Park, Laurel, Delaware
Term 4 Months –16 weeks – Full Time 35-40 hours per week
Responsibilities
- Follow a land management plan to maintain the park’s natural plant communities and habitats
- Assist with native and invasive plant survey and identification
- Conduct invasive control by both chemical application and mechanical removal of invasive plants
- Other duties as assigned
Required Skills
- Must be able to work flexible hours, including some weekends
- Valid driver’s license
- Strong work ethic
- Ability to perform hard physical outdoor work in various conditions
- Willingness to operate power tools and use herbicide
- Basic knowledge of local flora and fauna
- Comfortable in outdoor field setting (forest, fields, along creeks)
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Ability to work alone with little direct supervision