Summer Intern

The Dennis Conservation Land Trust’s (DCLT’s) mission is to protect land and water in Dennis, Massachusetts, which it achieves through land acquisition, land stewardship, educational outreach, and scientific study.  The DCLT has two staff, an Executive Director and an Administrative Assistant, who work with a Board of Trustees and volunteers to conduct the organization's programs and achieve this mission.  The DCLT was formed in 1988 and has succeeded in protecting over 675 acres of land across the Town of Dennis.

The Summer Intern can work remotely or in-person. If remote, the Intern will help with writing, design of outreach materials, mapping, and/or data analysis projects based on the preferences of the Intern. If in-person work is a possibility, the Intern will participate in a greater breadth of activities including the Annual Fundraising Auction; wildlife, pond, and tidal creek monitoring; identification or rare species; and land stewardship projects. The remote or in-person internship will expose the Intern to the operations of environmental nonprofits, and specifically, land trusts. Specific work will be catered to the intern’s background and interests.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Assist in writing, data analysis and visualization, research, or outreach project(s) (past examples include creating trail maps, outreach brochures, a pond atlas, graphs and tables using large datasets, and transcribing and analyzing historical weather data using 1800s-era diaries);
• 2x weekly meetings with the Executive Director and/or other DCLT personnel;
• Write an article for DCLT’s Year-End Newsletter;
• If in-person, assist with regular water quality monitoring at Chase Garden Creek, including some data analysis and protocol development;
• Other related duties as wanted and as time allows.

Who are you? A student interested in ecological/environmental research and writing, majoring in the sciences or English, and considering an environmental career or nonprofit work.

The ideal candidate has the following skills & qualifications:

• Self-motivated and able to be productive while working independently;
• Significant skills or interest in writing, design, or data analysis;
• Proficiency with computers, specifically with word processing, email, and spreadsheets;
• Interest or experience with design software (e.g. Canva), R (data visualization, analysis), and/or QGIS (mapping) software
• Keen attention to detail;
• Enjoys learning about environmental topics;
• Works flexibly, takes direction well, and is open to feedback.

The internship begins early-mid June and ends mid-late August and requires 300 hours of work minimum (e.g. 37.5 hours/week for eight weeks).

How to Apply: Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter through Handshake. The cover letter should be addressed to David Fryxell, Executive Director.

This is an unpaid internship, however applicants from Wellesley College may apply for summer funding through the Grants for Student-Identified Internship program (application period February 1 to March 1). The work requirement for funded interns is 300 hours over 8-10 weeks.