Welcome to Middlebury's Environmental Internship Home Page. The Environmental Studies Program encourages students to participate in winter term internships for credit and summer internships for experience. This site is a first step in looking for an internship - i.e., where the information and related resources are located on campus - and provides ideas from students' past experiences.
Student internships can be for credit or noncredit, paid or voluntary. Internships are rewarding personal and professional experiences which can help you to:
When would I like to work? (winter term, summer, fall, spring...)
Examples of internships
Read about the organizations that have provided unique internship experiences for Middlebury students in the past. Most of the following internships are listed with the Career Services Office Internship Center. Check here first or on file in CSO binders for more information on internships and past evaluations. Otherwise you can contact the organization directly for further information and application procedures if necessary.
2003 - 2004 Internship Organizations
Yellowstone Wolf Project
USGS Glacier Field Station
Environmental Protection Agency
Green Corps
USGS – Biological Resources Division
Native Seeds/SEARCH
Center for a New American Dream
The Nature Conservancy
Audubon Vermont
Conservation Volunteers Australia
The Marine Biological Laboratory
NYC Parks and Recreation
2002 - 2003 Internship Organizations
Green Corps
Land and Water Fund of the Rockies
Green Mountain Audubon Center
North Branch School
The Dolphin Institute
New England Wildlife Center
Downeast Lakes Land Trust
Student Conservation Association
Environmental Careers Organization
2001-2002 Example Internships
Lakes Environmental Association
102 Main Street
Bridgton, ME 04009
(207) 647-8580
http://www.mainelakes.org/ The Lakes Environmental Association is a private, non-profit organization founded in Naples, Maine in 1970 to protect the water quality and watersheds of the Sebago-Long Lake Region. The Association serves the towns of Bridgton, Denmark, Harrison, Naples, Sweden, and Waterford as well as Sebago Lake.
Intern: Susy King '02 (Summer 2001)
"This was an excellent way for me to become familiar with water quality issues as well as the role of a non-profit organization in its community." General responsibilities: collecting and testing water quality samples and assisting with community environmental education projects.
Hood Canal Ranger District, Olympic National Forest (Quilcene Area)
295142 Hwy. 101 S.
P.O. Box 280
Quilcene, WA 98376
(360) 765-2200 Interns: Susannah Cowden '04 and Alana Sagin '04 (Summer 2001)
"With our work on the 'Wild Crew' we had the wonderful opportunity to explore a new area, learn about the US Forest Service, and assist in wilderness management." General responsibilities: backcountry patrol and trail maintenance.
San Juan Preservation Trust
(360) 468-3202
sjpt@sjpt.org
http://www.sjpt.org/ The San Juan Preservation Trust is dedicated to helping people protect the wildlife, scenery, and traditional way of life of the unique San Juan Islands (WA) through the preservation and careful use of land.
Intern: Jennifer Marlow '02 (Summer 2001)
sponsored by a Ron Brown Internship Grant
General responsibilities: As the Stewardship Programs Assistant, Jen conducted annual monitoring and baseline data collection for floral and faunal inventories, created maps of and photographed trust properties, wrote articles for the Land and Legacynewsletter and learned a good deal about the natural history of the San Juan's.
US Agency for International Development
http://www.usaid.gov/ USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. The agency works to support long-term and equitable economic growth and advance U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, agricultural and trade, global health, democracy, and conflict and humanitarian assistance.
Intern: Matt Sommerville '02 (Summer 2001)
sponsored by a Ron Brown Internship Grant
Description: Matt made his way to Fianarantsoa, Madagascar to study crayfish exploitation in threatened forests in Madagascar for Landscape Development Interventions, a USAID project whose mission is to foster development through ecological and landscape-based micro-development projects.
Yestermorrow Design/Build School
189 VT Rte. 100
Warren, VT 05674
(802) 496-5545 http://www.yestermorrow.org/ Intern: Warren (Gus) Sinsheimer '02 (Winter and Summer 2001)
"I recommend Yestermorrow to anybody interested in integrating the design and building aspects of anything, from arranging furniture in a room to deciding the sustainable future of American cities." Description: worked with the design and building processes pertaining to houses, landscapes, furniture, communities, and many other areas, with an emphasis on how these practices are sustainable, and how they can be and are being improved.
Green Mountain Audubon Nature Center
http://www.thecompass.org/audubon/ Intern: Susan Strife '02 (Winter 2001)
Audubon Vermont is an educational non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources. A chapter of the National Audubon Society, it is supported by 1100 members and a committed corps of more than 400 volunteers.
Channel Island Marine Sanctuary (NOAA)
http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/oms/omschannel/omschannel.html Intern: Benjamin Sprague '02 (Winter 2001)
Since its designation in September 1980, sanctuary objectives have focused on balancing the protection of marine animals, habitats and prehistoric tribal artifacts with ever increasing recreational and commercial activities.
Green Corps
929 Temple Place
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 426-8506 http://www.greencorps.org/
Intern: Sarah Rosow '02 (Winter 2001)
Green Corps' mission is to teach the next generation of environmental leaders the strategies and skills they'll need to win tomorrow's environmental battles while providing critical field support for today's pressing environmental problems.
General responsibilities: assistance with recruiting efforts.
Wild Earth Journal
P.O. Box 455
Richmond, VT 05477
(802) 434-4077
http://www.wild-earth.org/ Intern: Brooke Hewes '01 (Winter 2001)
Wild Earth—the quarterly publication of the Wildlands Project—inspires effective action for wild Nature by communicating the latest thinking in conservation science, philosophy, policy, and activism, and serves as a forum for diverse views within the conservation movement.
Paint Rock Canyon Enterprises
P.O. Box 10
5332 Lane 49 1/2
Hyattville, WY 82428
(307) 469-2439
http://www.tctwest.net/~hyatt/frame_index.htm Intern: Brendan Bechtel '03 (Winter 2001)
Paint Rock Canyon Enterprises is a diverse ranching operation in Wyoming with a commitment to sustainable agriculture and land use.
Useful On-Campus Resources
Career Services
Career Services Home Page. The Career Services Office (CSO) provides numerous resources for finding internships throughout the United States and internationally. By connecting to the Career Services Home Page, you can access a database of over 3,500 internships nationwide, collected by Middlebury and other liberal arts colleges. Career and Internship Books
The CSO Library also contains career guides on how to find the type of environmental work that suits you best:
1997 Conservation Directory. Virginia: National Wildlife Federation, 1997. SET ECL C66 Contains listings of international, governmental, regional, and citizen's organizations by state and subject matter for all of the United States.
Cohn, Susan. Green at Work: Finding a Business Career that Works for the Environment. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1995. CSO SET SCN C36 Contains information on job hunting, vocational guidance, and a directory of nonprofit organizations and corporations in the US. Profiles include jobs in consulting, management, business, finance, and policy.
Fanning, Odom. Opportunities in Environmental Careers. Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career horizons, 1991. CSO SET ECL F432
Fasulo, Michael. Careers in the Environment. Lincolnwood, IL:
VGM Career Horizons, 1995. CSO SET ECL F43. Listings include environmental education, planning, forestry, biological and agricultural sciences, waste management, and environmental assessment.
Morgan, Bradley and Joseph Palmisano, eds. Environmental Career Directory. Michigan: Visible Ink Press, 1993. CSO SET ECL M66 Offers advice on the job search process, including internship information and possible sources to contact. Also contains career profiles in ecology, health, waste management, natural resources, and forestry.
Quintana, Debra. 100 Jobs in the Environment. USA: Macmillan, 1996. Career profiles in wildlife, waste treatment, finance and law, education and communication, and many more.
Sharp, Bill. The New Complete Guide to Environmental Careers. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1993. In addition to providing profiles on jobs in environmental planning and education, environmental protection, and natural resource management, this book contains advice on job hunting and the importance of internships and volunteering.
Walpole, N.H. Environmental Opportunities. Current date. CSO PRO JOB E68 Job descriptions of environmental protection and conservation of natural resources.
Warner, David. Environmental Careers: A Practical Guide to Opportunities in the 90s. Michigan: Lewis Publishers, 1992. CSO SET ECL W93 Career descriptions and potential employers in the field of environmental health, education, natural resources, international, and environmental protection. Also includes a section specifically on internships and how to prepare for an environmental career.
For books specifically on internships:
Big Green Internship Book: Interns and Summer Jobs for the Environment. North Carolina: Career Education Institutes, 1996. Includes internships with federal agencies and environmental organizations and seasonal employment with state parks.
Internships. Princeton, Peterson's, 1998. Listing of internships of various disciplines, including a section on environmental organizations and parks.
Internship Bible. Random House, 1996. CSO INT MCT NP75 Hear what former interns have to say in interviews. A great book to find out what internships are really like. Also includes alphabetical listings of organizations.
Gulati, Gita and Nancy Bailey, eds. National Directory of Internships 1996-7 edition. National Society for Experiential Education, 1995. Listings under environmental affairs include environmental education and advocacy, outdoor recreation, gardens, parks, zoos, etc.
Landes, Michael. The 1996 Back Door Guidebook. Back Door Experiences, 1996.
Employment Publications
In addition, the Environmental Studies Program strongly suggests that you visit the CSO Library in Adirondack House. Here are some suggestions of resources found at CSO that provide internship listings and current job postings in the environmental field:
Earth Work
Environmental Opportunities
Environmental Career Opportunities
The CSO Library receives monthly publications that contain listings of positions nationwide. Each of these bulletins contains a section on environmental internships, in addition to job postings arranged by disciplines such as education, resource management, policy, engineering, and advocacy. These listings are found in a blue binder under After Midd Jobs.
Starr Library
Starr library has many books that contain listings of regional and national environmental organizations, which are updated every few years. Students can approach these organizations with ideas for internship projects and offer their services. Go to MIDCAT online or check the shelves for the newest editions of:
The Vermont Environmental Directory. Montpelier, Vermont Natural Resources Council, 1996. Starr Ref HC107 V5V49 A great book to use if you want to find out more information about a local group in Vermont. Addresses, general descriptions, contact names, and publications are offered for federal, state, municipal, private organizations.
1997 Conservation Directory. Virginia: National Wildlife Federation, 1997. Starr Ref S920 C64 Contains listings of organizations by state and subject matter for all of the United States.
The Vermont Almanac. Middlebury: Regional Facts, 1993. Starr Ref HC107 V53V47 Contains additional addresses and phone numbers of environmental organizations in Vermont.
Directory of National Environmental Organizations. US Environmental Directories, 1992. Starr Ref TD171 D57 Lists addresses, contacts, and general descriptions of US and international environmental groups. Search by subject or geographical location.
Gale Environmental Sourcebook. Washington, D.C.: Gale Research Inc., 1994. Starr Ref TD169.6 G3 Listings of US and international organizations, government agencies, and educational programs.
Your Resource Guide to Environmental Organizations. California: Smiling Dolphins Press, 1991. Starr Ref 169.6 Y57 Addresses, descriptions, programs, volunteer opportunities, and publication listings for non-governmental, federal, and state organizations across the US.
Sharp, Bill. The New Complete Guide to Environmental Careers. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1993. Starr GE60 S48 In addition to providing profiles on jobs in environmental planning and education, environmental protection, and natural resource management, this book contains advice on job hunting and the importance of internships and volunteering.
Internship Searches on the Web
Web Directory A large directory of environmental sites offering some internships and career advice.
The Environmental Careers Organization An employment service that places environmental professionals in internships nationwide.
Environmental Career Center Upper-level positions offered around the country in ecology, environmental education, forestry and natural resources, and policy.
Petersons.com Great source of information on careers, current job postings, graduate study, and much more.
Student Conservation Association A non-profit organization providing conservation programs for students nationwide.
Environmental Protection Agency Internships Click here for student internship programs with the EPA.
National Wildlife Federation Career Gateway web page lists employment, internship, fellowship, and volunteer opportunities.
The Nature Conservancy Check here for intern and volunteer opportunities nationwide.
The Audubon Society Policy and Science and Conservation Internships in DC and NY.
Environmental Defense Check here for nationwide career and internship possibilities with ED.
American Rivers Conservation, communication, and development summer internships and career opportunities.
World Wildlife Fund Available internships with the WWF are listed here.
League of Conservation Voters Policy, communications, and education internships and careers in Washington, DC.
The Sierra Club The Sierra Club posts a few current positions (mainly in California).
The Earthwatch Institute Research, conservation, and education internships and career opportunities.
CSO external environmental links for CSO's suggested external links in the environmental field.