Academic & Work-Study Internships

Because these positions often provide credit for specific academic programs, the objectives may shift to meet those credit requirements. However, the general objectives for academic and work-study interns that the Center for Natural Lands Management employ include:

• Enhanced knowledge of western Washington prairie-oak woodland ecosystems 
• Enhanced understanding of the scientific process (developing and testing hypotheses, experimental design, collecting and analyzing data, writing reports)
• Increased understanding of how a non-profit conservation organization works 
• Experience translating scientific results into effective restoration and land management practices

The strategies used to meet these objectives will partially depend on the intern’s availability and interest, however, we require that the intern spend 10-35hrs/week (spread between 2-5 days) on science-related work at the Center for Natural Lands Management. For interns committing to over 20hrs/week, there is opportunity to work with staff scientists on independent research that is associated with ongoing research projects. We require that the students work with us for at least one term to get sufficient experience on several different projects. Longer internships (2 or more terms) are preferred. These positions require a high level of responsibility and self-motivation. There will be several training opportunities to enhance field, laboratory, and computer skills, but it is expected that interns arrive with a solid background in ecology and a keen interest in developing their research skills and experience. These internships provide a very strong grounding in conservation science.

The Center for Natural Lands Management partners with several universities and colleges for these positions. Thus far, we have accepted students from The Evergreen State College, University of Washington, South Puget Sound Community College and University of Puget Sound. Recruitment for these positions is year-round, with openings available at the beginning of nearly every term (quarter/semester).

Our former interns have found great success after their time with the Center for Natural Lands Management. They have presented the results of their internship work at national conferences and published their work in scientic papers. They have been accepted to programs at Northwestern University, the University of California Berkeley, and Duke University. Other interns have conducted research in Africa, and worked on organic farms in Hawaii. 

Contact at Center for Natural Lands Management:

Sarah Hamman - 360.790.4180 | shamman@cnlm.org