• Assist with community-based environmental restoration projects, including planting native species, invasive species removal and more
• Assist in conservation science projects such as fish, amphibian, and bird habitat enhancement projects, water quality monitoring, and various species-at-risk surveys
• Assist with developing new research questions and carrying out hypothesis-driven research studies pertaining to species-at-risk 
• Participate in local stewardship events
• Research and develop resource materials related to stewardship and fish and wildlife habitat
• Assist with caring for the native plant nursery

Many of our conservation interns have a background in the sciences and are looking to get hands on work experience in their field of interest. Some interns have more research experience than others, and we have designed two internship tracks within conservation science to reflect interns’ varied backgrounds:

1.   Research track: Interns in the research track will be assigned their own project for the term. They will work with conservation science staff to conduct or update literature reviews, gather and manage field survey data, analyze data, write up a scientific report, and present their findings at the end of the term. Interns in this track typically have a post-secondary degree or are near completion, have significant coursework in science, and have experience managing a project and writing a research report.

2.   Practical track: Interns in the practical track will gain a wide range of experience across multiple conservation projects. They will assist with field surveys, restoration projects, and other tasks depending on the season. Interns in this track may have less formal training in science and are hoping to gain hands on experience and learn alongside others. Interns may complete a practical project such as designing a guide to native plant propagation, developing community outreach materials, or designing a GIS map, among others. All interns will prepare a presentation to reflect their internship experience at the end of the term. 

To learn more about the Conservation work happening in the Little Campbell River Watershed read-on here.

A note about the fall internship

Conservation science at Brooksdale looks different during every season. The spring and summer terms are full of various field projects related to species at risk, habitat stewardship, and watershed health. In the fall, we hunker down a bit and set aside more time to finish analyzing data and writing reports from our spring and summer surveys. We also devote a lot of time to habitat restoration, since fall is a great time to be planting native species and removing invasives. Because of this, fall interns will work primarily on restoration projects. You can read more about our habitat restoration work in the Little Campbell River watershed here. If you prefer to focus your internship on wildlife or species surveys apart from practical restoration activities, we encourage you to apply for a spring or summer internship. 

We also encourage applications for more than one term! Three months is short, and there are many benefits to staying for two or three terms to experience the wide range of conservation activities across seasons.