Conservation Policy Internship- Seattle, WA

Organization: Forterra

Job Title: Intern

Location: Seattle, WA

Hours and Compensation: part time, paid

Position Dates (if applicable): June 4- August 13

Application Deadline: April 30

Posted on: April 9

Organization Overview

Forterra fills a unique and important niche as the largest conservation and community building organization dedicated solely to this region. As a national leader, Forterra is shaping a future that will flourish environmentally and economically. We partner with thousands of leaders and residents across the Northwest to create healthy, livable, and prosperous communities. For over 20 years, Forterra has led efforts to restore critical landscapes and conserve more than 172,000 acres of forests, farms, shorelines, parks, and natural areas.

Responsibilities

The Policy department at Forterra is currently working on projects at the county and city levels designing market-based resource land conservation programs. This position will focus on providing general assistance with projects, including:

• Background research on communities in the Puget Sound region to support the creation of transfer of development rights (TDR) programs.
• Conducting national and international legal policy research on other urban and rural land use policies.
• Researching and drafting a summary of the benefits of conservation for the protection of watershed functions.
• Additional short-term research tasks may also be assigned.

Description

The Intern will: learn about current land use issues and the various approaches and solutions in Washington; learn the planning processes and how land conservation policies are advanced; gain an understanding of how land use policies can help achieve growth and conservation goals across the region; and have the opportunity to meet with practitioners to learn about the field.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree, or current graduate student.
• Research skills – must be proficient and comfortable utilizing various research skills for a variety of topics. Incumbent should be familiar with generally accepted practices for citing references.
• Writing skills – must be able to communicate complex ideas/concepts through written letters/memos/emails.
• Organizational skills – must be willing to work independently with a broad scope of work and be responsible for managing workload to meet deadlines.
• Planning/Policy background – general experience with planning and land use policies is required.

How to Apply