Climate Change Adaptation GLOBE Intern — Albany, NY (and other locations)

Organization: The Nature Conservancy

Job Title: Climate Change Adaptation GLOBE Intern

Location: Albany, NY (other locations available)

Hours and Compensation:  This is a full-time, paid internship opportunity $12/hour

Application Deadline: Jan. 7, 2013

Position Dates:  June 2, 2013 – August 9, 2013

Posted On: Oct. 1, 2012

Organization Overview

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to make a positive impact around the world in more than 30 countries, all 50 United States, and your backyard. Founded in 1951, the mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Visit www.nature.org/aboutus to learn more.

The GLOBE internship program is dedicated to “Growing Leaders on Behalf of the Environment. This is our sixth year offering this internship opportunity program and we are thrilled at its success. Come be a part of an exciting internship program where you are making a difference in the world! Our internship locations range from Arlington, Virginia to Hawaii. Learn new skills, meet new people, and have fun helping nature!

Description

The Climate Change Adaptation Intern will work with us on 1) a large grant-funded project to develop a spatial toolkit for prioritizing investments in conservation and natural resources to facilitate adaptation to climate change, and 2) gather information that will help us develop strategies for reducing risks from flooding (also part of adapting to climate change) by protecting and restoring “blue infrastructure” —natural systems along coasts, the Hudson River estuary, and river systems and their floodplains throughout the state.   The intern will take the lead on some combination of the elements listed below, depending upon his/her interests and skillsets:

• Compile and synthesize user/audience input.  To produce a relevant and useful final adaptation toolkit for natural resource managers, we will conduct a needs assessment through interviews with representatives of the intended user groups, including land managers within federal and state agencies, companies that need to site infrastructure, regional and municipal planners, local land trusts and other conservation organizations.  The intern will organize and synthesize this input, point us towards themes, and prepare project materials to solicit feedback from interviewed user groups. S/he may also explore social science techniques to better “mine” and use the information we get from these interviews.  The intern may also help with public engagement on a related project, to understand how municipalities assess risk and make decisions about managing their floodplains, and what information or assistance they might need.
• Conduct extensive review of existing adaptation frameworks and strategies, decision-support tools, and spatial toolkits, including on-line toolkits.  This work will serve as one of the chapters for our final report, and inform our design of the conceptual framework we will use for the remainder of the project. This information will also help us evaluate potential delivery mechanisms to encourage use of the toolkit by our desired audiences.
• Help develop spatial predictions of current distribution of ecosystem services.  This intern would be responsible for a literature review for carbon sequestration rates for various land cover types, and/or compiling information about current water demand and turning it into a spatial product.
• Develop a spatial dataset to portray current flood risk across the state,based on either repetitive loss data from the National Flood Insurance Program or the frequency of federally declared flood emergencies by county.
• Conduct literature review and consult with experts to determine how well road-stream crossing designs for species movement also accommodate flood waters, sediment and debris.
• Assess policy options to improve the public engagement process in NY through changes in legislation and/or administrative procedures.

The intern will have an opportunity to go out into the field, if desired, to get exposure to a wider variety of projects.  Possibilities include research on how transportation infrastructure and land cover restrict wildlife movements between protected forest areas; road-stream crossing assessments in the Susquehanna watershed and elsewhere; and farther afield, helping with a large wetland restoration project on Eastern Lake Ontario.

Qualifications

• Working knowledge of common software applications (e.g.; Word, Excel, Web browsers) and ability to use provided computer technology to enhance the quality of work.
• At least two years of undergraduate education completed by the position start date (or within 1 month of the position start date for colleges that extend into June).
• Some coursework or other experience in natural sciences.

How to Apply

To apply to position number 40430, submit resume and cover letter as one document.  All applications must be submitted in the system prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 7, 2013.

Resume, Cover Letter, and 3 References are required. Your cover letter must include the following information: 1) Why is diversity and inclusiveness important to you? 2) What qualifications or credentials can you bring to this position?

Failure to complete all of the required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration. The information entered in the education and work experience sections are auto screened by the system based on the basic qualifications of the position.

You must click “submit” to apply for the position. You may select “save for later” if you prefer to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited.