The Nature Conservancy Accepting Anna Beal Scholarship Applications for 2008

DES MOINES, Iowa — January 17, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy in Iowa is currently accepting applications for the annual $3,500 scholarship and internship awarded by the Anna Beal Trust. The Conservancy will grant 10 scholarships and internships to undergraduates attending an Iowa college or university. The 11-week field internship will take place from May 19 to August 1. Application, cover letter and references must be submitted by March 7, 2008.

The internship is a unique experience for undergraduates who are conservation minded and would like the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of environmental issues as well as receive financial assistance. If accepted, interns serve as crew members.

The crew, supervised by Conservancy staff, will be introduced to savanna restoration, exotic-species removal, preserve management practices, preserve design, natural resource protection, and conservation science methods.

Recipients will travel extensively throughout Iowa, mostly on Conservancy-owned property, and learn about the beauty of Iowa’s tallgrass prairie, deciduous forest and wetland ecosystems. Crew members will be responsible for a variety of hands-on work functions, such as species identification, management techniques, fence repairing, fire line construction, fuel loading reduction and prescribe fire participation.

Crew members must be willing to live a rustic lifestyle and work in adverse weather conditions.
Living in close quarters with crew members provides the opportunity to learn about fellow crew members and establish life-long friendships. During the week, crew members will camp in tents without electricity. The Conservancy will provide food stored in coolers and cooked on portable range camp stoves. Each crew member is expected to share in the cooking and cleaning duties.

Interns make significant contributions toward preservation by working eight-hour days with an hour for lunch. Crew members must have a strong work ethic and be able to work closely as a team as well as be self-motivated and be able to work individually and productively.

The Anna Beal Trust was founded in 1974 by Ed and Anna Beal, who farmed in Black Hawk County and wished to provide educational opportunities for deserving Iowa students. The proceeds of the Trust were designated to help Iowa college students, who without financial assistance could not obtain a college education.

If you are interested in obtaining more information about the Anna Beal Trust scholarship or would like to receive an application, please visit the Iowa Nature Conservancy web page at www.nature.org/iowa and click on volunteer, or call the Conservancy’s Iowa office at (515) 244-5044.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.

The Nature Conservancy in Iowa has more than 7,500 members and manages 33 preserves totaling over 6,000 acres. Since the Chapter began in 1963, with the aid of volunteers it has been involved in the protection of nearly 20,000 acres in the state, including native prairies, wetlands and woodland communities.