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		The Nature Conservancy in New York New York Home Contact Us Places We Protect   Adirondacks   Central & Western   Eastern   Long Island   New York City News Room Field Trips and Events Young Professionals Internship Program Science Volunteer Ways of Giving

Field Seasons: 2007 Internship 2006 Internship 2005 Internship Program Goals: •  Help urban youth gain critical life and workplace skills; •  Encourage students to become advocates for conservation; •  Build student awareness of educational opportunities and career paths in conservation; •  Supplement school-year classroom experience with real-world conservation training. Go Deeper Losing Touch with Nature A new study finds that nature recreation worldwide has declined sharply since the 1980s, and the negative consequences for nature and conservation could soon be profound. NBC Nightly News on the Report Watch an NBC Nightly News segment about the latest Nature Conservancy-sponsored report on the decline in nature recreation. Videophilia Find out more about the Pergams and Zaradic study that correlated a decline in visits to U.S. National Parks with an increase in television, video game and Internet use.

The Internship Program for City Youth was launched in 1995 and is a partnership with the Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies (HSES) and the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE).

Students are divided into peer groups of three and paired with trained mentors for a four-week field season in July, where they leave New York City to live and work on nature preserves. Nature Conservancy staff teach the students to assist with land management, educational outreach and scientific research in a safe and supervised natural environment. They also enjoy other first time activities such as camping, kayaking, and swimming.

Students learn about career opportunities in conservation, complete four 40-hour paid work weeks, and visit three colleges. Most of these urban students have never had the opportunity to connect with the natural world or explore colleges outside of the city.

The students develop critical life and workplace skills while living independently, away from their friends and families. They participate in demanding field work, manage time sheets and budgets, work as a team, cook, clean, and do laundry. Their efforts are also featured in local print and radio interviews. The program demands physical and intellectual motivation, multi-cultural exchange, conflict-resolution, responsibility, and career development exercises.

When the students return to the city in the fall, they share what they have learned from the program with their classmates and their communities. They maintain contact with Conservancy staff and our partners, who provide college and career guidance. The Conservancy also offers alumni meetings, classroom presentations and additional internships to the students.

Through outreach and education, the program enables our urban youth to connect with the natural world and, in doing so, fosters a hopeful future for the next generation of environmentalists, conservationists, and stewardship ambassadors.

If you are interested in sponsoring a student or want more information on the Internship Program, please contact Brigitte Griswold at (212) 381-2186 or email bgriswold@tnc.org.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © The Nature Conservancy (2007 Field Season); Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Richard Parker).