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Table of Contents Background LANDS in Vermont The Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Understanding the Need Why an internship program? DESIGNING A LAND STEWARDSHIP INTERN PROGRAM FOR THE SOUTHERN MAINE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE Survey results Putting Together the Pieces Working with LANDS Program Design and Explanation Budget and Justification Next Steps By Laura Yayac -‐Maine Contacts -‐One pager for board -‐Student quotes slides -‐quotes from sponsors LANDS for Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Introduction 0 Executive Summary Internships offer students a chance to apply their skills in non-‐academic settings, and provide organizations a chance to teach future professionals while receiving work at a lower cost. Finding a balance in which both the students and the organizations benefit takes finesse. The LANDS program does this through a paid, cohort internship in which college students learn from conservation leaders, the program leaders, and their peers. The conservation groups get high-‐quality field work and reports with limited management time. My summer field work on this project was primarily as the assistant leader of the LANDS program. I also surveyed and met with member organizations of SMCC to learn about their goals and interests in an internship program. Nearly all of the land trusts who responded were enthusiastic about having interns, but unsure of how they would manage or pay for them. Based on that information and my experience with LANDS, I created a program design and budget options for an SMCC internship program. The design of the program is based on the information that member land trusts of SMCC provided through surveys and interviews. The structure is a cohort of interns who work under the direction of a crew leader to do conservation work for the member land trusts. This includes a mix of field and office work related to their land holdings and operations. The focus of the projects is skill-‐ and knowledge-‐based work that allows the students to apply what they are learning in college to outside experiences. Because most of the land trusts are small and have limited or no staff, the program is structured with an intern cohort leader to reduce the need for land trust staff to manage interns. Instead, the leader helps the interns to manage a project from start to finish, carrying out field and office work and writing a report. Creating a workable budget was a key part of designing a sustainable internship program. While the initial reaction may be one of sticker shock, there are several options for supporting the program financially. The cost for an internship program with a leader, intern pay, and necessary transportation and supplies would likely range from $31,000-‐ $38,000 for a nine week summer program with five interns, depending on partnerships. As in the Vermont LANDS program, the conservation organizations could pay a fee-‐for-‐service rate to hire the crew to complete work. Alternatively, because of the differing size and structure of the member land trusts, the members could make tiered contributions to fund the program. As the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative continues to grow, this internship program offers many benefits to the member land trusts, local college students, and local universities. As a Masters Candidate in the Ecological Planning Program, this work was a chance for me to apply my new skills to a professional setting. This document offers an explanation of the LANDS program and a proposed plan, including budget, for a program for SMCC. 1 History and Background LANDS began in 2007 as a partnership between the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (UVM RSENR) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA). LANDS is an amalgamation of “Land” and “Stewardship”, which refers to a primary goal of the program. It was designed as a program to both provide stewardship work for conservation organizations and to allow college students to put their classroom work into practice. In total, over sixty student interns have completed the program, and served a wide variety of federal, state, non-‐profit and private conservation organizations. LANDS functions as a cadre of interns led by a crew leader. Peer learning is encouraged, and the interns move through projects together, sharing knowledge and supporting each other. The work that LANDS does is primarily “knowledge-‐based fieldwork,” such as natural resource inventories, GIS mapping, trail mapping, and writing management plans. LANDS works as a fee-‐for-‐service internship program in which conservation organizations hire the intern crew to do field and office work to support their missions. The interns are paid a stipend for their work and are supervised by a crew leader, who both teaches them and works with them. The premise of LANDS is that conservation organizations need high quality, cost effective work done to steward their land, and that college students need a chance to apply their classroom work to problem solving applications outside of school. LANDS is now in its eighth year, and had its largest crew this past summer. Of the ten interns, six were from UVM, and four were from other universities, including two students 2 who were doing a yearlong exchange program at an American university and were originally from Brazil. One full time and one part-‐time graduate assistant ran the program. LANDS at UVM has developed a semester program that is set to run in Fall 2014. This program will be 13 weeks long, and students will receive credit for a full load (15-‐17 credits) of UVM classes. The students will pay UVM tuition and there will be additional reading, reflection, and coursework to supplement the projects. This will allow students to gain hands-‐on experience during college and to provide beneficial work to conservation organizations throughout the fall. Leading LANDS Co-‐leading LANDS was an important part of my process of developing an internship program. The Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (SMCC), for which the program is being developed, specifically sought out the LANDS program as a model for their organization. The cohort model, with a crew leader and focus on mutually beneficial professional quality work appealed to the SMCC. Working with LANDS for the summer allowed me to see the many benefits and few challenges of the program. The student growth and learning was a definite strong point, as evidenced both anecdotally and from pre-‐ and post-‐ program surveys. I guided and watched as crew members mastered field navigation, plant identification, and took on the 3 challenges of each new project. The students all reported learning new skills and applying skills that they’d learned previously in a way that really solidified them. They emphasized developing problem solving skills and working through tasks from start to finish, including understanding a project, planning an approach, carrying out the work, and detailing their process and findings in a professional report. I also noted that having a leader to manage the interns took most of the burden off the conservation organization. In general, the crew met with someone from the hiring organization for an hour or so on the first morning of the project, then worked independently with the crew leader’s supervision for the remaining time. The camaraderie and peer-‐to-‐peer learning were another benefit of the program that I witnessed. Even tasks that would have been trying for a solo intern were made interesting and approachable with a group to take on the work. Additionally, the intern crew was able to offer a high level of work to the hiring organizations because collectively the students had a wide range of skills and knowledge and were able to build on other’s ideas. For their part, the conservation organizations consistently reported that the quality and usefulness of the interns’ work, the interns’ professionalism, and the interest of the organization in partnering with LANDS again were very high. Recent partnering organizations have stated that the deliverables were excellent and exceeded expectations, that their organization would not have completed the project without the LANDS interns due to lack of time and money, and that they would enthusiastically recommend LANDS to other groups. The challenges of LANDS that I observed were primarily related to finances and organization. While the fee-‐for-‐service model seems ideal as a way to reduce the need for repeated grant applications and to balance work received with partner buy-‐in, the reality is that for many conservation organizations even a less expensive consultant group is still beyond their budget. This at times meant scrambling for projects, negotiating deals and barters, and coming up short on money to pay the leaders at a level appropriate for their level of expertise and time commitment. Organizationally, it was challenging for the leaders to coordinate the projects and adequately prepare the students for the specific tasks because projects were often received with little notice. It would likely be easier to achieve a more structured schedule with the SMCC, since there would be a defined group of potential partners. In previous years in Vermont, projects often spanned a few weeks and were more consistent from year to year, which reduced logistical challenges. 4 The Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative “The Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (SMCC) assists York and Cumberland County conservation organizations to acquire, manage and steward land in their communities by providing professional support services and networking opportunities” (www.southernmaineconservation.org). The SMCC works to increase efficiency and offer shared resources among its members. There are 11 member organizations in the collaborative. They participate in shared trainings, have access to shared tools, and pool funds to pay for staff for which they have a common need. The current member land trusts of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative are: Casco Bay Estuary Partnership Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust Oceanside Conservation Trust Peaks Island Land Preserve Portland Trails Presumpscot Regional Land Trust Saco Valley Land Trust Scarborough Land Trust Three Rivers Land Trust Windham Land Trust 5 The current advisory members are: Maine Coast Heritage Trust Maine Island Trail Association The member land trusts of the SMCC range in size and structure. Many are all-‐volunteer organizations, and the largest number of paid staff for any of the organizations is five. A few have a paid executive director as their only staff. Each of the member groups can hire SMCC to assist them with work as well. A few organizations mentioned occasionally hiring contract employees to carry out specific tasks to help them meet their mission. In general, the land trusts have board members and volunteers carry out their field and office work and stewardship tasks. There is no compensation associated with these tasks. Methods To better understand the land trusts and their interest in having interns, I created a survey (found in the Appendix) for each group to fill out. I followed up on this information by meeting with a representative, usually the executive director or a board member. One of the primary topics of these meetings was an explanation of the LANDS program with its cohort of interns, which differed from most people’s experience with interns. The image of a lone intern needing constant supervision was hard to overcome, and an important discussion to have to encourage the land trusts to consider hosting interns. Much of the meeting was devoted to asking questions of the land trust to establish what work they currently do to steward their properties, and what work they would like to have completed to better work toward their mission. 6 Results of the Surveys The specific results of the surveys are detailed in the appendix, with a summary table below. Eight land trusts responded to the surveys. Among the land trusts that responded (there have been a few new members added since the summer, and some land trusts did not respond), there were many similarities. Most of the land trusts have no paid staff, or have staff whose time totals 40 hours or less per week. The member organizations rely on SMCC, occasional contract employees, and the board and volunteers to carry out stewardship tasks in the field and office. Again, nearly all of the organizations were enthusiastic about having an intern or interns, but also had concerns about the process. None of the land trusts could immediately identify funding for interns, but a few noted that they could raise funds if needed. The land trusts identified a variety of field and office work that the interns could do and noted that the technical expertise of the interns would be a strong benefit to their organizations. The concerns that were most common centered around who would manage the interns, the amount of time it would take to oversee the interns, hesitation about internships being busy work and the importance of crafting a valuable experience for the interns, and cost or lack of funding to compensate the interns. The results of the surveys suggest that a program structured like the Vermont LANDS program would be a good fit. Using a crew leader to instruct and manage the interns would respond to concerns about who would oversee the crew and the time required for this task, reducing the burden on the land trust. Additionally, the crew leader would work with the land trust to ensure a worthwhile experience for the interns, and the cohort model would help interns through more tedious tasks. The funding remains the most challenging issue, but the budget models provided (see budget section) aim to offer a range of options to address this. 7 0! 1! 0! 0! 5! 1! 0! 1! 2! 0! 0! Chebeague'and'Cumberland'Land' Trust'(LTA'accredited)! Maine'Appalachian'Trail'Land'Trust! Oceanside'Conservation'Trust! Peaks'Island'Land'Preserve! Portland'Trails! Presumpscot'Regional'Land'Trust! Saco'Valley'Land'Trust! Scarborough'Land'Trust! Southern'Maine'Conservation' Collaborative! Three'Rivers'Land'Trust! Windham'Land'Trust! " & & & 5! Casco'Bay'Estuary'Partnership! Name! No.'of! Paid' Staff! 4! 15! 0! 23! 23! 271! 2485! 0! 1200! 711! 715! Maintain!50!mi!of!trails! Maintain!50! mi!of!trails! 17! 140! 89! 2342! 2000! 2000! 2012! 1977! @! 1986! 1990! 1995! 1982! 2002! 1987! 1990! 0!(15,694!acres!conserved! in!watershed!area)! 608! Founded! Total'acreage'(owned' and'under'easement)! 12! 14! 2! 18! 0! No.'of' Properties! Not!sure! Yes! Yes! Yes! @! Yes! Yes! @! Yes! @! Maybe! Yes! Interested'in' Interns?' Table&1.&Demographic&Info&and&Survey&Responses&from&Southern&Maine&Conservation&Collaborative&Members.&& 8" Why a Conservation Intern Crew for the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative? College students gain a variety of knowledge during their university experience, but often lack the chance to apply these skills and prepare for employment after school. A 2013 survey of employers by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that 86% of the employers felt that all college students, regardless of major, should have direct experiences with community problem solving. In addition, 78% of employers felt that colleges and universities should place more emphasis on applied knowledge in real world settings (Hart Research Associates). Cash-‐strapped land trusts have an abundance of field and office work to be done, and lack time or funding to complete the work needed to steward their land. Many land trusts, and specifically those members of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (SMCC), are largely volunteer-‐based. The volunteers do not have the time or expertise to adequately complete natural resource inventories, baseline data reports, management plans, and other conservation strategies for their land. The Land Stewardship (LANDS) internship program meets both of these needs. In this cohort model, a crew of interns works under the direction of a leader to carry out skilled conservation work for land trusts. The interns’ work includes performing rapid ecological assessments, surveying for invasive species, developing GIS maps, and applying other college learned skills. This allows students to apply college knowledge and develop problem solving skills vital to their success in future endeavors, while providing the land trusts with valuable conservation work. Because the leader teaches and manages the interns’ work, the land trust can input limited time to the process while receiving valuable work. Incorporating high quality internship experiences into students’ learning paths, and providing a service to community organizations, is a mutually beneficial opportunity. 9 Program Design The program design offers a plan for a cohort-‐based internship model. It includes a structure for the first year as well as an outline of growth for three to five years into the internship. The first year is somewhat of a pilot year, with fewer interns in the crew to offer the land trusts a chance to become acquainted with the model. As a nine week program, it includes a week of training for the interns, seven weeks of work for the member organizations, and a week to present and wrap up the work completed during the summer. The three to five year plan offers options for growth, including a larger crew, a full time education and outreach coordinator for SMCC, semester based program, and other possibilities. These could be adapted based on feedback from the member land trusts, board members and the crew leader and interns. This plan design is based on information from SMCC and its members as well as the Vermont LANDS program. Year 1 1) 9 weeks of interns: a) 1 week training i) Relevant topics depending on projects, including: (1) Basic health and safety, program orientation, introductions (2) Teambuilding (3) Professionalism and group dynamics (4) Land trust policy and law (5) Field navigation / compass and map (6) Plant identification (7) Natural communities (8) Reading the landscape (9) Trail siting (10) Invasive plants (11) GIS b) 7 weeks paid team projects i) Each week: (1) 4.5 days of work for land trust explicitly – this includes transportation time (2) 3.5 days of field or land trust office work, plus 1 day for report write-‐up for the project (3) .5 day for SMCC Internship Crew business – but included in cost of land trust fee because it supports the program as a whole ii) Each day is 8 hours, plus a half hour for lunch. The general schedule is 8-‐4:30 or 8:30-‐5 10 c) 1 week Small Team Project (interns in small groups do all the work themselves) (lower fee for sponsor, or perhaps this year no fee as a “trial run”) i) Two field days, one day office report write up ii) Remaining two days of this final week are presentation prep, presentation and wrap up including gear inventory, final evaluations d) 5 interns 2) 12 weeks of staff for summer a) 9 weeks with interns @ 50 hours paid per week b) 2.5 weeks pre-‐prep, including contacting project sponsors, planning training, getting supplies @ 40 hours paid per week c) .5 week post-‐wrap up, including updating website, distributing reports, cataloging evaluations @ 40 hours paid per week d) 1 leader and 1 assistant (ideal) 3) Part-‐time staff for 6 months – possibly summer staff a) January through August (primarily January through June, could offer support to summer staff during summer) b) Work to include marketing program, recruiting, application process, website creation/maintenance, contact with project sponsors, fundraising 3-‐5 Year Plan 1) Full time, year round SMCC position for education and outreach coordinator who as a major component runs SMCC Internship program a) This will recruit and retain the quality leader that you should have to run the program b) Could include SMCC Internship semester program, or a pared down version of SMCC Internship (small team interns, perhaps) during the school year 2) SMCC Internship Summer Program a) Expanding the summer program to meet the needs of the member land trusts. Possibilities include: i) Lengthen program to 10 weeks ii) Increase intern numbers to 10 iii) Have two intern crews (of 6-‐10 students per crew) iv) Have training in specific areas to meet priority needs of land trusts b) Create support and structure to maintain summer program year round i) Includes advertising, recruiting, and hiring interns ii) Working with land trusts to develop projects iii) Maintaining website, reviewing feedback, expanding program 3) A Semester SMCC Internship program 11 a) UVM is piloting a LANDS semester program for Fall 2014. Developing a similar program in partnership with a Maine university would allow land trusts to receive stewardship assistance year round, and allow students to gain skills during the school year. 4) Semester based SMCC Internship programs a) A crew of 2-‐3 interns that works 1-‐2 days per week during the college semester. b) Led by the full-‐time, year round outreach and education employee. Leader Characteristics In order for the SMCC Internship program to run smoothly, the crew leader needs to be confident and capable of managing the interns and interfacing with the land trusts. It’s important for the leader to have the skills necessary to assist the interns with their work, so that the land trusts are not burdened with this task. These qualifications include: • • • • • • Degree in natural resources, ecology, conservation or similar area Experience with field identification Experience working with college students Driver’s license Strong ability to problem solve Flexibility 12 • • • • • Ability to multitask, work long hours, and maintain a positive attitude Proficiency with GIS Moxie Lots of energy and enthusiasm Wilderness First Aid or preferable Wilderness First Responder (paid for as part of staff benefits) The crew leader serves as a mentor, teacher and supervisor. As such, the ability to communicate clearly, engage with interns, give constructive feedback, teach hard and soft skills, model professionalism, and maintain a positive attitude are essential. A well rounded person, with both field skills and office skills, who can think on their feet and adapt to situations, is an ideal leader. The Budget One of the most important parts of developing a sustainable internship program is creating a workable budget. While this can be difficult to sell, since initial sticker shock may deter some organizations, it is necessary to run a quality and lasting program. Below (Table 2) is a summary of several possible budget models. The Appendix contains each model in detail. A budget justification follows the spreadsheets, detailing the thinking behind the numbers. Table 2. Budget Summary. University University The Budget No Partner SCA Partner and SCA Partner Partners Salaries (Leader and Interns) $28,600 $28,600 $21,100 $21,100 Equipment and Supplies $4,100 $3,100 $4,100 $3,100 Transportation $4,200 $1,800 $4,200 $1,800 Office, Storage, and Camping $900 $300 $900 $300 Other $400 $400 $5,300 $5,300 Total $38,200 $34,200 $35,600 $31,600 13 LANDS Vermont runs primarily as a fee-‐for-‐service organization, in which hiring conservation organizations pay for the crew of interns and their leader on a day-‐to-‐day basis. This is one option presented below. Because the SMCC is a collaborative, with members of varying sizes, another option is a sliding scale approach. In this, each member land trust would contribute an amount toward the program based on their ability to pay. A summary of these options appears below. More detailed tables are in the appendix. Table 3. Income possibilities. Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Internship Program Income Fee for Service Project per day $700 Project per week $3,500 Project Fees Total $24,500 Grant/Alternative $10,000-‐ Funding $14000 Tiered Contributions Amount $1000-‐ 1500 $3000-‐ 4000 $5000-‐ 7000 Number of Contributors 4-‐5 3-‐4 2 Fees Total $24,000-‐$34,000 Grant/Alternative Funding $200-‐$14,000 Budget Justification The cohort internship model, based on the LANDS model in Vermont, is focused both on providing high quality work for land trusts and other conservation organizations and engaging students in learning and applying skills for professional development. As seen in Table 2, which offers a budget summary, there are four models presented. A more detailed version of each model is in the Appendix. The section “The Expenses, in Detail” offers a breakdown of what makes up these costs and why it is important to the program. Four Expense Models, Briefly Explained 1. Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (SMCC) a. In this budget, SMCC has no partners for the program and the costs represent virtually no in-‐kind donations. This is likely the most expensive model, but also affords SMCC the most control. 14 2. SMCC and a University Partner a. With a university partner, SMCC could attract in-‐kind services such as office space, GIS lab, storage space, university vehicles, and professor guest speakers. This model is less costly but requires working with a partner to develop an exchange. 3. SMCC and Student Conservation Association (SCA) (and possible University Partner) a. The Student Conservation Association will, for an overhead fee, provide payroll, worker’s compensation, uniforms and Americorps awards for the interns. This streamlines these processes and reduces administrative need and the cost of paying the interns, since they would then get an Americorps stipend. This would work with or without a university partner; the spreadsheet shows it without. 4. SMCC, crew and solo intern model a. In order to reduce the cost of the leader, and to shift the structure of the program, a hybrid model is possible. In this case, the leader would work with the interns in the field for three days, and then perform field work for the land trusts on his/her own for the remaining two days. During this time the interns would do office work for the land trusts under land trust supervision. (In models 1-‐3, the leader would work with the interns in doing field and office work for the entire week). 5. Another model, not budgeted here, would be a more traditional internship in which one intern is placed in each land trust and supervised primarily by the land trust, perhaps with some group training. While this might be less financially costly, it would require more land trust time and the interns would lose much of the educational value of the group model. Income Models There are two income models presented Table 3, above. A more detailed version is in the Appendix. One of the models is based on fee for service, in which a land trust pays a rate per day or per week to have a project completed. In this model, all land trusts pay the same daily fees, regardless of their size or structure. The income shown is calculated based on seven weeks of project work by the interns. An additional week is used for training, and the final week of the nine week program is used for presenting the work and editing and finalizing all reports. If time allows, a small team project, in which smaller groups (2-‐3 interns) do work for an organization without the leader, emphasizing the skills they have gained over the summer. Another model is a tiered contribution model, in which member land trusts pay into the internship program based on their ability to pay. This would not necessarily relate to the 15 work they receive, but instead would support the program as a whole. There are many scenarios for this with different amounts and numbers of contributors. Both income models show how these incomes compare to the expenses of each expense model. Based on the expense and income calculations presented, grant or supplementary funding would be required to run the program in the first year. The Expenses, in detail Salaries Crew Leader ($10,000 for 10 weeks, plus $20/hour pre/post program) The leader plays a very important role in the success of the program. The crew leader both interfaces with the land trusts, manages the students in their work, and teaches the students what they need to know to carry out professional work for the organizations. The leader is actively working with the students, assisting them in the work, lending his or her knowledge to the project and passing that knowledge on. The land trusts gain the professional work of the leader, as well as the work provided by the interns without significant time spent by the conservation organization to manage the crew members. The skills required by the leader suggest an experienced professional with a bachelors or masters. Field skills such as identification as well as administrative and group management abilities are needed. The quality of the work produced is related to the abilities of the leader. If the assistant leader is holds a master’s degree or has more work experience, the assistant leader salary would need to increase significantly. Another option in this case is to have co-‐ leaders, perhaps each with a salary of $8000. Assistant Leader ($2500 for 10 weeks, plus $10/hour pre/post program) The assistant leader works to help the leader and crew throughout the program. This role is ideal for a previous crew intern or college student / recent graduate. The position offers the chance for the assistant leader to gain skills and develop in a leadership role. The assistant leader maintains the student/leader ratio to ensure intern learning opportunities, and to fill in if necessary for the leader and assist with logistics. Crew Interns ($1700-‐3000 each, depending on Americorps stipend) The crew interns are both learning and applying their college skills, making this an educational position, and expected to produce professional work, as a job. The stipend represents money to cover costs, provide incentive for quality applicants, and recognize the intern work. The stipend takes into account, however, that this is also a learning experience 16 for which the students receive many non-‐financial benefits. With Student Conservation Association (SCA) or another partnership that provides Americorps stipends, the cost of the program can be less because the interns are compensated partially through Americorps. Administrative ($0-‐500, depending on partnerships) Managing payroll, worker’s compensation, and other paperwork requires a small but necessary commitment. This work can be provided by SCA along with their other services, or could be done by the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative. Honoraria ($200 each) Guest presenters (professionals and professors) train crew interns in skills such as the details of land trust operation, field identification, and reading and interpreting the landscape. Equipment and Supplies Field Gear ($2500 for initial equipment, then significantly less ($100-‐500) in following years) The most expensive, but also extremely necessary, pieces of field equipment are GPS units. These allow for navigation and making accurate GIS maps, one of the primary outputs of the field crew. Investing in high quality units poses an initial cost, but with careful use and storage these will last for many years. In kind donations from GPS makers or gear stores such as REI are possible sources for these units as well. Other field gear includes compasses for navigation, hand lenses for plant identification, shovels, soils augers, and soil pH kits for soil analysis, a pair of binoculars, a camera, and first aid supplies. Books and Resources ($800 for initial books, then significantly less ($100-‐200) in following years) A plant identification guide (Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide) and a natural communities field guide are essential to the crew’s work. Other resources may be project dependent and could include invasive plant guides, trail and erosion control manuals, wildlife field guides, and other identification books. Printing ($550) Printing the reports and providing a CD with the electronic copy and GIS data to give to project partners culminates the internship. Food ($250) 17 Refreshments for the final presentation and occasional morale boosters are covered here. Transportation Van Rental ($up to 4000) Renting a mini-‐van or 12-‐passenger van for the summer would likely be about $2000-‐ $4000. This is essential for getting to the work sites with the crew. The possibility of partnering with a university and renting or getting in-‐kind use of one of their vehicles might significantly reduce this cost. Mileage and Gas ($1200-‐1500) Getting around to different sites is a variable expense. This is an estimate based on the relative proximity of the member land trusts. This number may also vary depending on using a rental van and just paying for gas, or using a university or personal vehicle and reimbursing at the federal mileage rate. Home Base Office Space with GIS ($ ideally in-‐kind from a university or land trust member) Office space with GIS capable computers is a vital part of the program. The crew needs a place to meet, learn, and prepare the reports. This would ideally come from a university partnership or could be provided by one or several member land trusts as part of their contribution to the program. Storage Space ($0-‐600) Storing the crew gear throughout the year can be done with a partner (member or university) or a storage space could be rented. Lodging for Overnight Stays ($300 each) Projects that are far from the office space/home base are made practical by camping near the site. This also promotes team bonding and is an enriching experience for the crew. This cost might increase if rental tents and sleeping bags are needed. Housing (could lower crew intern stipend) While not necessary, partnering with a university or renting a group house to provide interns (and perhaps the leaders) with housing might make the program more appealing. 18 The intern stipend could potentially be reduced if housing is included since it would lower the intern expenses. Other Crew uniforms/shirt ($200 each) These come with the SCA package, or tee-‐shirts could be printed for the crew. Worn on the first day of a project, for the presentation, and in other representative activities, they identify the crew. Worker’s Compensation ($unknown) This can be covered with a lump fee to SCA, or purchased separately. Advertising ($300 each) This budget is used to get the word out to attract qualified students and leaders. Student Conservation Association Fee ($0-‐6000) If the program partners with SCA, they will provide several services, including payroll, uniforms, worker’s compensation and Americorps awards for the interns. 19 Next Steps The interest in an internship program is present among the member land trusts of the SMCC. The next step is to work with the board to build the program and to establish a budget model that will work for the organization. Finding a donor or grants to cover costs beyond what the land trusts can contribute is another necessary step. After establishing the budget, the finer details will need to be worked out. This includes working with land trusts to develop projects, hiring a leader, recruiting students, selecting transportation, establishing office and GIS space, working with SCA to develop a partnership if appropriate, and hiring and running a crew. Lydia Menendez’s master’s project document has detailed explanations of these steps, as well as a curriculum for the summer program. UVM LANDS also has a wealth of resources about its own program. A target date for a pilot SMCC Internship program could be Summer 2015, to allow time to secure funding, continue building connections, and allow SMCC member organizations to budget and plan projects. Conclusion A cohort-‐based land stewardship internship program for the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative offers the SMCC member land trusts, Maine students, and universities opportunities to develop relationships, train future leaders, apply new skills, and work to conserve land. This model provides a chance for conservation organizations to receive valuable work without extensive intern management, and for students to learn from their work, their leader, and one another. While it will take an investment from the land trusts and SMCC, it will pay off with quality work completed and the training of future conservation leaders. 20 Appendix A. B. C. D. E. Survey Land Trust Demographic Data and Survey Responses Detailed Budget and Income Models Sample Grant Proposal One page fact sheet about SMCC Internship Program for land trusts 21 Appendix A. Survey for the land trusts. Survey for Southern Maine Land Trusts – June 2013 Created by Laura Yayac, University of Vermont Master’s Candidate, Natural Resources Ecological Planning Name of Land Trust: Name of responder: Land Trust website: 1. If your mission and geographic focus area are NOT available on your website/you don’t have a website, please write them here. 2. How many properties do you own or hold easements on? 3. What is the size range (acres) of these properties? 4. What field work do you do (or have done) to maintain your holdings? 5. What field work would you like to do (or to have done) to maintain, improve, or increase knowledge about your holdings? 6. Who currently does your field work? 7. What office work do you do to maintain your holdings / organization? a. Are they compensated? _________ 8. What office work would you like to do (or have done) to maintain, improve or increase knowledge or capacity of your organization? 1 9. Who currently does your office work? 10. Do you have paid staff? a. If so, how many and what are their positions? b. If not, who runs/ directs your organization? a. Are they compensated? _________ a. If yes, what was their role? 12. Are you interested in having an intern/interns? a. If yes, what would you like the interns to do? b. If yes, what would your organization gain from having interns? c. If yes, what would the interns gain from working with your organization? 13. Do you have any concerns about having interns? a. If so, what are they? 11. Have you ever had an intern/interns? 14. Do you have funding/resources available to compensate interns for their work? 15. What are the long term goals for your organization? 2 N/A( Kara(Wooldrik( Stefan(J.( Jackson,(ED( N/A( Jeremy( Wintersteen( Jessica(Burton( Fred(Frodyma,( www.3RLT.org VP,(Jean(Noon,( P,(Madge(Baker,( Clerk( Priscilla(Payne( www.thewindhamlandtrust.org Peaks&Island&Land&Preserve& Portland&Trails& Presumpscot&Regional&Land& Trust& Saco&Valley&Land&Trust& Scarborough&Land&Trust& SMCC& Three&Rivers&Land&Trust& " Windham&Land&Trust& www.oceansideconservationtrust.org Erno( Bonebakker( ( ( Yes,(ED( No( Yes,(5( Paid%Staff?% ( ( ( ( ( ( www.southernmaineconservation.org http://www.sacovalleylandtrust.org/ www.scarboroughlandtrust.org www.prlt.org ( http://trails.org/ No( No( Yes,(ED(35( hrs/wk,(office( staff(5(hrs/wk( Yes((Jess(and( Doreen)( No( Yes,(ED(25( hrs/wk( Yes,(5( No((shared( staff(through( SMCC)( http://www.peaksislandlandpreserve.org/ No( ( http://www.matlt.org/ N/A( ( www.ccltmaine.org Carl(Tubbesing( ( http://www.cascobayestuary.org/ N/A( Casco&Bay&Estuary& Partnership& Chebeague&and&Cumberland& Land&Trust& Maine&Appalachian&Trail& Land&Trust& Oceanside&Conservation& Trust& Website% Responder% Name% Appendix(B.(Demographic(Information(and(Survey(Responses(from(Member(Land(Trusts.(( Table(4.(Demographic(Information(and(Survey(Responses(from(Member(Land(Trusts.(( ( 4( 15( 0( 15( 23( 3" maintain(50( mi(of(trails( 17( 12( 14( (I( 18( No.%of% Properties% (I( " ( Windham&Land&Trust& Three&Rivers&Land&Trust& SMCC& Saco&Valley&Land&Trust& Scarborough&Land&Trust& Presumpscot&Regional&Land&Trust& Name% Casco&Bay&Estuary&Partnership& Chebeague&and&Cumberland&Land& Trust& Maine&Appalachian&Trail&Land&Trust& Oceanside&Conservation&Trust& Peaks&Island&Land&Preserve& Portland&Trails& (I( accreditation( I( transportation(policy(work,(volunteer( engagement( increase(knowledge(and(training(in( reaching,(surpassing,(and(adhering(to(LTA( standards,(create(a(digital(workspace(for( all(holdings,(with(documentation,(photos,( maps,(marketing(materials,(and( monitoring(reports( I( none(given( (I( baseline(reports,(trail(practices(and( assessments( consistent(work(across(all(properties,( including(BDR,(management(plans,( boundary(marking,(trail(creation,( restoration,(signs(and(kiosks,(stewardship( monitoring,(bridge/drainage(crossings,( water(quality(testing,(volunteer(work( days( (I( natural(resource(inventories,(invasive( species(control,(signage,(trail( maintenance,(mapping( provide(interns(to(member(organizations( to(care(for(their(lands( 4" I( upItoIdate(notebook(with(maps,(deeds,( acquisition(history,(monitoring(reports,( and(management(plan( create(manuals(for(use(on(the(land,( develop(brochures(about(the(benefit(of( stewardship(volunteers,(raise(more( money(for(this(purpose(to(benefit(the( member(organizations( document(wildlife(and(plant(life(in(Walnut( scanning(and(organizing(files(for( Hill( improved(ease(of(access( improve(trail(condition,(more(water( digitized(copies(of(all(records,(outreach(to( quality(testing(and(plantings,(additional( recruit(members(and(volunteers( bridgework(and(boundary(work( OFFICE%work%to%be%done?% I( none(given( FIELD%Work%to%be%done?% (I( none(given( " Casco&Bay&Estuary&Partnership& Chebeague&and&Cumberland&Land& Trust& Maine&Appalachian&Trail&Land&Trust& Oceanside&Conservation&Trust& Peaks&Island&Land&Preserve& Portland&Trails& Presumpscot&Regional&Land&Trust& Saco&Valley&Land&Trust& Scarborough&Land&Trust& SMCC& Three&Rivers&Land&Trust& Windham&Land&Trust& Name% I( Yes( I( I( Yes?( I( Yes( Yes( No( No( I( Yes( I( Yes( Yes( I( Yes( Yes( Yes( Not(sure( I( Yes( I( Yes( No( I( Yes( Yes( No( Yes( I( If(needed( I( Advance(planning(to(put(into(budget( No((maybe)( I( No( Could(raise( Very(little( No( ( Had% Want% Concerns% Funding%for%interns?% Interns?% interns?% about%interns?% Yes( Yes( (I( I( Maybe( Maybe( Yes( No( 5" Appendix C. Budget Table 5. Budget with No Partners. If SMCC ran the internship without a university or SCA partner, this is a cost breakdown. The total first-‐year cost would be $38,200 with this budget. Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Internship Program Expenses First Year Second Year Pre/Post Program Pre/Post Program Salaries Crew Leader $20/hr $10,000 $20/hr $10,000 Assistant Crew Leader $10/hr $2,500 Crew Interns 0 $3000/intern 0 $3000/intern Administration (incl. payroll) $500 $500 $500 $500 Presenter/ Trainer Honorarium 0 $200/each 0 $200/each Salaries Total $2,500 $26,100 $3,000 $37,600 Equipment and Supplies Field Gear (tools, first aid, etc.) $ 2,500 $ -‐ $ 500 $ -‐ Books and resources $ 800 $ -‐ $ 100 $ -‐ Printing $ 50 $ 500 $ 50 $ 600 Food $ -‐ $ 250 $ -‐ $ 300 Supplies Total $ 3,350 $ 750 $ 650 $ 900 Transportation Van Rental $ -‐ $ 3,000 $ -‐ $ 4,000 Mileage/Gas $ 200 $ 1,000 $ 300 $ 1,500 Transportation Total $ 200 $ 4,000 $ 300 $ 5,500 Home Base Office Space with GIS In kind at university? Storage Space (rental storage $ 600 $ -‐ $ 600 $ -‐ unit) Lodging for overnight stays $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 ?Housing? $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ Home Base Total $ 600 $ 300 $ 600 $ 300 Other Crew uniforms / shirt $ 100 $ -‐ $ 150 $ -‐ Workers Compensation $ -‐ ? $ -‐ ? Advertising $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ Other Total $ 400 $ -‐ $ 450 $ -‐ Total (by column) $ 7,050 $ 31,150 $ 5,000 $ 44,300 Total (each year) First Year: $ 38,200 2nd Year: $ 49,300 6 Table 6. Budget with University Partners. If SMCC ran the internship with a university partner, this is a cost breakdown. The total first-‐year cost would be $34,200 with this budget. Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Internship Program Expenses First Year Second Year Pre/Post Program Pre/Post Program Salaries Crew Leader $20/hr $10,000 $20/hr $10,000 Assistant Crew Leader $10/hr $2,500 Crew Interns 0 $3000/intern 0 $3000/intern Administration (incl. payroll) $500 $500 $500 $500 Presenter/ Trainer 0 $200/each 0 $200/each Honorarium Salaries Total $2,500 $26,100 $3,000 $37,600 Equipment and Supplies Field Gear (tools, first aid, etc.) $ 1,500 $ -‐ $ 500 $ -‐ Books and resources $ 800 $ -‐ $ 100 $ -‐ Printing $ 50 $ 500 $ 50 $ 600 Food $ -‐ $ 250 $ -‐ $ 300 Supplies Total $ 2,350 $ 750 $ 650 $ 900 Transportation Van Rental $ -‐ $ 100 $ -‐ $ 100 Mileage/Gas $ 200 $ 1,500 $ 300 $ 1,500 Transportation Total $ 200 $ 1,600 $ 300 $ 1,600 Home Base Office Space with GIS $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ Storage Space $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ Lodging for overnight stays $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 ?Housing? $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ Home Base Total $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 Other Crew uniforms / shirt $ 100 $ -‐ $ 150 $ -‐ Workers Compensation $ -‐ $ -‐ Advertising $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ Other Total $ 400 $ -‐ $ 450 $ -‐ Total (by column) $ 5,450 $ 28,750 $ 4,400 $ 40,400 Total (each year) First Year: $ 34,200 2nd Year: $ 44,800 7 Table 7. Budget with SCA Partners. If SMCC ran the internship with an SCA partner, this is a cost breakdown. The total first-‐year cost would be $35,600 with this budget. Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Internship Program Expenses First Year Second Year Pre/Post Program Pre/Post Program Salaries Crew Leader $20/hr $10,000 $20/hr $10,000 Assistant Crew Leader $10/hr $2,500 Crew Interns 0 $1700/intern 0 $1800/intern Administration (incl. payroll) SCA SCA SCA SCA Presenter/ Trainer Honorarium 0 $200/each 0 $200/each Salaries Total $2,000 $19,100 $2,500 $27,500 Equipment and Supplies Field Gear (tools, first aid, etc.) $ 2,500 $ -‐ $ 500 $ -‐ Books and resources $ 800 $ -‐ $ 100 $ -‐ Printing $ 50 $ 500 $ 50 $ 600 Food $ -‐ $ 250 $ -‐ $ 300 Supplies Total $ 3,350 $ 750 $ 650 $ 900 Transportation Van Rental $ -‐ $ 3,000 $ -‐ $ 4,000 Mileage/Gas $ 200 $ 1,000 $ 300 $ 1,500 Transportation Total $ 200 $ 4,000 $ 300 $ 5,500 Home Base Office Space with GIS In kind at university? Storage Space (rental storage $ 600 $ -‐ $ 600 $ -‐ unit) Lodging for overnight stays $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 ?Housing? $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ Home Base Total $ 600 $ 300 $ 600 $ 300 Other SCA $ -‐ $ 5,000 $ -‐ $ 6,000 Crew uniforms / shirt SCA SCA SCA SCA Workers Compensation SCA SCA SCA SCA Advertising $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ Other Total $ 300 $ 5,000 $ 300 $ 6,000 Total (by column) $ 6,450 $ 29,150 $ 4,350 $ 40,200 Total (each year) First Year: $ 35,600 2nd Year: $ 44,550 8 Table 8. Budget of Hybrid Model Crew. Leader is with crew three days (field), crew does office work independently (land trust supervision) while leader does field work for two days. More field work is accomplished, but more land trust management is needed. Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Internship Program Expenses First Year Second Year Pre/Post Program Pre/Post Program Salaries Crew Leader $20/hr $10,000 $20/hr $10,000 Assistant Crew Leader $10/hr $2,500 Crew Interns 0 $3000/intern 0 $3000/intern Administration (incl. payroll) $500 $500 $500 $500 Presenter/ Trainer Honorarium 0 $200/each 0 $200/each Salaries Total $2,500 $26,100 $3,000 $37,600 Equipment and Supplies Field Gear (tools, first aid, etc.) $ 2,500 $ -‐ $ 500 $ -‐ Books and resources $ 800 $ -‐ $ 100 $ -‐ Printing $ 50 $ 500 $ 50 $ 600 Food $ -‐ $ 250 $ -‐ $ 300 Supplies Total $ 3,350 $ 750 $ 650 $ 900 Transportation Van Rental $ -‐ $ 3,000 $ -‐ $ 4,000 Mileage/Gas $ 200 $ 1,000 $ 300 $ 1,500 Transportation Total $ 200 $ 4,000 $ 300 $ 5,500 Home Base Office Space with GIS In kind at university? Storage Space (rental storage $ 600 $ -‐ $ 600 $ -‐ unit) Lodging for overnight stays $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 ?Housing? $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ $ -‐ Home Base Total $ 600 $ 300 $ 600 $ 300 Other Crew uniforms / shirt $ 100 $ -‐ $ 150 $ -‐ Workers Compensation $ -‐ $ -‐ Advertising $ 300 $ -‐ $ 300 $ -‐ Other Total $ 400 $ -‐ $ 450 $ -‐ Total (by column) $ 7,050 $ 31,150 $ 5,000 $ 44,300 Total (each year) First Year: $ 38,200 2nd Year: $ 49,300 9 # ! ! Southern)Maine)Conservation)Collaborative)Internship)Program) Fee)for)Service)Income)Budget)DRAFT) ) ) Income! First&Year& ! ) Pre/Post(( ! Project)per)day) +! ! Project)per)week) +! ! Project)Total) +! ! Grant/Alternative) +! Funding) ) ! ! Model) ! Income/Expenses) University&Partnership& Expenses( Total((each(year)( Income!from!Projects! Income! Income!NEEDED! ) SSSCA&&&SCA&Partnership& Expenses( Total((each(year)( Income!from!Projects! Income! Income!NEEDED! ) No&Partnership& Expenses( Total((each(year)( Income!from!Projects! Income! Income!NEEDED! ! ! Table!9.!A!Fee+for+Service!Income!Structure.!! ($(35,600(( Second(Year:( ($(44,550(( !$!24,500!! ! !$!35,000!! !$!11,100!! ! !$!9,550!! ($(38,200(( Second(Year:( ($(49,300(( !$!24,500!! ! !$!35,000!! !$!13,700!! ! !$!14,300!! First(Year:( ! ! First(Year:( ! ! 10# ! ! ($(44,800(( !$!35,000!! !$!9,800!! ! ! First(Year:( ! ! ! ! Second(Year:( ! ! ! ! ($(34,200(( !$!24,500!! !$!9,700!! Program( $700!! $3,500!! $24,500!! see!below! ( ! ! ! ! Second&Year& Pre/Post(( Program( +! $1,000!! +! $5,000!! +! $35,000!! +! see!below! $5000+ 7000! $3000+ 4000! $1000+ 1500! # continued(on(next(page( !$!5,000!! !$!7,500!! !$!5,000!! !$!7,500!! !$!5,000!! !$!6,000!! !$!12,000!! !$!16,000!! ! (( ! ($(34,200(( (( ! (( ! (( ! (( ! (( ! ! !$!4,700!! !! !$!6,200!! !! !$!3,700!! ! !$!5,200!! !! !$!200!! 11# !$!20,800!! !$!18,300!! !$!17,800!! !$!15,300!! !$!16,800!! !$!14,300!! !$!15,800!! !$!10,800!! !$!24,000!! !$!26,500!! !$!27,000!! !$!29,500!! !$!28,000!! !$!30,500!! !$!29,000!! !$!34,000!! !$!44,800!! !! Second! Year:! !$!7,200!! !$!7,700!! !$10,200!! !$!24,000!! !$!26,500!! !$!27,000!! !$!29,500!! !$!28,000!! !$!30,500!! !$!29,000!! !$!34,000!! ! First( Year:( see!below! !$!24,000!! !$!26,500!! !$!27,000!! !$!29,500!! !$!28,000!! !$!30,500!! !$!29,000!! !$!34,000!! !$!7,500!! !$!9,000!! !$!5,000!! !$!12,000!! !$!12,000!! !$!9,000!! 4+5! !$!9,000!! !$!9,000!! 8) 3+4! 7) !$!10,000!! !$!10,000!! !$!10,000!! !$!10,000!! !$!!14,000!! !$!!14,000!! !$!12,000!! !$!12,000!! 6) 2! Grant/Alternative)Funding) ) ! ! Income/Expenses) Total((each( Expenses( year)( Income!from! Income! Projects! ! Income! NEEDED! Total!(each! Expenses( year)! Income!from! Income! Projects! ! Income! NEEDED! Level) 1) Level) 2) Level) 3) Total) Table!10!.!A!Tiered!Contributions!Income!Structure.!! ) Southern)Maine)Conservation)Collaborative)Internship)Program) Income) Tiered!contributions! Scenario) from!land!trusts! ) Amount( Contributors( 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) University)Partnership) Total((each( year)( Income!from! Projects! Income! Income! NEEDED! Total((each( Expenses( year)( Income!from! Projects! Income! Income! NEEDED! # ) Total((each( year)( Income!from! Projects! Income! Income! NEEDED! Total((each( Expenses( year)( Income!from! Projects! Income! Income! NEEDED! Expenses( Expenses( SCA)Partnership) No)Partnership) ($(35,600(( (( (( (( !! !! !! ($(44,550(( (( !$!8,600!! (( !$!6,100!! (( !$!7,600!! (( !$!5,100!! (( !$!6,600!! (( !$!1,600!! ($(38,200(( (( (( (( (( (( !! !! !$!9,200!! !! !$!!4,200!! ! ! 12# !$!25,300!! !$!22,800!! !$!22,300!! !$!19,800!! !$!21,300!! !$!18,800!! !$!20,300!! !$!15,300!! !$!24,000!! !$!26,500!! !$!27,000!! !$!29,500!! !$!28,000!! !$!30,500!! !$!29,000!! !$!34,000!! !! !! !! Second( Year:( ($(49,300(( (( !$!10,200!! !$!7,700!! !$!14,200!! !$!11,700!! !$!11,200!! !$!8,700!! !$!24,000!! !$!26,500!! !$!27,000!! !$!29,500!! !$!28,000!! !$!30,500!! !$!29,000!! !$!34,000!! First( Year:( !$!!20,550!! !$!!18,050!! !$!!17,550!! !$!15,050!! !$!!16,550!! !$!14,050!! !$!15,550!! !$!!10,550!! !$!!24,000!! !$!26,500!! !$!!27,000!! !$!!29,500!! !$!!28,000!! !$!!30,500!! !$!!29,000!! !$!34,000!! Second( Year:(( !$!11,600!! !$!9,100!! !$!!24,000!! !$!26,500!! !$!27,000!! !$!29,500!! !$!28,000!! !$!30,500!! !$!29,000!! !$!34,000!! First( Year:( Appendix D . A sample grant proposal to a funding organization. Applying College Knowledge to Land Conservation: The LANDS Internship Proposal to: Funding Organization Submitted by: Leader, SMCC Internship Program Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative 217 Commercial Street, Suite 302 Portland, Maine 04101 (610)999-‐7286 13 Overview Though interns are often relegated to coffee brewing and photocopying, this internship program is designed to bring them respect and credibility as land stewards. After consulting with the member land trusts of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative to understand their land stewardship needs, this program was developed for the Collaborative. It was inspired by the Vermont-‐based LANDS program, in which students gain field and professional skills while inventorying natural resources and crafting management plans. Better conservation, applied student learning, and no coffee errands. Problem and Opportunity Statement: College students gain a variety of knowledge during their university experience, but often lack the chance to apply these skills and prepare for employment after school. A 2013 survey of employers by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that 86% of the employers felt that all college students, regardless of major, should have direct experiences with community problem solving. In addition, 78% of employers felt that colleges and universities should place more emphasis on applied knowledge in real world settings (Hart Research Associates). Cash-‐strapped land trusts have an abundance of field and office work to be done, and lack time or funding to complete the work needed to steward their land. Many land trusts, and specifically those members of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (SMCC), are largely volunteer-‐based. The volunteers do not have the time or expertise to adequately complete natural resource inventories, baseline data reports, management plans, and other conservation strategies for their land. The Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative internship program meets both of these needs. In this cohort model, a crew of interns works under the direction of a leader to carry out skilled conservation work for land trusts. The interns’ work includes performing rapid ecological assessments, surveying for invasive species, developing GIS maps, and applying other college learned skills. This allows students to apply college knowledge and develop problem solving skills vital to their success in future endeavors, while providing the land trusts with valuable conservation work. Because the leader teaches and manages the interns’ work, the land trust can input limited time to the process while receiving valuable work. Incorporating high quality internship experiences into students’ learning paths, and providing a service to community organizations, is a mutually beneficial opportunity. Goals and Objectives: Goals: • Complete land stewardship tasks for the member land trusts of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (SMCC). • Develop college student skills in problem solving and applied conservation. 14 Objectives: • Solicit applications from college sophomores through recent graduates by March 24, 201X. • Select up to 10 applicants to interview by March 30, 201X. • Hire five applicants for the SMCC intern crew by April 20, 201X. • Prepare training and summer work schedule, including recruiting guest lectures and working with land trusts to identify projects, by May 15, 201X. • Finalize transportation, gear, GIS lab space by May 15, 201X. • Train interns in map and compass, GPS, field identification, land trust tenets, and other essential skills during the first week of the program -‐ June 9-‐13, 201X. • Work with interns to perform field and office work for SMCC member land trusts – June 16-‐August 1, 201X. o Interns will share knowledge through the cohort model o Interns will learn from the leader o Interns will engage with professionals from each land trust • Finalize reports, present findings and experience, wrap up – August 4-‐8, 201X. • Debrief, update website, and pack down – August 11-‐15, 201X. Methods: In order to develop this program, the first parts of this process involved co-‐leading the LANDS Vermont team, understanding how that program works, and meeting with the member land trusts of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative. During these meetings, the land trusts expressed their needs for stewardship work, both in the field and in the office. Based on this information, as well as research about internship best practices and input from the interns and leaders of the LANDS Vermont crew, a program was developed to serve the SMCC land trusts and college students. To run the program, the land trusts will contribute funding on a tiered scale, with the remaining funding sourced from grants. A leader with qualifications including a master’s degree in a related field and significant experience will manage the crew, including soliciting applications, hiring the crew, and training them. The leader, along with the executive director of SMCC, will work with the land trusts to identify conservation stewardship projects in the field and office. These projects will be knowledge-‐based, focused on applying the students’ knowledge from their college studies to real-‐world work. Examples include trail location planning, natural resource inventories, wildlife management plants, baseline documentation reports, and GIS mapping. The interns will work as a crew, learning from both the leader and from one another, tapping into the knowledge of each person to enhance the group’s capabilities. The internship will run for nine weeks, with the first week being a week of intensive training in the general skills required. The training week will include guest speakers to teach specific topics such as the background on land trusts. The next seven weeks will be project based. The intern crew will perform work, in a ratio of three field days to two office 15 days, to meet the needs identified by the land trusts. The final week will be for finalizing the reports to the land trusts, a public presentation of the interns’ work, and debrief. The leader will work before and after the program to prepare and wrap up. The work completed for the land trusts will meet their identified stewardship needs and help them to maintain the necessary documentation for their properties. The leader’s guidance will reduce the amount of time that the land trust must be actively participating; in general an initial meeting on the first day of the project will be sufficient. Having a crew of five interns and one leader will allow for relatively large tasks to be completed in short amounts of time, at a lower cost than would be charged by a consultant. The interns will learn new skills through training, leader guidance, and from their peers. In addition, they will apply knowledge that they have gained in the classroom to land conservation. The interns will develop their ability to problem solve, engage with professionals in the field, work with others in challenging conditions, and build their resume. They will also receive a stipend for their work. Deliverables: 1. Professional quality project work done for member land trusts of SMCC for seven weeks. 2. Complete written reports, including GIS data, for each project completed. 3. Demonstrated skill increase in crew interns in natural resource conservation. Works Cited Hart Research Associates. It Takes More Than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success (Washington, DC: AAC&U, 2013), www.aacu.org/leap/public_ opinion_research.cfm 16 Appendix E. A brief about the internship program for member land trusts/ board. A Land Stewardship Intern Crew for the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Why an internship program? An internship program is being designed to work with the land trusts of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (SMCC) to carry out stewardship and assist with management planning on land trust properties. The interns will bring specific knowledge and skills such as plant identification, GIS mapping, and landscape interpretation to their work. In addition, an internship program will allow college students to apply their knowledge to the work of land trusts and build a cadre of land stewards. What will the intern crew do? A small cohort of interns led by a crew leader will work together on a property, moving between land trusts as the summer progresses. The crew will perform knowledge-‐based field work work requested by a land trust. This could include Baseline Documentation Reports, trail assessments and placements, natural resource inventories, wildlife assessments, management plans, creating educational materials, and other stewardship activities. For each project, the crew will create a report, with GIS maps, compiled data, and results in professional form. Because many of the SMCC land trusts have strongly requested help with office organization and record-‐keeping work, a portion of the crew’s time (likely a half to full day each week) could be devoted to these activities. This might include converting files to digital, online databases. How will we pay for it? Hiring the intern crew will ideally be a more budget friendly way of hiring a consultant. The intern crew will be paid, and provide a professional report based on their work. The land 17 trust members of SMCC will contribute a portion of the cost of hiring the intern crew. Other funding will come from grants. Who will manage the interns? What is the time commitment for the hiring land trust? Initially, each land trust will propose conservation work to be done on their property. On the first day at a property, the crew leader and intern crew will meet with someone from the land trust. They’ll have a chance to explain the work, show the crew the property, and answer questions. Then, the crew leader will manage the interns for the duration of the project. Why should we support a conservation intern crew? What will we gain? The intern crew will carry out important land conservation work for the organization and provide high quality reports based on their work. They will use their collective knowledge to problem solve and perform the work that is needed with a limited time commitment from the hiring land trust. The crew will also more efficiently carry out tasks that would be tedious for an individual. In addition to the benefits to the land trust, the college students will learn and apply conservation knowledge. They’ll also strengthen communication and group skills, and experience professional work to be well-‐rounded applicants for conservation work. Where to from here? The development of the intern crew for SMCC is in the works, and preparing for Summer 2014. In the longer term, the goal is to expand the program to meet additional needs of the land trusts and to better prepare students for work with conservation organizations. 18