Delaware River Watershed Fellowship Opportunities
Summer 2017
Experience the Delaware River Watershed like never before: become a Delaware River Watershed Fellow at one of 23 regional environmental centers this summer.
What is a Delaware River Watershed Fellowship? - A Delaware River Watershed Fellowship is a paid 12-week internship from June through August. - Fellows work 35-40 hours a week at one of 23 environmental centers located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware. - Fellowships are aimed at engaging young people to become ambassadors for the Delaware River Watershed.
What will a Fellow do? - Fellows will serve at one of 23 Environmental Centers throughout the Delaware River Watershed, assisting in environmental programming, recreation activities on the trail and waterways, habitat enhancement projects and community outreach and engagement. Each Center is unique - check out the list of position summaries below! - Participate in a 3 day watershed training ‘bootcamp’ at the Pocono Environmental Education Center. - Complete a Capstone Project and present their work at the Summer Summit at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia.
Who can be a Watershed Fellow? - The Centers are looking to hire young adults from their own surrounding communities. Watershed Fellows must be 18 - 24 years old by the June 5th program start date. - A good Fellow will be someone interested in learning and teaching others about taking care of the streams, creeks and rivers that run through our Delaware River Watershed communities. A background in environmental science is NOT required.
The Delaware River Watershed Fellowship is a collaborative effort of 23 environmental centers throughout the Delaware River Watershed. Through the support of the William Penn Foundation, this network of environmental centers aims to increase engagement and action toward the protection and restoration of the Delaware River Watershed, while increasing the capacity of each of the 23 Centers, enhancing center collaboration and expanding and diversifying career opportunities for young adults throughout the watershed.
Find a Fellowship! Below is a list of Fellowship opportunities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Interested applicants should email a cover letter, résumé and two references directly to the contact person provided. Application deadline is March 24, 2017.
Pennsylvania ------
Bristol Marsh Nature Fellow will serve the (Heritage community by providing outreach Conservancy) and programming to underserved Bristol, PA populations in the City of Reading Bartram's Garden and work to build partnerships Philadelphia, PA With over 350 species inventoried, among those organizations who Bristol Marsh provides unique serve these populations. In The DRW Fellow at Bartram’s outdoor classroom and recreational addition, specific outreach and Garden will support our efforts to opportunities in a highly urbanized community education around the connect the Southwest Philadelphia area. The Watershed Fellow will creation of an extension of the community to the Garden, the work with Heritage Conservancy to Angelica Creek Trail will be among newly opened Bartram’s Mile river monitor water quality at Bristol their activities. Fellows will monitor trail, and the Schuylkill River itself. Marsh and inventory recreational and document trail activity, The fellow will support the use of the preserve through gathering data on how the trail is Bartram’s Garden paddling observations and surveys. The being used through surveys and program, assisting with free public fellow will work with Heritage through daily observation and paddles on Saturdays and field trip Conservancy staff to engage the share that information in public paddles for summer camps during community and local businesses to meetings advocating for the the week. The fellow will also assist develop partnerships surrounding extension of a new trail segment. with the creation and stewardship at the Marsh and Spanish speaking a plus. Contact: implementation of the “Southwest conduct educational outreach on Kim Murphy, President Youth Rangers” pilot program, a the importance of watershed [email protected] program to provide summer jobs health. Additional work will involve for local youth as docents and assisting on a storm drain project stewards for their community green and further development of spaces. Contact: Justin DiBerardinis, summer programs at the Marsh. Director of Community and Contact: Shannon L. Fredebaugh, Government Relations, Senior Community Engagement [email protected] Associate sfredebaugh@heritageconservancy. org
Berks Cobbs Creek Community Nature (BN) Environmental Education Center Reading, PA Philadelphia, PA
Berks Nature The Fellow will receive training to is currently serve as a Trail Manager and constructing a new nature center, become the lead person for our The Nature Place, with occupancy network of paved and unpaved in early August 2017. The Berks
trails throughout the Park. This will part of the Audubon team to include leading walks for visitors, connect people to nature, and participating in “Second Saturday” encourage them to care for our programs, and showing trails to the precious green spaces. Contact: participants in the After-School Rhyan Grech, Program Manager of Program. The Trail Manager will Community Stewardship also assign tasks for volunteers like [email protected] our Docents and the Boy Scouts as well as community members. This Fairmount will include installation of markers Water Works and periodic trail maintenance and (FWW) clean-ups. The Fellow will also help Philadelphia, PA design and administer surveys for Independence Seaport Museum trail users, and be the contact The Watershed Education Fellow person for registered volunteers Philadelphia, PA will support all environmental Independence Seaport Museum gathered during River Days events. education summer programs at the Contact: George Ambrose, deepens the appreciation, FWW, the public education understanding and experience of [email protected] outreach center for the the Philadelphia region’s Philadelphia Water Department. waterways through history, science, Summer programs include those at art and community. Surrounded by our site for pre-K through middle Floating Wetlands on our dock, the school age and visitors of all ages, Watershed Fellow will engage the and field experiences with students community while functioning as a in area waterways. The Fairmount Dock Hand. Dock Hands are Water Works is seeking a candidate responsible for ensuring that interested in developing an proper safety protocol and visitor understanding of or has familiarity assistance is provided during with interactive teaching methods, waterfront programming, including environmental science and public small boat rentals, special Philadelphia history, strong events, and summer camp. Come communication and organization enjoy the water with us! Contact: Audubon Pennsylvania skills and the ability to multi-task. Michael J Flynn Philadelphia, PA Our site is in a beautiful setting Vice President of Interpretation and
along the Schuylkill River in the Visitor Experience, The Watershed Fellow will serve heart of Philadelphia ’s Fairmount [email protected] Philadelphians in priority Park. Our watershed education watersheds and neighborhoods by team is a fun and energetic group. John Heinz National working to protect birds and other Contact: Ellen Schultz, Associate Wildlife Refuge at wildlife, and their habitats. The Director of Education Tinicum Fellow will work with Audubon staff [email protected] Philadelphia, PA to host volunteer work parties at restoration sites, and will provide hands-on activities at events and This Watershed Fellow will lead festivals around the city. The Fellow guided hikes along the lower Darby will also work with youth through Creek at the refuge as well as work nature-based summer camp with other staff to deliver visitor programs, and will develop services programming around innovative ways to connect new water issues, tidal marsh ecology audiences to Audubon’s programs. and more. They will engage refuge This position will be an important visitors to give direction and collect information to better understand
our visiting public. The participant such as succession monitoring and capstone project, such as creating a will also work with our urban team habitat gardening, refuge “landowner best practices” to recruit participants from our maintenance such as trail marketing campaign and materials target communities to participate maintenance, and caring for our and conduct outreach in the local in programming on and off-site. arboretum. In addition, the fellow private communities to encourage Contact: David Stoughton, Visitor will be trained and work with a landowner stewardship practices. Services Manager network of fellows and will To better engage visitors the Fellow [email protected] complete a capstone project for will work weekends and choose LGNC and the network with the two mid-week days off. Needs to be guidance of your LGNC mentor and comfortable hiking and be able to perhaps in consultation with other lift and carry 40lbs. Contact: Derek fellows. Contact: Dan Kunkle, Scott, Public Program Manager, John James Audubon Center Executive Director, [email protected] Audubon, PA [email protected]
Schuylkill River The Watershed Fellow will serve Heritage Area the JJAC watershed community by (Schuykill River engaging the Norristown Area Greenway School District summer program in Association) environmental education, Stoney Pottstown, PA Creek cleanups and native plant lessons. Fellows will work with JJAC The Schuylkill River Heritage Area is staff to guide canoe programs along seeking a full-time, seasonal the Perkiomen Creek. Fellows will environmental education fellow monitor and document creek who will work from June through health, gathering data on August to help establish and carry macroinvertebrates, water quality out water quality monitoring and tests, and habitat assessment. The Schuylkill River Water Trail Fellow will help keep the creek and engagement programs. Duties will trails clean and provide resources include: Working with Community such as trail maps and event flyers College faculty to develop a water to park, canoe and trail users. quality monitoring program for Contact: Carrie Barron, Assistant Pocono Environmental students; creating a survey that can Director, [email protected] Education Center be posted at water trail landings to Dingmans Ferry, PA gauge attitudes and numbers of Lehigh Gap people paddling the river; visiting Nature Center The Watershed Fellow will work water trail landings on periodic Slatington, PA with PEEC staff to educate and to weekends to conduct surveys; engage the local community, and working with National Park Service The Watershed visitors to PEEC and Delaware rangers to organize an evening Fellow will serve Water Gap National Recreation program with a focus on the LGNC Area, about issues concerning conservation and the local national community by water quality and the importance parks; supporting other regional engaging trail users with our of the upriver Delaware River events that connect to the SRHA watershed education message, watershed. The Fellow will lead trail mission, including tabling and helping lead center programs and hikes on PEEC’s 14 miles of trails, handing out literature. Contact: working with our Color of Nature conduct environmental and Laura Catalano, Communications leaders with our off-site programs recreational programs and collect Director in Allentown. Fellow will participate and analyze visitor survey data. The [email protected] in refuge conservation programs Fellow will also undertake a
Schuylkill River, and help with land park cleanups and guided nature stewardship projects that restore walks. Fellows will work with TTF the forests and fields of our staff to host environmental 340-acre campus in Philadelphia. In programs along the 3.2 mile Tacony addition, the Fellow will be integral Creek trail. Fellows will monitor and in gathering data on the Center’s document trail activity, gathering connection to the Schuylkill River data on how the trail is being used Trail, documenting usage, polling through surveys and through daily trail users, and helping us form a observation. The Fellow will help stronger connection between our keep the trail clean and inviting and Center and trail users. Contact: provide resources such as trail Elisabeth Zafiris, Acting Director of maps and event flyers to park and Education trail users. Spanish speaking a plus. [email protected] Contact: Robin Irizarry, Philadelphia Watershed Coordinator, [email protected] Schuylkill Center for
Environmental Education Philadelphia, PA
Tookany/Tacony-Frankford The Watershed Fellow will assist in Watershed Partnership (TTF) the Center’s environmental Philadelphia, PA education and land stewardship programs. The Fellow will engage The Watershed Fellow will serve Center visitors and summer camp the TTF watershed community by participants in activities and lessons engaging Tacony Creek Park trail that teach about the Delaware users in environmental education, River Watershed and the nearby
New Jersey ------
Camden Children’s Garden and in They should also feel comfortable Camden, NJ in Watershed communicating with a wide age Education. They will engage visitors group from young children through in activities and lessons. They will adults. Interested applicants seek unique ways to improve should contact Valerie Frick, awareness of our educational [email protected] opportunities that increase participation in program offerings. Camden County Environmental They will be responsible for Center collecting data and participating in Cherry Hill and Blackwood, program, content and impact Gloucester Township, NJ evaluations. They will select a capstone activity which includes Camden Children's Garden The Watershed Fellow will serve development, marketing and (Camden City Garden Club) Camden County residents through evaluation of the project. Their projects and programming at the Camden, NJ scheduled days will reflect the days Camden County Environmental when they can make the largest Center along the Cooper River Circuit This Watershed Fellow will serve impact on the visitor experience, visitors and lead programs at the Trail in Cherry Hill and at the Camden (Wednesday through Sunday). County Environmental Park located a
short distance from the Blackwood involve interacting with trail users bald eagles, and tree identification. Rail Trail. Both locations are located through roving naturalist activities, Fellow will also propose and along major tributaries of the providing information on upcoming undertake a Capstone Project. Delaware Watershed and fellows will events, collecting evaluation data Contact: Olivia Glenn, NJCF: engage trail and river users in on best practices for engaging the [email protected] environmental education, park public, and participating in lessons cleanups and other outdoor and and field trips for Camden City environmental experiences. Fellows youth during summer camp. will have the opportunity to choose Contact: Angela Wenger, Executive from a variety of focus projects to VP & Chief Operating Officer, support ongoing Sustainable Camden [email protected] County Initiatives, including outreach to flood-prone county communities, programming along both trails for the Camden County Bike Share Program, and watershed education for community groups and families through walks and hands-on The workshops. Contact: Maggie McCann, Watershed Camden County Environmental Center Educator, [email protected] Pennington, NJ New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) & New Jersey The Fellow will assist the Natural Lands Trust (NJNLT) Watershed Center’s Science & Camden, NJ Stewardship staff in launching a set of comprehensive water quality This is an exciting opportunity for a monitoring studies in the Central dynamic individual to spend ten Delaware Watershed and weeks this summer as a Watershed communicate the purpose and
Fellow who will examine barriers to initial findings of the studies. The
utilization of natural resources and Fellow will help our scientists participation in environmental conduct site assessments; monitor education programs by natural and anthropogenic events; underrepresented communities deploy and utilize monitoring throughout Camden County and equipment in the field; analyze, summarize and report results. The Center for Aquatic Sciences the Cooper River watershed. Fellow Fellow will also participate in the (CAS) will be paired with another Watershed Center’s volunteer and Camden, NJ Watershed Fellow and work with K-12 educational outreach efforts NJCF and NJNLT staff to: develop about pollution and watershed The Watershed Fellow will serve and conduct community surveys at health. Additionally, the Fellow will visitors to the Camden Waterfront various sites through Camden create an exhibit/poster about the and surrounding neighborhood County, conduct walkability surveys project for display in the Watershed communities through watershed to/from various Camden County Center and/or use at community and environmental education parks and trails, evaluate and events and informal interactions outdoor activities and city summer propose open space amenities or with users of area trails. Contact: camps. The CAS staff and Fellow interpretive programs, and develop Steven Tuorto, PhD, Director of will collaborate to design programs and implement interpretive Science & Stewardship for the public and Camden City programs related to historical and [email protected] youth. The breadth of work will cultural resources, invasive species,
The Fellow will gain a firm projects such as monitoring water foundation in what it takes to quality and aquatic insect develop and run an environmental populations in the marsh. A full education program, from planning introduction to the plants, wildlife, the message and activity to archaeology and Native American marketing it through community history of the Abbott Marshlands contacts and social media. Regular will be provided. Contact: Kelly activities will include building Rypkema, Manager, relationships with community [email protected] groups, and leading hands-on programs about archaeology, fishing, wildlife and other topics appropriate to the Abbott Marshlands. While the focus for the Tulpehaking Nature Center at position will be on environmental the Abbott Marshlands education, the Fellow will also Trenton, NJ participate in animal care, trail maintenance, and conservation
Delaware ------
experience with the local waterways and water issues. The Watershed Fellow/GLOBE Reliable transportation needed. Intern will work on the Stream Contact: John Harrod, DuPont Environmental Stewards Project, which is a Citizen [email protected] Science partnership between The Education Center (Delaware Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Nature Society) Delaware and First State National Wilmington, DE Historical Park (FRST). This position
will support the Stream Stewards The Watershed Fellow greets and program by developing outreach interprets the natural and cultural strategies in the Wilmington history to the public including community to make connections visitors on the 2 mile Wilmington between watersheds and urban Riverfront and at DNS’ DuPont residents. The fellow will also assist Environmental Education Center in the supervision of educational and Russell W. Peterson Urban watershed activities in FRST with Wildlife Refuge. The Fellow works groups of High School interns. The with staff to engage audiences of all fellow will develop and present a ages and backgrounds and leads capstone project to share at a them in daily environmental Watershed Fellowship summit at programs and nature walks. Fellow the end of the summer. Contact: will document through The Nature Conservancy Kim Hachadoorian, Stream conversation and surveys the (Delaware) Stewards Project Manager communities’ knowledge of and Wilmington, DE [email protected]
------