Student Conservation Association seeks requests for interns

Requesting SCA Conservation Interns starting between April-September 2007

You have received this email because you have either utilized SCA services in the past or have expressed interest in doing so. If you are not interested in SCA services at this time please pass this on to a colleague who may be or simply disregard.

We are contacting you first and foremost to alert you to the record setting number of highly qualified applicants we currently have on file desiring to serve this spring and summer and which is rapidly growing with each day. For our federal partners, we also realize that due to multiple Continuing Resolutions, but finally concluding with the end-of-the-year Resolution on February 15th, your budget and planning processes have been delayed, thereby reducing the number of management options at your disposal. Our healthy applicant pool, combined with streamlined internal administrative processes (note: applicable for non-federal partners too) will enable us to respond more quickly than ever before to supplementing your seasonal staffing needs.

In case you are unfamiliar with Conservation Interns: Conservation Interns (CI) are college students, recent graduates, and other adults (including graduate students) who serve as interns typically from three to twelve months. SCA annually places approximately 2000 Conservation Internships of a wide variety. Even partners who have worked with SCA for years are surprised by the broad spectrum of roles SCA interns can play. It widely known that CIs serve in visitor services and interpretation, and a broad range of resource, recreation or park management, but SCA interns are routinely engaged in many other activities such as inventorying and monitoring of species, GIS/GPS projects, coordinating other volunteers, invasive species research and eradication, prescribed fire and fuels management, site restoration and revegetation, researching and writing management plans, engaging in community outreach, range management, serving as artists-in-residence, and other cultural resource activities, etc. It is easier to say what they can't do, namely, law enforcement.

If you would like to see examples of position descriptions that other agencies are using please visit the SCA web site, the "Request Field Help from SCA" link and from there the "Search for an SCA Internship" link to our searchable database. This is not a comprehensive listing, but only the subset of positions for which we are currently recruiting.

What are the costs? the link to "Request Field Help from SCA" and the subsequent link to "Internship Cost Estimates," but, to give you an idea, the basic program model is for a 3-month internship which costs an estimated $3,395 (assumes you provide housing).

What is the process?

Simply complete the online request form, by going to the SCA web site www.thesca.org and then click on the "Request Field Help from SCA" link and from there the "Request an SCA Intern or Crew" link. You may also access the online request form directly from www.thesca.org/ptnrs_request/.

* Although you may not know your budget for this time period, please submit requests now for interns you need and can reasonably expect to fund to access the greatest number of applicants for your review. This does not commit you; you may cancel your request later if your budget necessitates.

* We will send you applicants to review and/or applicants will self-designate for your position. In either case, it is important to know that you make the selection of your intern(s), from either electronic applications sent to you or by mailed hard copy applications, if you prefer.

* For federal partners who ask, "under what authority can I do this?", please know that we operate with your agency under a 5-year, fully authorized, national cooperative agreement.

* For National Park Service partners, please be informed that WASO has recently decided that the SCA National Cooperative Agreement will not be superseded by grants.gov processes and that it will be "business as usual" in working with SCA for the remainder of this year.

If you have any questions, feel free to call Rita Corliss, Assistant Director for Conservation Internships (603) 543-1700 ext. 398 - rcorliss@thesca.org) or Jase Harris in Partnership Development (603) 543-1700 ext. 215 - jharris@thesca.org). We look forward to working with you in FY 2007.