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Tropical Forestry Initiative
Environmental Leadership Center of Warren Wilson College
Internship Program · Summer
"Being in Costa Rica helped me to complete a part of this lifelong learning that now equips me to be a more informed, skilled , and wise environmental citizen. I feel I understand more deeply the complex, interrelated sides to the problem of tropical deforestation... The skills I acquired in Costa Rica will all surely add to my abilities as a worker in the global environmental field." -Lisa Gonzalez
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INTERNSHIP:
Under the guidance of our friend and advisor, Carl Leopold, the Tropical Forestry Initiative aims to restore the rain forest one tree at a time. Carl and his colleagues have a 300-acre farm, named Los Arboles, which is an ideal field site for monitoring and restoring indigenous tree species. This internship requires strong dedication, physical fitness, and familiarity with Spanish. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in relevant ecology and Spanish classes.
LOCATION: Los Arboles, Costa Rica
DATES & DURATION: 4 weeks, July 2 - July 31, with travel to Costa Rica on July 2 and return July 31.
NUMBER OF POSITIONS: Two or three
LAST YEAR INTERN(S): Renee Gaudet, Taft Barnett, Kate Rose
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.tropicalforestry.org
Job Description
"I quickly came to appreciate the power of a chain saw as I hacked away at a tree
with a knife. Though I greatly missed the power of electrical tools, I was able to understand the difficulty and hardship that the locals experience when attempting to reforest a pasture land. I also saw how using simple manual tools had less negative impact on the environment (no use of fossil fuels, less noise and air pollution, less careless chopping)." -Erin Jasin
DESCRIPTION OF INTERN RESPONSIBILITIES:
Intern(s) will work on projects related to reforestation. These projects could include nursery work, tree planting and/or thinning, measurement, chopping invasive species, etc. Work on other projects as needed, especially local erosion control planting. Participate in research data gathering. Intern(s) must accept responsibility for the flexibility needed to get along with a small group of other students for a month while living and working together at the project.
QUALIFICATIONS:
A student in good standing at Warren Wilson College who qualifies through the ELC's internship program. Interns must have no physical limitations that could cause difficulties in a rural tropical situation. Medical problems such as asthma should be able to be managed by the intern. Interns must be resilient enough physically to able to do physical work in a humid tropical environment. Actual strength is not the issue. Interns need to be accepting of cultural differences and simple living conditions. They need to be able to deal with the presence of ants, spiders, scorpions and snakes. Some knowledge of tropical forest ecology and basic ecology. We suggest reading The Neotropical Companion by John Kricher before coming. Finally, the intern must meet all follow-up requirements mandated by the ELC's Internship Program.
COMPENSATION:
A $200.00 stipend is awarded to intern(s). Room, board and round trip air travel are provided.
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