Land Stewardship Summer Intern

Job Opportunity: 2026 Land Stewardship Summer Internship

About the Orleans Conservation Trust

The Trust protects and restores natural lands — for people and wildlife, the health of our waters, and the character of our community.

A private nonprofit organization, the Trust acquires and manages land to enhance habitat, provides opportunities for learning and for enjoying nature, promotes sound conservation practices, and works with landowners who wish to conserve property.

Since its founding in 1970, OCT has preserved over 700 acres in Orleans through deeded gifts, conservation restrictions, and land purchases.

Our interns work side-by-side with staff and community leaders on land stewardship initiatives. OCT interns gain valuable professional experience and will be inspired to be the environmental stewards of the future.

Position Description

The intern will work directly with staff to advance the mission of OCT through a variety of land management activities. The intern can expect to be involved with property inspections and maintenance, long and short-term land management planning, habitat management, property documentation, and volunteer engagement. They will report to OCT’s Director of Land Stewardship and will also work closely with the Land Stewardship Technician. This is a paid opportunity, with possible opportunities for housing support.

Responsibilities Overview

• Prepare management plans for fee simple properties.
• Assist with property monitoring and reporting.
• Help coordinate and participate in volunteer workdays (twice monthly).
• Conduct trail maintenance and management of properties, including regular mowing, corridor clearing, and boundary marking.
• Oversight of an active habitat improvement area.
• Maintain a photo repository of conservation properties, invasive and native plant species, and habitat improvement projects, including before and after photos of volunteer workday projects.
• Other duties as needed.

Opportunities for Experience

• Introduction to various land management strategies and techniques.
• Conservation property monitoring and reporting.
• Rare, threatened, and endangered species monitoring.
• Invasive and native plant identification.
• Baseline report preparation for conservation properties.
• Researching and interpreting deeds, survey plans, and other real estate documents.
• Locating and demarcating property boundaries.
• Proper use of power and hand tools for land management work.
• Basic map making with ArcGIS (depending on experience).

Expectations

• This position requires both field and office work.
• Start and end date: The ideal candidate will be able to start in early June and work through mid-August (approximately 10-12 weeks), with some flexibility.
• Hours: 4-5 days/week (40 hours), with some flexibility.
• Oversight: Report to the Director of Land Stewardship daily. Meetings will be conducted at least weekly to determine priorities for that week. The intern will work independently and directly with OCT staff.

Candidate Qualifications

• Individuals who intend to work in the environmental sector with a background in environmental studies, biology, natural resource management, or related field preferred.
• Enthusiasm for conservation; strong interpersonal skills; flexibility; self-motivation; ability to communicate with others.
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to work outdoors in variable weather conditions using various land management equipment.
• Applicant must be able to perform the essential functions of the internship, including field-based land management activities, which involve the use and maintenance of power tools and hand tools, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Compensation

$18/hour, plus gas mileage reimbursement

Benefits

This internship offers a unique and immersive introduction to nonprofit operations, conservation techniques and strategies, ecological restoration projects, and land trust policy. The intern will work directly with land trust staff and volunteers and will become very familiar with the innerworkings of a community-based nonprofit and the requirements and challenges of responsible land stewardship. OCT’s summer internship is a valuable learning opportunity, and the intern can make a tangible impact to further OCT’s mission while making valuable career connections.

OCT strives to sustain and strengthen an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all staff, volunteers, and visitors. We embrace diversity and experience with a broad range of perspectives to identify challenges and discover and generate solutions.