Canadian Conservation Corps Ontario Land Conservation Internship

CCC interns in the field

Do you want to work with organizations that protect tens of thousand of acres of nature in Ontario?

Land trusts are charitable, non-governmental organizations working in our communities to:

  • Protect nature against development by making new nature reserves
  • Restore and monitor threatened ecosystems
  • Safeguard habitat for endangered species
  • Create trails and deliver educational programs that connect people with nature

Through an immersive internship program, Kawartha Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy of Canada, The Couchiching Conservancy, Thames Talbot Land Trust and Huron Stewardship Council are partnering with Canadian Wildlife Federation to introduce youth between 18-30 to Ontario’s NGOs specializing in private land conservation.

Do you want to:

  • Make a difference by helping community organizations that protect nature?
  • Develop fieldwork skills that employers in the conservation sector want?
  • Network with sector professionals and learn to speak the language of conservation NGOs in Ontario?
  • Work hard outside, getting your hands dirty and exploring the woods, wetlands and fields?
  • Practice the office skills that inform and organize conservation action (such as data management, planning, operations)?

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS:

Participants enroll in the Canadian Conservation Corps (CCC) and commit to completion of the 3 stages of the program. The first day of the program is April 24, 2022, in Orillia.

Applicants that apply specifically to the ‘Ontario Land Conservation Internship’ enter a special stream of the CCC. Before you’re placed in a Land Trust for the second phase of the program, you’ll participate in a week-long training session unique to the Ontario Land Conservation Internship. Over the week you’ll be introduced to the Land Trust movement and receive certifications and skills that you’ll develop further in your placements. Formal training can include: Invasive plant management techniques (including safe pesticide use), flora and fauna ID skills, an introduction to property law, field work 101, an introduction to science based conservation planning, field navigation and mapping.

Next you will be placed in a host Land Trust for a four-month, full-time internship ending mid-August. The placement is unpaid, but accommodation, transport and groceries are provided by CWF.

Your placement will involve activities such as:

  • Tree planting and other ecological restoration
  • Invasive plant management
  • Assisting with property management tasks and property monitoring
  • Ecological inventories
  • Trail work
  • Data management, mapping and assisting with reporting
  • Species at Risk research and recovery

Hosts are committed to ensuring interns make a meaningful contribution to their organization’s work, and that you’re gaining experience and skills that will help you in your career. Long days doing monotonous tasks in the heat or rain are an important part of conservation work. It won’t all be counting butterflies in beautiful meadows, but you will be working with staff and volunteers with skills in conservation biology, land stewardship, trail management, conservation easement specialists, forestry, land use planning, and ecology. You’ll see first-hand how the theories you learned in school are put into practice.

Must have a valid driver’s license. Must be enthusiastic to work hard outside in all conditions.

Ideally, applicants possess or are working towards a Bachelor’s degree in conservation biology, environmental science or studies, forest conservation or geography, or a diploma in ecosystem management, forestry, fish and wildlife or similar programs. Students without this education will ideally demonstrate a high degree of interest in the sector.

Host organizations involved in the program are leaders in the land trust movement nationally. They are creative, innovative and effective organizations, rooted by a community of supporters that care about nature. Host organizations are saving land and changing lives in Ontario. Join them!

To apply send a resume and cover letter indicating why you want to work with Land Trusts in Ontario to: Kira Balson at kirab@cwf-fcf.org. Include “Ontario Land Conservation Internship” in the subject line.

Note: The March 1, 2022, application deadline has been extended.

For more information on the Canadian Conservation Corps, visit their website.