Internships -- CCCD & MFCC
Looking for an internship that will give you practical, hands-on experience in conservation, agriculture, or food systems? Look no further! The Cheshire County Conservation District offers internships related to:
- Resource conservation and planning
- Education—working with schools, businesses, non-profits, & local community members
- Advocating for local farmers and the local food system
- GIS mapping
- And more!
Internships offered through the CCCD are unpaid unless otherwise noted, but credit may be offered through your educational institution. The start and end date of many of our internships can be flexible to accommodate your schedule; any exceptions are otherwise noted.
Feast on This Film Festival Coordinator
Farm Relationship & Inventory Coordinator
Farm and Garden Education Outreach Coordinator
Higher Ed Relationship & Volunteer Coordinator
Farmers Market & SNAP Outreach Coordinator
CCCD Outreach and Education Coordinator
Monadnock Matchmaker Coordinator
Agricultural Commission Coordinator
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Internships
Feast on This Film Festival Coordinator
The Feast on This Film Festival Coordinator is responsible for planning, organizing, and evaluating this annual event that highlights and celebrates local food and farming. For more information about the Feast on This Film Festival visit our Education page. Working with MFCC staff and volunteers, the Film Festival Coordinator will:
- Research food and farming related films that may be appropriate and petition the community for additional film nominations
- Organize pre-viewing sessions and determine which movies will best support our mission and serve as an educational experience for viewers
- Perform outreach to the public about the Film Festival
- Design engaging educational opportunities to be incorporated into the Film Festival Event
- Evaluate the impact and success of the Film Festival
- Arrange all details needed to make the Film Festival a great success
Collaborating with the Education Committee of Monadnock Farm and Community Connection, the Film Festival Coordinator will utilize the expertise, knowledge and talents of this group of dedicated volunteers. While much of the work of the Film Festival Coordinator can be done at a location most convenient to the applicant, this position will be supervised by one of MFCC’s Program Coordinators in Keene, NH and attendance at regular meetings is required.
Qualified applicants should have: project management skills; event planning skills; a passion for local food and farming in the Monadnock region.
Position Dates: May/June – October Stipend: $300
Farm Relationship & Inventory Coordinator
The Farm Relationship & Inventory Coordinator is responsible for maintaining, updating, and improving upon the CCCD’s Master Farm List—the most comprehensive inventory of farms in Cheshire County. Working with staff of the MFCC Inventory Committee, the Farm Inventory Coordinator will:
- Interview farmers via phone or in person to record history, data, crops grown, future plans, needs and to understand how MFCC can be a better resource for them.
- Record physical visits through photographs and video as documentation and potential marketing materials.
- Create and maintain a network of working relationships with town representatives that will ensure the success of continued inventory work into the future
- Perform outreach at town events to increase community knowledge of how the inventory can benefit Cheshire County and to encourage additional farms to join our list
- Write articles, blog posts & create marketing materials profiling visited farmers.
This internship can only be completed in Cheshire County, and the Farm Inventory Coordinator should expect to meet regularly with one of MFCC’s Program Coordinators in Keene, NH.
Qualified applicants should have: project management skills and experience; a passion for local farming, land-use planning or journalism; reliable transportation; the ability work outdoors in all types of weather.
Position Dates: Spring, Summer, or Fall
Farm and Garden Education Outreach Coordinator
The Farm and Garden Education Outreach Coordinator is responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of the MFCC’s Farm and Garden Education Toolkit, the Curriculum Sampler & educational film resources. Working with Staff and Volunteers, the intern will:
- Introduce the Farm & Garden Educational Toolkit & Curriculum Sampler to schools & offer MFCC resources for educational purposes.
- Work in the classroom with local teachers to implement the farm & garden curriculum if needed and lead assemblies or garden activities for children K-12 to educate about agriculture, plant & soil biology, healthy foods, etc.
- Work on communication, curriculum and marketing materials to be distributed to schools.
- Seek out feedback and incorporate it to make this project a useful tool that serves the needs of teachers, parents, farmers, kids, and other farm and garden education constituents in the Monadnock region.
Most of the work of the Farm and Garden Education Toolkit Coordinator can be done at a location most convenient to the applicant, however regular meetings with staff and volunteers located in Keene, NH are required, as well as trips to schools within the county.
Qualified applicants should have: project management skills and education experience; a passion for environmental education, local food and agriculture; experience with Microsoft Office and PowerPoint; basic understanding of good educational practices.
Position Dates: Spring or Fall
Higher Educational Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator
This internship is aimed at cultivating relationships with higher educational institutions in the regions so MFCC can gain a consistent flow of energized participants through useful, stimulating project opportunities for internships, class projects, community service and other service learning opportunities. MFCC also needs outreach performed to grow a vibrant volunteer base.
- Build on existing and develop new partnerships with institutions of higher learning in our region.
- Research educational programs & opportunities for experiential learning at regional institutions that would find a partnership with MFCC mutually beneficial.
- Establish an intern recruitment program that would serve MFCC’s needs for the future.
- Obtain sponsorship for internship positions.
- Work with the Education, Inventory and Infrastructure Volunteer Committees to determine and meet their projects’ current and future labor needs.
- Perform community outreach to sustain a vibrant pool of volunteers.
The intern must meet regularly with staff and volunteers located in Walpole & Keene, NH.
Qualified applicants should have: project management skills and experience; a passion for local farming; experience with public presentations, social networking, excellent written and verbal skills.
Position Dates: Spring 2012
Stipend: $300 ($500 if continued part time during Summer 2012)
Farmers Market & SNAP Outreach Coordinator
The Farmers Market of Keene is a pilot in a program to enable those using SNAP (food stamp) benefits to purchase at farmers markets in NH. The MFCC aims to perform outreach to the growing, underserved community using SNAP benefits in Cheshire County and draw them to the market with an easily replicatable program. This involves a media campaign, proposed cooking classes other potential creative outreach elements. The intern would work with the Program Director and a small group of dedicated volunteers to:
- Create advertising materials & media campaign for the program
- Research similar successful programs throughout the US for inspiration
- Work with potential players such as prominent community leaders, Community Kitchen, area chefs, Men Who Cook, Cheshire TV & area farmers to provide education for use of items purchased at market
- Assist the market with fundraising if needed
- Help secure funding for outreach and potential match program
- Create a how-to manual for other farmers markets in the county
The intern must meet regularly with Program Director and volunteers located in Keene, NH.
Qualified applicants should have: a passion for local food and food access, marketing, outreach and public relations skills, excellent time and project management, the ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders. Graphic design skills are a plus.
Position Dates: Spring 2012 Stipend: $200
Rain Garden Coordinator
The Rain Garden Coordinator is responsible for working with staff and community partners of the Cheshire County Conservation district to implement the Keene Rain Garden Project. To learn more about the project, visit our Keene Rain Garden Project page. The Rain Garden Coordinator will:
- Coordinate all maintenance needs for established rain gardens
- Implement rain garden curriculum in the classroom with local teachers
- Collaborate with school administration to increase the number of area schools with rain gardens
- Design and plan rain gardens for schools in collaboration with a consultant
- Facilitate classroom and on site rain garden activities for children K-12 to educate about water quality, native plants, wildlife, etc.
- Develop communication and marketing materials to distribute to schools
The selected intern will work closely with Amanda Costello, District Manager of the CCCD and Libby McCann, Environmental Education Director of Antioch University New England and Advisor to the Keene Rain Garden Project. Hours are flexible and we are willing to work with your schedule. Regular meetings are required to ensure that work is continuing to move forward.
Qualified applicants should have: a strong interest and experience in natural resource conservation and environmental education; transportation to attend meetings.
Position Dates: Spring or Fall
Monadnock Menus Coordinator
The Monadnock Menus Coordinator is responsible for collaborating with MFCC staff and volunteers of the Infrastructure Committee to implement the project. To learn more about Monadnock Menus, visit our Infrastructure page.
- Conduct research of different models and best practices of other programs to encourage farmers, food producers, restaurant owners, and chefs to work directly with each other and helping to build these partnerships.
- Assist with restaurant outreach and membership material distribution
- Update Monadnock Menus blog with local food information and resources for restaurants
- Interview restaurants/farmers who have successful selling relationships established and presenting results to share with other growers/buyers through handouts (tips) and on the Monadnock Menus blog
- Create press and public education materials about this program
- Create and present a PowerPoint presentation of research findings to the Infrastructure Committee and attending their meetings in Keene
- Create a report of findings that should include best practices for moving forward with the Monadnock Menus program with the student’s recommendations
- Assist with Volunteer Outreach to build a stronger organization representing a greater area of our community.
Most of the work of the Monadnock Menus Coordinator must be done in Cheshire County, and regular meetings with staff and volunteers located in Keene, NH are required.
Qualified applicants should have: a strong interest and experience in community outreach and service; familiarity with fundamental techniques and concepts in education and research; ability to work independently and collaboratively.
Position Dates: Spring, Summer, Fall or Other
Monadnock Matchmaker Coordinator / Volunteers
The Monadnock Matchmaker Coordinator will be responsible for working with the MFCC Infrastructure Committee to plan, organize, implement and evaluate the annual Monadnock Matchmaker event. This event brings together local food buyers, sellers, and distributors to discuss the details of creating a future partnership, increasing the outlets where local food is sold. To learn more about the Monadnock Matchmaker Event visit our Infrastructure page. The intern will:
- Coordinate all arrangements necessary to make this event a success
- Perform outreach to encourage the participation of local buyers and sellers in the event
- Design and plan for the structure and format of the event including networking time, educational speaker, etc.
- Seek out and secure funding that will help cover the cost of the event
- Develop materials needed to perform outreach and instruct program participants
- Evaluate the success of the event and make suggestions for future improvements
Qualified Applicants should have: experience with event planning and project management; a passion for supporting local food and farming in the Monadnock region
Position Start Date: Summer, culminating at event in Late September. Stipend: $200
Agricultural Commission Coordinator
These non-regulatory town boards can serve as a voice for agriculture when towns are making decisions that directly affect forest and farm landowners and influence agricultural land-use planning. Seven Agricultural Commissions have been established in Cheshire County already and in promoting their implementation in other towns, the intern will:
- Create and distribute outreach materials on agricultural commissions. Assist in organizing community forums and town meetings about what Agricultural Commissions are and why they are important.
- Prepare and present materials to assist those interested in establishing an Ag Commission.
- Assess and support recently established commissions.
- Write press releases and perform outreach highlighting current Ag Commissions and leading the interested public to MFCC as a resource.
Qualified applicants should have: a strong interest in local agriculture, land use planning or local government; solid written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
Position Dates: Spring, Summer, Fall or Other
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Internships
NRCS offers internships in soil and water conservation periodically through the Student Conservation Association. These opportunities can only be found on the SCA website.
Student Opportunities with NRCS: Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) seeks to recruit and retain qualified students, and provide them with the training and experience necessary to assume positions of responsibility and leadership.
The STEP provides maximum flexibility to both students and managers, because the nature of the work assignments does not have to be related to the student’s academic or career goals. A student is appointed to a position not to exceed one year. Students may be non-competitively converted to the Student Career Experience Program whenever they meet the qualification requirements and a position is available. U.S. citizenship is a requirement for student participation in the STEP. For additional information: http://www.opm.gov/hrd/lead/pubs/handbook/lrbsa16.asp
Don’t see the type of work that you’re interested in? We are always open to new ideas. Contact us if you have a project you would like to propose.
