Legacy Tree Documentation and Natural Resource Management Internship – ONSITE – Monocacy National Battlefield

Start/End Dates: May 25 2026 August 10 2026 (11 weeks)
Compensation: $688 per week
Medical Insurance: Not provided
Application Due: March 1st 2026

The Latino Heritage Internship Program seeks to engage young professionals in natural resource careers. Applicants must meet the following additional requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident
• Be between the ages of 18 and 30 or up to 35 if a veteran
• Be willing to undergo a background check upon hiring
• Have a valid drivers license and a good driving record

Note: A personal vehicle is highly recommended for this position.

Position Description

The intern will focus on several key areas:

• Legacy Tree Data Collection Geolocate identify and assess the health of legacy trees on the park landscape. While these trees have been documented previously they have not been monitored in several years. The intern will ground-truth past data and update the status of legacy trees accordingly.
• Data Organization and Unification Historical park data on legacy tree locations and health need to be organized and consolidated into a single data management system. The intern will develop a structure including a GIS component for mapping tree locations and supporting future monitoring efforts.
• Education and Outreach The intern will produce introductory educational materials presenting information about legacy trees within the historical context of the park landscape.
• Natural Resource Management The intern will gain foundational experience in natural resource management through hands-on field-based learning. This includes exposure to resource inventory and monitoring techniques data collection standards and understanding how natural and cultural resource considerations intersect on the park landscape. The intern will participate in routine field tasks alongside staff and develop practical skills applicable to future work in conservation and land management.

Responsibilities

• Collect and update legacy tree data by geolocating identifying and assessing tree health across the park
• Ground-truth previously collected data and update the status of legacy trees not monitored in recent years
• Organize and unify historical and current legacy tree data into a single sustainable data management system
• Develop a GIS-supported structure for mapping tree locations and supporting future monitoring efforts
• Create introductory educational and outreach materials explaining legacy trees within the parks historical landscape
• Participate in hands-on natural resource management activities including field-based inventory and monitoring
• Learn and apply NPS data collection documentation and resource management standards
• Assist with routine fieldwork and gain exposure to how natural and cultural resource management decisions are made within the NPS

Qualifications

• Relevant majors: Biology Environmental Science or related disciplines
• Enjoys working outdoors
• Interested in plants and plant ecology
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Interest in natural resource management conservation or land stewardship within a park or public lands setting
• Ability to conduct fieldwork including walking uneven terrain and working outdoors in varying weather conditions
• Basic experience or coursework in data collection environmental monitoring or field research
• Familiarity with or interest in GIS spatial data or mapping applications
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail for managing and maintaining datasets
• Ability to synthesize scientific or technical information into educational or outreach materials
• Willingness to learn NPS data standards monitoring protocols and resource management processes
• Strong communication skills including technical writing and verbal communication

Learning Goals

Interns will gain experience in plant identification tree health monitoring and GIS mapping using Esri products. They will also receive training in natural resource management including invasive plant management and learn how resource management decisions are made within the NPS framework. The internship will develop practical skills applicable to future careers in conservation and land management.

About the Site

Monocacy National Battlefield is located five miles south of Frederick MD. Summer weather is frequently hot and humid. Grocery stores shops and other amenities are within a 1015-minute drive of the park located in and around downtown Frederick. The area also offers ample opportunities for hiking and outdoor recreation.

Frederick hosts a variety of community events throughout the summer including First Saturdays Alive at Five and other gatherings. The city is home to a Latino community.

Interns in this program will receive 480 hours toward Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. See below for more information.

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old inclusive or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s) the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal term or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on and selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information see DOI Personnel Bulletinsand 17-03.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employmentand prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race color religion age sex national origin disability status genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting hiring placement promotion termination layoff recall transfer leaves of absence compensation and training.