The Value of an InternThe opinion of the mentors has highlighted the success of this program. The mentors were very satisfied and spoke highly of their respective interns. “It seems as though as each year goes by, the workload increases and the workforce stays static or decreases. [My intern] has assumed the project responsibilities for preparing a biological assessment for a resource management plan encompassing nearly 4 million acres of public land. Without her help this assignment would not have even started.” “Had [my intern] not been here this summer, many wildlife catchments would have remained dry and/or non-functional. Many antelope, deer, and bighorn sheep would likely have perished in search of water. [She] completed an update of our water catchments maintenance database that had been stalled for almost a decade.”

Connecting Education with Applied Conservation Practice:

 

an Internship Program   

Lara Jefferson, Bianca Rosenbaum and Kay Havens

 Institute for Plant Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe IL 60022, USA

The Challenge!Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

    The BLM manages public lands in a manner that will protect the

environment   The BLM is currently under-staffed, especially with botanists    The BLM manages 264 million acres, it employs 390 biologists and 54

botanists; that is one botanist per 4.8 million acres.

Institute for Plant Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden    Advances education and research in the conservation of rare and endangered plants and ecosystems   Focus of applying the results of scientific research to management and stewardship programs    Serves as a liaison between stewardship and academic communities

The Key!A partnership was formed and the mentoring program was created in 2001 and implemented in 2002. The program is designed to train the next generation of conservation biologists specializing in the recovery of endangered species and management of public lands. 

The Outcomes!

STEP 1 : Selection

The selection of mentors was determined through an application process. Through this process the various BLM field offices outlined:   Workload and type   Priority   Availability of a mentor The selection of interns involved an application and interview process. In 2002, 57 graduates applied. The selection of applicants was based on:   Education   Skills   Interests in conservation practices   Experience    Enthusiasm

STEP 2: Training

   Intense 5 day workshop   Subjects

• Animal and plant identification and monitoring techniques

• Geographical Information Systems (GIS)• Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS),

map and compass skills• Literature Searches• Endangered Species Act• BLM rules and procedures• Land management practices

STEP 3: The internship

17 interns were placed at 15 BLM field offices across the country Length of internships: 5 or 10 months

Measuring the success of the programThe success of the program was evaluated using 2 types of questionnaires: Interns evaluating the workshop and their respective intern positions Mentors evaluating the interns’ role in their respective field offices

What have interns gained from the workshop?   Networking, bonding, sharing knowledge, and a support group   New skills and preparation for the internship   Ready to ‘step up’ into the role of a practical conservation field worker 

What have the interns gained from their internship?   Valuable experience working for a government agency   Planning, organizing and completing work projects   Learning about the roles of the BLM   Preparation of biological assessments and reports   Tremendous satisfaction that they have played a role in the

conservation of rare and endangered plants and animals and their habitats

What has the BLM gained from the mentoring program?   Completion of projects that would never have been

completed otherwise   Collection of valuable data specific to endangered species

and their habitats