Intern Position: Forever Balboa Park GIS Intern: Palm Canyon
Reports To: Senior Project Specialist
Trained By: Forever Balboa Park Senior Project Specialist
Location: Balboa Park
Forever Balboa Park is the nonprofit conservancy dedicated to enhancing and helping maintain all 1,200 acres of Balboa Park. From caring for the Park’s gardens and urban forest to greeting thousands of guests at the Visitor’s Center and info booths daily, our staff and hundreds of volunteers work year-round to ensure Balboa Park remains a natural source of wonder for all who visit.
Position Summary:
The GIS Intern in Palm Canyon will work with the Sr. Project Specialist to catalog the irrigation mainline, valves, irrigation equipment in Palm Canyon at Balboa Park. Irrigation will be digitally recorded via ArcGIS, photo, description, and location so that existing staff can have an accurate, up-to-date record of existing irrigation. The Irrigation Intern is an unpaid, in-person internship with a focus on the Balboa Park Palm Canyon.
Ideal Skills or Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in a college or community college program focused on Irrigation, Landscape Design, Landscape Architecture, horticulture, or plant sciences, or other relevant major
- Interested in learning more about irrigation
- Interested in learning ArcGIS to take in-field photos to document existing irrigation systems
- Able to reliably mark irrigation locations on a map
- Comfortable communicating with Forever Balboa Park Staff to document locations and conditions of current irrigation in Palm Canyon
- Able to conduct research via book records, digital files, and databases
- Reliable transportation to and from Balboa Park
- Able to complete a City of San Diego Livescan background check
- Able to complete the State of California Harassment Prevention Training (1hr online training)
- Able to complete Forever Balboa Park’s waiver
Activities and Responsibilities
- The Palm Canyon GIS Intern will focus on locating and cataloging irrigation within Palm Canyon at Balboa Park
- The Irrigation Intern will work with landscape architecture and irrigation professionals at Forever Balboa Park, the City of San Diego, and other partnering organizations to use existing records and site visits to identify and locate existing irrigation in Palm Canyon. The intern will take photos of irrigation, and enter the location of irrigation into a GIS database.
Training
The first week of the internship (5 hours) the Irrigation Intern will be trained by the Senior Project Specialist. This training will include:
- Safety and background on the garden the intern will be cataloging in
- An introduction to Forever Balboa Park’s sustainability program goals with a specific focus on the irrigation project in Palm Canyon.
- Training for cataloging photos and descriptions
Learning Outcomes
- Meet and learn from like-minded professionals
- Get hands-on experience working on a team that supports urban environmental sustainability
- Expand proficiency in ESRI ArcGis Field maps
- Gain experience in data collection, mapping, and interpreting GIS data
- Leave a legacy for future generations
Attire
- Closed toe shoes
- Sun Protection
- Comfortable and appropriate clothing for an outdoor setting
Evaluation
- The intern will provide the internship requirements for their university and work with the Forever Balboa Park Volunteer Project Specialist to document their internship project progress to meet their university requirements.
- Intern hours will be recorded in Forever Balboa Park’s Volgistics software. These hours can be sent to the Irrigation Intern’s college or university to document total hours completed.
Time Commitment
- We’re open flexible hours needs depending on the requirements for the Interns College or University program
- This is an in-person internship. The intern will need to have availability to be in Balboa Park on at least one of the following days each week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing their qualifications and relevant experience to volunteer@balboapark.org.
Forever Balboa Park is an equal opportunity employer. Forever Balboa Park is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of its staff, visitors, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and donors. We do not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin or ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. These activities include but are not limited to hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We will take Affirmative Action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant.