Intern Position: Forever Balboa Park Plant Identification Intern: Desert Garden
Reports To: Volunteer Project Specialist
Trained By: Forever Balboa Park Volunteer 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 Plant Identification Intern in the Desert Garden will work with staff and stakeholders to catalog the plants in the Desert Garden at Balboa Park. Plants will be digitally recorded via photo, description, and location so that existing staff and garden volunteers can have an accurate, up-to-date record of existing plants. The Plant Identification Intern is an unpaid, in-person internship at the Balboa Park Desert Garden.
Ideal Skills or Qualifications:
- Currently enrolled in a college program focused on horticulture, plant sciences, botany, environmental science, biology, or ecology
- Passionate about plants
- Interested in learning common and botanical plant names
- Interested in learning how to take in-field photos to document existing plants
- Able to reliably mark plant locations on a map
- Comfortable communicating with staff to document the genus and species of each plant in the garden.
- Able to conduct research via book records, digital files, and plant 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 sign Forever Balboa Park’s waiver
Activities and Responsibilities
- The Plant Identification Intern will focus on cataloging plants within the Desert Garden of Balboa Park.
- The Plant Identification Intern will work with horticulture professionals and Forever Balboa Park Staff to use existing records to identify plant species, take photos of plant specimens, and document the location of the plants so that staff, volunteers and the public can learn more about them.
Training
During the first week of the internship, the Plant Identification Intern will be trained by the Volunteer Project Specialist. This training will include:
- Garden safety, and background on the garden the intern will be cataloging in
- An introduction to Forever Balboa Park’s sustainability and volunteer program goals with a specific focus on the goals of Garden Stewards.
- Training for cataloging photos and writing 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 plant categorization and basic plant identification
- Gain experience in data collection, mapping, and interpreting plant information
- 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 Plant Identification Intern’s university to document total hours completed.
Time Commitment
- 5 hours per week for 12 weeks (60 hours total) or the amount required for the student’s University’s Internship or Work Experience course.
- The 5 hrs per week will be 9 am -2 pm in person at Balboa Park during a weekday. We will work to see what day works best for the Plant Identification Intern’s school schedule and for Forever Balboa Park Staff.
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.