Gardening and Composting Intern

Internships are available spring, summer, and fall of 2002 with the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program (CELP) in the fields of Marine Biology, Habitat Restoration, Organic Gardening, and Composting.

CELP is an environmental education program for school groups ranging from 4th ?12th grades. Our facility is a rustic residential camp located at Howland?s Landing on the remote West End of Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles. Students participating in the CELP Program learn about marine and terrestrial ecosystems while snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, and visiting our microscope lab. After investigating the natural world, students examine solutions for living sustainably through organic gardening and composting activities, as well as the examination of innovative ?eco-friendly? technologies. Examples of the principles that guide our program are ?everything is connected? and ?there is no waste in nature?.

The Internship Program at Howland?s Landing provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to get firsthand experience working with the development and daily operations of the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program. Interns work with the Intern Director to develop a project that best fits the interests and educational goals of both the intern and the program. The first week of the internship will be spent settling in and going through a program orientation. At the end of that week, the intern and the Intern Director work together to define and begin implementation of the intern?s project.

Last year more than 6000lbs of food waste were composted into rich soil at our camp. That soil was then used to grow organic vegetables in the camp garden. Interns working in the camp compost and garden area will learn about different composting and organic gardening techniques and how they can be used in an educational setting.

Interns will gain experience in the development of activities, visual aids, and environmental education curriculum related to gardening and composting.

Additional duties will include soil preparation, watering, weeding, composting, plant propagation, transplanting and other daily operations of the garden area.

Minimum qualifications:

At least two years of college experience required. Must be working toward or have a degree in a related field. Must be able to live on site for the duration of the internship.
Must be able to live in a small, remote camp community. Must work well with children.

Intern benefits include:
Room and board on site for the duration of the internship. Travel costs to and from Catalina and San Pedro/Los Angeles International Airport.

For information about the CELP program, please visit us on the web at www.celp.net. Or call 800-696-CAMP.