Internship Information

The following provides detailed information on internships that have been available most recently.  Sites often change in response to the needs of local organizations and the specific interests of students participating in the program where possible.

City of Minneapolis Environmental Services
The ES student worked on the City of Minneapolis Sustainability Initiative with the Environmental Coordinating Team and the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee. The goals of their work are to provide coordination among City departments and City stakeholders to streamline resources, spur activity, and institutionalize sustainability principles.  The student worked on website summaries for the 8 City facilities summarizing what they have done to be more environmentally sustainable, and provided general support for the committee meetings. He also completed a fuel efficiency database containing 7 aspects and over 40 cars models for the City of Minneapolis new ordinance regarding taxi cab fuel efficiency.

District 1 Community Council
Because District 1 is home to two of the premier natural areas in St. Paul, Battle Creek Regional Park and Pigs Eye Lake, and because its southern neighborhoods exit in the woodland bluffs of the Mississippi River Corridor, environmental issues have been a major concern for residents. Many of the land use issues have to do with the prevention of erosion and derogation to these bluffs and on the quality of the river. The ES student conducted outreach to residents and organized community meetings to educate and inform residents about environmental policy, and to talk about their individual relationships to the Mississippi River. She gave a presentation to the Saint Paul City Council and developed many new nonprofit and community contacts for District 1 to further their environmental program in the neighborhood.

Dodge Nature Center
www.dodgenaturecenter.org
Located on 320 acres of diverse landscape, Dodge Nature Center offers a variety of experiences with the natural world for all ages. School groups visit the center to engage in hands-on learning programs on more than 50 nature-related topics. Individuals participate in community education classes on evenings and weekends, and in day camps for school aged children. Dodge also operated miles of hiking trails, prairie and oak savanna restoration projects, and a preschool. The ES student was an education and restoration intern. He observed and taught K-8 students in environmental education classes, worked in invasive species removal and controlled prairie burning, designed and inventoried class materials, and cared for the reptiles and amphibians at the center.

Friends of The Mississippi River (FMR)
www.fmr.org
FMR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Though education, outreach and advocacy, they protect water quality, conserve vital land along the river and tributaries, and foster a sense of place that is rooted in the unique ecological, cultural, historical, scenic, and recreational assets of the Mississippi. There program areas are Land Conservation, Watershed Protection, and Ricer Corridor Stewardship.  The ES student conducted research and created a volunteer manual as well as writing the content for the volunteer page on the FMR website.

Great Plains Institute
www.gpisd.net
The Great Plains Institute brings together key public and private leaders from across the northern plains to accelerate progress on critical energy and sustainability issues. Their current focus is on energy security and bio-based materials and they are working with stakeholders to develop a roadmap for dramatic regional reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. They are engaged in designing an energy system that is sustainable and supports our growing economy, while having buy-in from actual decision-makers.  The ES student researched and conducted a GIS computer analysis of native grass resources available in the Midwest as a fuel source that the organization will use as they advocate for the use of sustainable energy sources in the Midwest.

Green Institute
www.greeninstitute.org
The Green Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustaining the environment and our communities through practical innovation. The ES student researched global warming solutions already implemented in other cities and countries searching for the cost, profit, and jobs created from these strategies. She also attended many meeting with individuals in the community working with the Green Institute on the upcoming  “Solar Cities—Climate Change Solutions” campaign and conference.

Hennepin County Environmental Services
The mission of Hennepin County is to enhance the health, safety and quality of life of its residents and communities in a respectful, efficient and fiscally responsible way. The Environmental Services department at the county has a number of sub divisions, one of which is the Land and Water division. The ES student worked within this department on the Wetland Health Program creating GIS data for the Sarah Lake land use survey. She also worked with the River Watch Stream Monitoring program where she led k-8 students in stream monitoring activities.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
www.iatp.org
IATP promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy.  IATP’s programs include Trade and Global Governance, Environment and Agriculture, Food and Health, Sustainable Forestry, and Rural Communities.  The ES student researched and compiled information to write and report on the “Food Vs. Fuel” ethanol industry debate. She also compiled news information to update an ethanol plant database to track the growth of ethanol plants throughout the United States.

Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA)
www.misa.umn.edu
MISA is a partnership of the University of Minnesota�s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the Sustainers� Coalition. Their main program is the Student Farm located on the Saint Paul campus of the U of M. The mission of the farm is to steward a student managed, organic, sustainable farm that provides food, a place for community building, multidisciplinary education, research and outreach. At this site the HECUA student intern learned about organic farming by working on the farm completing tasks such as harvesting crops for market, covering crops, and saving seeds. In the later part of the semester, the student helped to market and sell the produce at the Student Organic Farm�s market.

National Park Service: St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
The park staff at Saint Croix Falls Park work to preserve, protect, restore, enhance and interpret the Riverway's exceptional natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of present and future generations. The ES student was in the Resource Management department of the park service working with aquatic invasive species. He helped the park with their zebra mussel management, working with staff and volunteers to educate boaters about how to prevent the spread of invasive species like zebra mussels and monitoring boats coming in and out of the park docking areas. He also conducted inventories and surveys of wildlife and plants in the Saint Croix Riverway.

Washington Conservation District
The Washington Conservation District mission is the enhance, protect and preserve the natural resources of Washington County through conservation projects, technical guidance, and educational services to citizens and local government. The 13 naturalresource professionals at the district implement a variety of programs including habitat restoration, shoreline stabilization, storm water management, water monitoring, wetland management, watershed administration, and environmental education. In addition to shadowing and helping different departments in her first month where she learned how to test for water quality, observed wetland restoration projects, and learned about rain gardens and helped with the public education about water quality, the ES student compiled a storm water contact list of people in Washington County involved in storm water management to invite them to an upcoming training session on new innovations in storm water management.

West Metro Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
www.dnr.state.mn.us/index.html
The ES student worked in the Fisheries Office at the DNR. The Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) Program works with local partners to make safe, family settings situated in residential areas where you can enjoy a day in the park and good fishing. Along with these local partners, FiN stocks fish, installs fishing piers and platforms, restores shoreline habitat and sponsors aquatic education to create quality fishing opportunities. The student worked in all areas of the program including transplanting and stocking fish, setting and collecting trap nets, and working with student groups on shoreline restoration projects.

Additional Environmental Sustainability Internships:

• Dovetail Partners, Inc.
• Eureka Recycling
• Hamline Midway Coalition
• Honor the Earth
• Fresh Energy
• Longfellow Community Council
• Metropolitan Council Environmental Services
• Women’s Environmental Institute