Giuseppe Traverso Citizen Naturalist Internship Endowed Fund

Established in 2014 by Professor Emeritus Giancarlo Traverso to honor his brother Giuseppe who in his brief life, thought and did much more than he said. After Giuseppe’s passing, Dr. Traverso discovered the extent of his naturalist passion from agendas he had carefully filled with observations and environmental concerns. He loved and cared for birds, animals, flowers, and forests and worked always to conserve their place in nature. Providing this internship to a full-time matriculated student will help others of like mind and love continue the work of Giuseppe. The Giuseppe Traverso Citizen Science Intern participates in ecological monitoring and other conservation science programs of the Mohonk Preserve with a focus on sustaining the Preserve’s legacy studies as part of Preserve’s Community Science Program.

About: Located in the beautiful Hudson River Valley, Mohonk Preserve is New York’s largest nonprofit nature preserve. Our mission is to protect the Shawangunk Mountains region and inspire people to care for, enjoy, and explore their natural world. We manage over 8,000 acres of mountain cliffs, forests, fields and streams through four integrated programs – Conservation Programs, Education, Visitor Experience and Stewardship – and welcome over 300,000 members and visitors each year who come to hike, run, rock climb, boulder, bike, cross-country ski, snowshoe and enjoy and experience nature.

Based in a vibrant university community, Mohonk Preserve offers a great working environment in New York’s greenest county with all-season recreation, access to Preserve lands, a dynamic, committed team of conservation professionals and long legacy of conducting ecological research and environmental education.

Equal Opportunity Employer:
Mohonk Preserve is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to creating an inclusive culture where employees from diverse backgrounds can thrive and support our mission. Successful candidates will be equity-minded and committed to furthering our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice (DEIJ) goals. Mohonk Preserve encourages applications from women, minorities and/or other underrepresented groups.

Essential Functions:
Under the supervision of the Community Science Coordinator, the Giuseppe Traverso Citizen Naturalist Intern participates in conservation science programs of the Mohonk Preserve with a focus on data transcription projects, field biology, and curating iNaturalist projects as part of the Preserve’s Community Science Program. The intern will summarize their project(s) with a written report and oral presentation to staff.
Duties:

• Duties:

• Work with Community Science Coordinator to assist with volunteer programs, including training, data collection, and monitoring events.
• Work with Community Science Coordinator and Forester to transcribe historic field observations.
• Assists in maintaining and curating iNaturalist and iMapInvasives Projects within the Mohonk Preserve Community Science program to record organisms found on the Mohonk Preserve.
• Communications outreach to promote research activities, digitization project updates, natural history observations, and general community science updates.
• Additional duties may include public outreach, program public training, data collection, data entry, biological surveys, analyzing and digitizing data, and attendance at meetings as needed.

Qualifications:

• Enrolled in Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Geology, Chemistry, Biochemistry or Physics at SUNY New Paltz campus.
• Entering Junior or Senior year in Fall 2023
• Must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Preferred: Have own transportation
• Available 9 hours per week during fall semester for internship
• Self-starter with interest in learning observational science and preserving natural history collections
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail essential
• Exemplary oral, interpersonal, and written communication skills
• Strong familiarity using standard computer software and web/phone apps
• Knowledge of regional flora and fauna desirable
• Team player with ability to work cooperatively with Preserve staff, partner staff, and volunteers
• Willingness to work occasional weekends and holidays with irregular hours, including some evenings. Mohonk Preserve has a flex policy to balance hours worked during the pay period.

How to apply:

All Applicants are asked to submit:
• Resume
• Cover letter, which clearly states your reasons for pursuing this internship and what you hope to gain as part of your career goals
• Current unofficial transcript

Duration: Fall 2024 semester

The committee will let students know if they have been selected for an interview by Friday, May 20, 2024. Remote interviews via Zoom will be conducted thereafter. All candidates will be notified of the committee’s final decision regarding their candidate status by June 1, 2024.