Become a CLM Internship Program Mentor!
How to Request an Intern
About Mentoring
Selecting an Intern |
An Intern Has Been Placed With You!
Take on a Master's Student as an Intern |
How to Request an Intern
About Mentoring
About the CLM Internship Program
The Conservation and Land Management (CLM) Internship Program has provided participating agencies with young, knowledgeable, enthusiastic graduates who are passionate and knowledgeable about botany and wildlife and interested in public land management and stewardship.
The overall CLM Program goal is twofold:
- To provide mentoring, training and hands-on experience to the next generation of stewardship professionals
- To provide a capable, enthusiastic assistance for land management projects
The CLM Program involves the recruitment, training, and placement of interns to selected locations throughout the United States for a five- or ten-month period. Recruitment involves advertising the CLM to more than 1,000 colleges in the United States, numerous websites and listserves. All suitable applicants are subject to an intensive selection and interview process. Each successful candidate participates in a one-week orientation workshop.
Most internships involve work in botany or wildlife-related fields, or combinations that may include monitoring or assessing threatened and endangered species and habitats. Interns have worked in biology-related fields i.e., ecology, fisheries, livestock utilization, and native plant materials. A few have completed internships in archaeology, planning and recreation. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data have been an important component of numerous projects.
Why Mentor?
Current and former program mentors have cited the following benefits of the Program:
- Projects can be accomplished that never would have been started otherwise
- Interns have the most up-to-date knowledge and technology skills in their field of expertise to assist with important conservation and land management projects
- Interns are professional, energetic, and enthusiastic about their internship opportunities
Mentor Responsibilities
Mentors are accomplished conservation professionals who can offer advice and guidance to conservation interns. A successful mentor will have patience and a willingness to share experiences and knowledge. Interns find the most success when mentors have a clear project with specific goals and appreciate guidance from mentors to improve skills and develop professional relationships.
Successful Intern Outcomes
- Use their education in conservation science and land management in an applied, hands-on setting
- Obtain experience and knowledge about work conducted at federal agencies
- Learn about conservation and land management
- Improve skills and gain experience
- Network with conservation professionals
Selecting an Intern
The Process of Selecting an Intern
Most interns are recruited between January through May. Successful applicants are selected based on skills, academic qualifications, experience, and professional interest. The mentor reviews the selected candidate's application materials (application form, cover letter, resume, three letters of recommendation and official educational transcripts) and conducts a second phone interview with the candidate. Once the mentor determines the applicant to be a suitable match for their internship position, the Chicago Botanic Garden staff offers the internship to the applicant.
Things to Discuss with Applicants During Your Phone Interview
The phone interview is your opportunity to determine if the applicant will be a good fit for you and to get a better understanding of the applicant's expectations for their internship experience. We suggest mentors discuss the following topics:
- What an average day will be like - fieldwork, office work - how time might be spent over the 5 month internship
- The project(s) the intern can expect during their internship
- Your expectations for the intern - project completion deadlines, work ethic, degree of independence or teamwork necessary, special skills or background that is necessary for accomplishing the goals of the project, etc.
- The intern's expectations for their internship - what they hope to learn, experiences they hope to gain, etc.
- Affordable housing options
- What the intern can expect about the local area and community
- Whether the intern will need a car in their personal time (i.e. is there reliable public transportation, etc.)
An Intern has Been Placed with You
What Needs to be Done Next
The phone interview is your opportunity to determine if the applicant will be a good fit for you and to get a better understanding of the applicant's expectations for their internship experience. We suggest mentors discuss the following topics:
1. Determine an official start date with the intern.
2. Initiate paperwork for the mandatory security clearance. Because this can be a lengthy process, it's best to have the intern submit all necessary paperwork as soon as possible.
3. Assist the intern in finding affordable housing in the area.
4. Assist the intern in selecting Training Workshop sessions that apply to the project(s) they will be conducting during their internship.
Responsibilities of the CLM Program Staff
1. All paperwork associated with stipend and taxes. Interns are employees of the Chicago Botanic Garden, which includes workers' compensation coverage.
2. Funding logistics to create new agreements or make modifications to established agreements between the agency and the Chicago Botanic Garden.
3. Coordinating Training Workshop travel, lodging and session itinerary details. Interns participate in a one-week training workshop covering a wide range of topics, including overviews of the respective agencies, participation expectations, safety issues, and botany/wildlife refresher topics.
Take on a Master's Student as an Intern
Taking on an intern as part of the collaborative Master's Program in Plant Biology and Conservation at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Northwestern University
Land managers who have a specific botanical research need and have an interest in assisting a Master's student in their research design, ideas and associated field logistics should consider this program. Land managers with projects that may benefit from more intensive data collection and analysis that is typically available for projects are encouraged to submit research project ideas. Because the Graduate Program is Plant Biology and Conservation, research projects should be plant-based or have a very strong plant or habitat component.
