Internship Summary: Internship opportunity in the coastal forests of Ecuador, in conservation, restoration, community outreach, scientific research, construction. Two-month duration, living off the grid at an ecological reserve, includes PDC course.
Full description of internship: Third Millennium Alliance (TMA) was founded in 2007 with the purchase of 100 acres and the establishment of the Jama-Coaque Reserve (JCR) in the western province of Manabí, Ecuador, between the cities of Jama and Pedernales, and four kilometers inland. Now encompassing over 1,000 acres, the Jama-Coaque Reserve actively protects one of the last remaining fragments of Pacific Equatorial Forest, which is considered to be one of the most threatened tropical forests in the world. Learn more at www.tmalliance.org. Internship Opportunities: Interns are to take on high-impact and dynamic projects; we are a young organization forging our path as we discover it. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done and experience to be gained – for interns and for us. Above all, creativity, innovation, and self-motivation are the fuel of our intern program. Immediately surrounding the house we are designing/growing/building a living laboratory of sustainable resource management (i.e. permaculture), which also serves as our field headquarters for biological scientific research and forest monitoring. We are offering an optional Permaculture Design Certification course with this internship, to be taught throughout the two-month duration. There is a difference in price based on whether you choose to take the PDC course; please visit our website for more information: www.tmalliance.org/internships/program-cost. In addition to work managing the agroforestry production zone and organic vegetable garden, each intern is assigned a personal project, which is akin to a “thesis” of sort, but of a much more practical nature. Generally speaking, there are three categories of personal projects: 1) conservation biology research and 2) permaculture/sustainable food production and land management, and 3) appropriate technology. The following is a list of some of the projects we’re looking to tackle during the upcoming sessions. Some are new projects and others are ongoing and multi-year projects. Projects with stars next to them are of high interest and priority. When applying please prioritize three projects from the list below in the order of most interest. Flora & Fauna Research: •*Camera trap survey of wild felines* (ocelot, jaguarondi, etc) •*Monkey Troop Survey (Howler & critically endangered White Fronted Capuchin) •*Investigation of Endangered Avifauna - (Ornithology experience and strong Spanish-speaking skills required for community surveying) •*Herpetofauna survey* (reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance) Permaculture/Re-forestation/Food Production: •Green Building - Learn to use natural, recycled and sustainable building materials. Upcoming projects include building an earthbag (aka super adobe) retaining wall, use cob to plaster walls, another cob layer on the pizza oven, re-floor the the field station with bamboo. •Reforestation - Last year we planted 6,500 trees in one portion of our re-forestation plot, and we planted an additional 8,000 seedlings in early 2014. We want to keep this momentum going this year to plant even more trees and expand the project. Help manage tree propagation and planting efforts. •Production Zone Intensive – Focused on increasing food production, crop zonification & rotation, plant propagation, care/maintenance, integrated pest management and food preservation (ie, canning) Appropriate Technology: •*Working with natural materials *(mainly, native bamboo and mate gourds) to build home appliances (e.g., cutlery, drinking cups, bowls, garden pots, balcony boxes, candle holders, etc.) •*Design and build a non-electrical refrigerator* •Design and build a solar food dehydrator Late Summer Internship Dates: August 13-October 8, 2014 Late Summer Application Deadline: Sunday, June 1, 2014 To see a complete program description, please visit our “Internship” page on our website at www.tmalliance.org/internships. Here you can download the application form and contact details, as well as other media, such as the photos, video, and the program FAQ. NOTE: When applying to the internship, please make sure to specify in your e-mail subject that you are applying for the Late Summer session, and whether you are interested in taking the PDC course. We look forward to working with you! Eva Filipczykova Internship Coordinator Third Millennium Alliance Jama, Ecuador www.tmalliance.org
