Northern Forest Canoe Trail

For Immediate Release
March 04, 2010

WAITSFIELD, Vermont -

Northern Forest Canoe Trail interns help build composting toilets, picnic tables and fire rings at campsites along the trail. Credit: NFCT.

Five Stewardship interns will spend the summer in the field, completing trail projects in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine alongside area land managers and community volunteers. Projects will include campsite maintenance, river access improvements, and signage development.

Stewardship interns will play a key role in preparing for and leading a series of volunteer "waterway" work trips throughout the summer in New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine. The position will run from June 14 to August 17. Stewardship Interns will receive two weeks of training covering topics of Leave No Trace, trail construction and maintenance, universal trail assessment, group dynamics, and leadership skills.

A Program intern will assist NFCT staff with the wide variety of activities that happen in the Waitsfield, Vt. office. The Program Intern will participate in the running of a small non-profit during the NFCT’s busiest season, assisting with a variety of tasks including outreach, membership, website, publicity, and communications with volunteers and paddlers. The position runs from June 14 to August 17.

One Youth Program intern will help coordinate and lead NFCT's Northern Forest Explorers Youth Program. The intern will work with groups of children age 10-14 in a program developed to connect rural youth with their backyard waterways through outdoor education and recreation. The position runs from June 14 to August 17.
Candidates for all positions must be 18-years-old at the time of the internship. Stewardship Interns are required to have a minimum of Wilderness First Aid Certification. The NFCT will help applicants who are not certified to find a location offering the training before the season begins.

A $2,250 stipend will be provided to all interns, and NFCT will assist interns in receiving academic credit for their work if possible. Interns will have interaction with a variety of land management, recreation, and habitat/wildlife professionals throughout the summer.

The application deadline for all positions is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31. Application instructions are online at www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/GetInvolved-3/2010-Internships-54 .

Questions can be directed to NFCT Trail Director Walter Opuszynski at 802-496-2285 or walter@northernforestcanoetrail.org .

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About the Northern Forest Canoe Trail: The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a 740-mile inland paddling trail tracing historic travel routes across New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine. NFCT, Inc. is internationally regarded as the preeminent water trail organization in North America, and connects people to the Trail's natural environment, human heritage, and contemporary communities by stewarding, promoting, and providing access to canoe and kayak experiences along this route.