Internships

Become an Intern!

Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (LREC) helps teachers engage their students in place-based education: using local ecology as a framework for studying a variety of subjects while interacting with the community. Participating teachers bring their students to LREC and design relevant lesson plans to use while on site. We are restoring prairie, woodland, and stream ecosystems at LREC to provide field experiences for students in a variety of local ecosystems.

We offer paid restoration internships and unpaid place-based education internships.

Restoration Internships (Paid)

The Litzsinger Road Ecology Center offers a few paid internship positions each year. Paid interns work full time for ten weeks on restoration and horticulture projects. Paid intern positions are generally available in the spring, summer, and fall. When positions are available, they will be posted on the Missouri Botanical Garden job listings page.

Restoration Interns will:

Actively work with restoration staff and volunteers to perform prairie and woodland restoration.
Participate in native plant propagation and greenhouse activities.
Identify and manage invasive plant species through use of manual, mechanical, and herbicide application.
Assist with in-house ecological monitoring projects.
Become familiar with the ecology and natural habitats of Missouri.
Summer interns will be expected to complete independent research projects.

Qualifications:

High school diploma or equivalent with an interest in biology, natural resource management, environmental studies, horticulture, or related field.
Strong interest in the outdoors, ecology, natural history, and restoration.
Current enrollment in college is preferred, but not required.

Dates:

Spring Intern (March–May) – One position
Summer Interns (June–August) – Two positions
Fall Intern (August–November) – One position

All internship positions are ten weeks long. Specific dates are flexible within this range.

Hours:
Full time, 40 hours per week. Within operating hours of 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday.

Apply for a Restoration Internship via the Missouri Botanical Garden job listings page.

Place-based Education Internships (Unpaid)

Place-based Education Interns will be introduced to techniques for using outdoor spaces to enhance learning, develop schoolyard native plant habitats, and engage students with their community. This will be accomplished as they:

Lead small groups of school children  in ecological investigations and explorations of the natural world.
Become familiar with the ecology and natural habitats of Missouri.
Interact with staff, students (PreK–8th grade), teachers, and volunteers.

We are happy to work with you to meet any requirements necessary to earn credit for the internship. Interns also have the potential to visit school classes, participate in volunteer and teacher enrichment activities, do hands-on restoration work, and complete an independent project, depending on interest and availability.

Qualifications:

Enrolled in a college program studying education, environmental studies, or a related field.
Interest in using the outdoors as educational space.
Enjoy working with children of all ages.

Dates:

Spring Semester (January–May)
Fall Semester (September–December)

Specific dates are flexible within this range.

Hours:
Part time, 8–12 hours per week. Scheduling is flexible within operating hours of 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday.

To apply for a Place-based Education Internship, email your resume and cover letter to Susan Baron: susan.baron@mobot.org.

Internships

Become an Intern!

Restoration Internships (Paid)

Place-based Education Internships (Unpaid)

Web-based Master’s Program