Internships, Jobs & Volunteer Opportunities

Ongoing Internships and Volunteer Opportunities

Now hiring for Summer Jobs! See our special page for Summer Jobs 2005
Naturalist Training Workshops Scheduled! During February and March, we are offering two courses intended to familiarize prospective volunteers and docents with CNC programs, natural history, and presentation techniques. Participation in these workshops will help us match individuals with roles that they will find most rewarding. Additionally, participants will receive priority consideration for upcoming per diem and salaried positions. For more information, see Naturalist Training.
Want to intern at the Nature Center? Read about the opportunities below and also check out our Intern Expectations page to find out about how you can be involved.

Table of Contents
Internships, Jobs & Volunteer Opportunities On-going Opportunities Open Internships Summer 2005 Internships & Volunteer Opportunities

On-going Opportunities

The following positions are available on a seasonal or on-going basis. Unpaid internships are available for credit. Hours and days are flexible and we will work around your schedule and skills. Please make sure you have transportation to and from the Nature Center, as there is no public transportation available during the school year. Please contact Ali Higgins at 607-273-6260 for more details.

Education Programs Assistant/Intern This position has multiple outlets; working with pre-K nature classes held at CNC, going into elementary classrooms to present nature programs, traveling to libraries and scout troops for demos, designing and creating static displays for the nature center, researching and creating new ways of communicating with different groups of people.

Trail Guide Cayuga Nature Center's Trail Guide/Interpreter program allows volunteers to become knowledgable in a topic (or topics) or their choosing, and prepares them to conduct tours for the general public, oriented seasonally to specific trails and points of interest on the property. Examples might include our Treetops Tree-house, Butterfly House, spring wildflower trails or pioneer garden area. Public tour times may be scheduled to occur weekly or bi-weekly during a given season, and can be scheduled to accommodate guides. Group tours are generally adult or family groups. Sunday Afternoon Programs are a great way to get started! We are presently planning our spring 2005 schedule and are looking for individuals interested in:
Spring wildflowers
Traditional herbs, flowers and vegetable growing techniques
Nature art and journaling
Pioneer lifestyles, agriculture and local history

Animal Keeper Have you always wanted to work with exotic animals? Help is needed to feed, exercise, and present animal shows in our Critter Capers program. Prior experience with animals is not needed but a strong commitment to the Nature Center is required. Animal Keeper volunteers must attend four hours of training before working with the critters unsupervised.

Special Events Support/Intern The talents of volunteers are always needed to staff activities, crafts and exhibition tables, or just providing those extra hands that are so critical during seasonal events, such as Maple Fest and Halloween Capers. Let us put you on our "goto" list!

Special Presentations Music, lectures, story-telling... Cayuga Nature Center supports are regular schedule of public programs featuring entertainment, as well as enlightenment. We invite all to share their expertise and artistry, at our Cayuga Coffee House, at seasonal special events, or even as a special presentation unto itself.

Trail & Exhibits Maintenance Work outdoors with the Property Manger scouting the trails, mending fences, arranging the landscaping, etc.

Administrative Assistant Work as an assistant to the Executive Director and help with funding research, grant writing, contacting members, promoting the business and generally helping in the office by answering phones, responding to emails and organizing records.

Compost Although not actively seeking an intern at the moment, anyone interested in our compost project should contact the manager, Mark Wittig directly as he does routinely need additional help. 607-273-9099

If you are interested in the Nature Center and think you have something to offer us that is not listed here, please feel free to call and we can make further arrangements!

Open Internships

Adventure Ropes Course Support Intern at TEAM Challenge, Cayuga Nature Center Depending on interest and experience, this position may include involvement in all aspects of management and operation of a thriving ropes course, based on the Project Adventure Model. Areas of potential involvement include:

Facilitation of adventure programs
Course inspection, maintenance and development
Program development and marketing
Staff/ Facilitator training and development
World Wide Web site design and development
Administrative support, database management

Interns may also have the opportunity to choose to focus on particular applications of adventure programming, such as: therapeutic applications; programs for youth; college populations; leadership development; corporate and professional applications; conflict resolution.

On-the-Job Training While experience in adventure education is preferred, internships include free attendance at TEAM Challenge trainings and symposiums.

Requirements Experience with adventure learning and ropes courses strongly preferred. Familiarity with climbing gear or rock climbing is a plus. Computer literacy (Word Perfect, Word, Excel, Access, and Lotus 123) is a plus. Maturity, strong people skills, team spirit, and self-directedness are essential.

Commitment A one-semester (3 month or greater) minimum commitment is strongly preferred. Multi-semester internships are ideal.

Hours Number of hours/week will be set based on availability and any academic requirements.

Credit TBA

Contact Blair Tily, Director TEAM Challenge Program at Cayuga Nature Center Phone: (607) 273-6260

Summer 2005 Internships & Volunteer Opportunities

The following positions are available at CNC for the summer of 2005 and by more than one person at a time. Unpaid internships are available for credit in any of the listed positions. ALL AGES ARE WELCOME TO APPLY!!! Many of our summer volunteers are teenagers. Make sure you have transportation from a parent or through TCAT bus services. Please contact Ali Higgins at 607-273-6260 for more details.

Bobcats Counselors in Training Volunteer with our summer camp program as a counselor in training.

Camp Kitchen Assistant Responsible for set-up and clean-up of the kitchen during camp snack times. Must be present from 10-11:30am for a morning shift or 2-3:30pm for an afternoon shift. Requires a will to learn how to use a commercial kitchen.

Camp Craft Assistant Responsible for set-up and clean-up of te craft station during camp. Will also help campers in the making of thir crafts. A morning shift is from 9-11:30am and afternoon shift is 1:30-4:30. Requires a creative/artistic nature.

Assistant Butterfly Keeper Responsible for leading educational tours through our butterfly house to the general public. Tours operate 2pm M-F and last about 30 minutes. Will also be responsible for the care of the butterfly nursery, must be available at least one day a week. Requires an outgoing attitude for public speaking.

Guest Speakers/Presenters Do you have an interesting job? How about knowledge or a skill you would like to share with our campers? We are on the look out for members of the community who are willing to spend an hour of their time interacting with kids at camp. Call for more details.

Job Applications Are Presently Being Accepted! You have several options for applying for a job with Cayuga Nature Center:

Download the Job Application Form as a .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader) file: cncjobap.pdf .
Send us an E-Mail directly: jobs @ cayuganaturecenter.org
Use the web-based E-Mail form.
Stop by the Nature Center at: 1420 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, NY 14850
Call the Nature Center at: 607/273-6260
FAX us at: 607/273-1719

• info@cayuganaturecenter.org • 1420 Taughannock Blvd • Ithaca, NY 14850 • (607) 273-6260 • Fax: (607) 273-1719 • Suggestions •

√html • w3c • √css