Start Date: June 12, 2023 – February 12, 2024

Compensation: $650 per week + $1000 monthly for housing

Medical Insurance Included

Application Due: April 15, 2023 

The Resource Assistants Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers. You must be:

• a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

• fully vaccinated for covid-19 prior to the start of their internship.

• a college graduate.
• no personal vehicle required.

Please Apply Here

Project Description:

State, Private and Tribal Forestry (SPTF), Cooperative Forestry/Landowner Assistance staff work with States, Tribes, private landowners, and other partners to promote healthy forests throughout the United States. Our programs and partnerships help private landowners and rural communities care for their forests, strengthen local economies, and maintain a high quality of life.  The programs of Landowner Assistance include:

•  Forest Stewardship: provides technical assistance to private landowners to encourage long term forest management. 
• Landscape Scale Restoration: funds collaborative restoration of forest landscapes through competitive cross boundary projects.
• Forest Legacy permanently conserves environmentally significant forest land threatened by conversion. 
• Community Forest and Open Space Conservation: assists Tribes, local governments, and nonprofits to acquire and establish community forests for recreation, clean water, wildlife habitat, education, and other community benefits. 

This (LOA) Communications Assistant will help develop resources to communicate the impact from these different programs which will include drafting and designing communication materials (stories, fact sheets, etc.). The Communications Assistantwill also have an opportunity to work with the team to develop tools and resources to help with onboarding new employees or new partners.  Finally, the Resource Assistant will provide general support for the different programs as necessary.  

College/University graduates with a degree in communications, journalism, graphic design or writing would be well suited for this role.  An interest in natural resources, forestry, science writing or the environment would also be beneficial.  Excellent written communication skills and critical thinking capabilities will be essential to success in this role.  This Communications Assistant will be expected to work both independently and on teams and should be prepared to communicate and collaborate effectively with both their supervisor, mentors and colleagues throughout the year.  

Qualifications (Degree/Major/Skill Sets):

• Degree: Bachelor 
• Major: Communications, English, Public Affairs, Journalism, or related field 
• Skillset: Writing; Microsoft Office suite
• Other: graphic design skills and familiarity with graphic software programs

Community Information:

Washington D.C, is the center of a metropolitan area (2017 pop. 6.2 million) extending into Maryland and Virginia.  With the city of Baltimore to its north in Maryland, it forms a consolidated metropolitan area of more than 7 million people.  Washington is the legislative, administrative, and judicial center of the United States.  The city is a major tourist attraction and a cultural center.  The D.C. Metro Area is an exciting place to live and work.  Some of the best schools and medical services in the Nation are found in the area.  There are exceptional opportunities to visit historical places and museums and experience the diverse cultural environment of the Nation’s capital.

Transportation:

Transportation facilities within the D.C. The Metro Area includes a subway and bus system that connects the city with many suburbs.  The Smithsonian Metro Subway Station is one block from the Forest Service office in the Yates Federal Building at 14th and Independence Avenue.  Commuter rail systems in MD and VA serve the outer metro area.  The main rail center is Union Station in Washington D.C.  Ronald Reagan Washington National, Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport provide air service in the Washington D.C. area.  

Housing:

Housing costs within the immediate suburban area of Washington D.C are very high with a median price of $619,000 (July 2022) including single-family, condos and townhouses.  As with most urban areas, increasing numbers of people are moving further out to find more affordable housing.  Washington D.C. metro area’s system of mass transportation, especially commuter rail and commuter buses, allows people to find more affordable housing.  Counties in Maryland that are adjacent to D.C. include Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.  Many people commute from counties even farther out, including Frederick, Carroll, Howard, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel Counties.  On the Virginia side are Arlington and Fairfax Counties, and farther out are Loudoun and Prince William Counties.  Some people commute from homes as far away as Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle.

Direct Hire Authority (DHA)

All RAP interns receive Direct Hire Authority (DHA) at the successful conclusion of their internship. DHA status enables an agency to hire, after public notice is given, any qualified applicant. A DHA expedites hiring by eliminating competitive rating and ranking, veterans’ preference, and “rule of three” procedures. For more information, please click HERE.

EEO Statement:

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.