Rotary Club of Shades Valley Internship

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2010 Summer Intern Katie King arranging bromeliads for display in the tropical conservatory
 
Katie next to a red oak sapling in a park, propagated and grown at The Gardens
 
Katie speaking about the internship to the Rotary Club of Shades Valley

The Rotary Club of Shades Valley is funding a summer internship at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, a city of Birmingham facility. In its fourth year, the internship is an excellent opportunity for a full-time college student or recent graduate to learn skills in applied horticulture and to gain practical experience toward a career in public horticulture. The intern will be employed by the Birmingham Botanical Society, Inc., dba Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, an education-based non-profit organization that has partnered with the city for more than 45 years in the operation of The Gardens. The intern will work under staff supervision of both The Gardens and The Friends throughout the summer.

The internship is open to a rising junior or senior attending a four-year college or university full-time or to a recent graduate (within the last twelve months) of a two- or four-year college. Preference will be given to students majoring in horticulture, landscape design, landscape architecture, biology, ecology, plant science, environmental science. Past interns have continued their educations in graduate school, studying landscape architecture, plant science and public garden leadership.

The program will begin the week of May 23 or May 30, depending on the availability of the intern, and will last for ten weeks at forty hours per week. Eight-hour days will be Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with a one hour unpaid lunch break). Pay is fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour. Tools and rain and safety gear will be provided. Time will be provided each week by staff to instruct the intern on a tutorial basis in modern methods of botanical garden management and maintenance and in worker safety.

Work and instruction will focus on the principles of greenhouse production, planting, grounds maintenance, arboriculture, pest management and the curatorial aspects of plant collections and may include display design, library and archives, marketing, membership, development, public relations, education and visitor programs. The intern will work in the various gardens: Kaul Wildflower Garden; Hulsey Woods and Japanese Garden; Barber Alabama Woodlands; Fern Glade; Ireland Iris Garden; Jemison Lily Garden; Dunn Formal and Ireland Old-fashioned Rose gardens; Conservatory and greenhouses; and in the administration building (Garden Center.) The intern also will be given time to attend relevant local meetings, events and lectures with staff. The intern also will work on an ongoing project of his or her interest. The 2009 intern, for example, developed a brochure on medicinal plants at the The Gardens; the 2010 intern wrote regular posts for The Garden Dirt Blog.

Candidates must provide: a one or two page resume; a statement of professional objectives regarding the internship (200 words); and a reference from an academic advisor who is knowledgeable of the candidate’s scholastic standing toward graduation. The intern is required to have proof of a valid driver’s license (exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis, for example, for disabled but otherwise qualified applicants). The internship is highly competitive. Candidates are encouraged to be concise but thorough in the application process. All materials must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, May 2, 2011. Materials may be submitted electronically or in hard copy. It is the candidate’s obligation to ensure receipt of materials at Birmingham Botanical Gardens by the deadline.

Send application materials to:

Henry Hughes

Director of Education

Birmingham Botanical Gardens

2612 Lane Park Road

Birmingham, AL  35223

hhughes@bbgardens.org