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Summer 2008 Internship Sites
Coker Arboretum
UNC, Totten Center
Chapel Hill, NC
http://www.ncbg.unc.edu/pages/38/
Start date: June 1, 2008
About the agency: The Coker Arboretum, a part of the North Carolina Botanical Garden, seeks to inspire understanding, appreciation, and conservation of plants in gardens and natural areas and to advance a sustainable relationship between people and nature. The Coker Arboretum is a 5.5 acres garden in the middle of campus at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The focus of the garden is woody plants of the southeastern U.S. and their Asiatic counterparts. At 104 years old the collection specializes in mature trees but has a variety of seasonal displays of bulbs, annuals, and perennials. Located in the middle of campus and close to downtown, the Arboretum serves its community as the “Central Park” of Chapel Hill.
Internship Description: The intern will work with the regular staff and volunteer groups in the landscape doing renovations, exotic invasive removal, and routine maintenance within the Coker Arboretum. In addition, the intern will spend time developing and maintaining public education materials on a variety of horticultural, ecological, and environmental topics throughout the collection. With the intent of nurturing a meaningful relationship with the Coker Arboretum, the intern must spend the majority of their time helping to maintain and improve the collection. Other activities will include a weekly “What’s in Bloom?” list, “Plant of Week” profiles, and additional interpretive themes. In addition, the intern will participate in some activities / outings on other Botanical Garden properties to illustrate the breadth of the institution and an understanding of its mission.
Skills Needed: The physical ability and willingness to work outside for extended periods of time in the summer. Basic computer skills are necessary and the ability to write well is a plus.
Concentrations of Interest: The intern could expect to develop a variety of skills from basic garden maintenance to plant identification and will learn some of the fundamental principles of conservation biology and sustainability. The experience would be of particular interest to biology and environmental studies majors.
Transportation Needed: None, just the ability to get to/from the site
To obtain contact information for the current Internships Chair, please refer to the APPLES' Organizers directory.
