2012 INTERNSHIP

Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) located in Oakland, is a volunteer-based community group
founded in 1996 to promote awareness and enhancement of Sausal Creek and its watershed. Our mission is to educate,
inspire, and take action to restore and preserve Sausal Creek and its 2,656-acre watershed as a unique natural community
resource. We involve students, residents, and volunteers in protection, monitoring, and revegetation activities to restore the
native plant ecosystem and increase the diversity of wildlife in the watershed.
As a part of our community-based restoration effort, we are currently seeking interns to assist with FOSC’s nursery
and restoration programs. These programs consist of leading school groups and community members in habitat restoration
and environmental education projects along the creek, collecting local native seeds and cuttings, native species
propagation, and construction and maintenance projects at the nursery. Internship duties will include leading restoration
and nursery workdays which involve planning, preparation and clean-up; organizing tools and equipment; helping with
volunteer outreach; planting data input; site monitoring; and curriculum development. Our workdays focus on removal of
invasive species, erosion control, planting natives, and teaching environmental education to groups of elementary school,
high school, and college students, as well as corporate groups and local community members.
The ideal intern(s) enjoy working outdoors, have a strong interest in the environment and helping to preserve and
enhance it, can work well with students in grades 4-12, and are able to commit to a regular schedule, including some
Saturdays each month.
Applicants will need to have attended at least two volunteer events with FOSC within the past six months. Please
submit a letter of interest to FOSC Nursery and Restoration Megan Hess at Field@SausalCreek.org. In your letter of
interest, please indicate which of the following areas you are interested in focusing on (you may choose as many focus
areas as you wish): public events, field trips, nursery projects, restoration projects, and summer youth program.
• Public Events: 1-4 Saturdays each month at community events throughout FOSC’s restoration sites and native plant
nursery. Interns will be asked to help lead and manage volunteers in restoration and nursery projects and teach
participants about the Sausal Creek Watershed. Preparation and leadership help is especially needed prior to large events
(e.g., Earth Day on April 21, Creek to Bay Day in September, Solstice Planting in December). Interns will receive
training in each of these areas. Saturday restoration events typically run from 9am-noon with up to an hour of
preparation beforehand, and up to an hour of clean-up at the end of the day. Nursery events typically run in the
afternoons from 1:30-4:30pm.
• Field Trips: 2-6 weekday field trips/month throughout FOSC restoration sites and the JMP Nursery. Each field trip
event will begin by gathering materials needed from storage locations in Dimond Park and the JMP Nursery. Interns
will lead students in an introduction to FOSC and the worksite, tool safety, educational activities, and will lead
students in restoration or nursery projects during each field trip. Field trips typically run for 2-4 hours, with up to an
hour of preparation beforehand, and an hour of clean-up at the end of each day. In spring 2012, we need interns to help
supervise buildOn youth for a door-to-door pollution prevention project.
• Restoration projects include:
o Vegetation monitoring throughout restoration sites
o GPS mapping of restoration plots and species in the watershed
o Ongoing site maintenance throughout restoration sites (watering, weeding, etc.)
• Nursery projects include:
o Transplanting seedlings
o General nursery maintenance (weeding, moving plants, upkeep of stock)
o Organize and inventory equipment
o Input nursery data
• Summer Youth Program: Interns will help lead local youth in a short-term internship program at the JMP Nursery
and in Dimond Park, two-three days a week for six weeks from mid-June to late July. Preparation, training, and
planning will take place during the first two weeks of June. Excellent opportunity to take learned skills to the next
level at the end of the internship.