The Internship Program is Currently Unavailable

Profile

The World's forests are undergoing a crisis of survival. In the United States, of the 1 billion acres of original forests that once towered over America, only five percent now remain. The timber industry and the United States Forest Service are destroying our nation's remaining forest ecosystems by logging in the last regions of Ancient and wild forests.

Save America's Forests is a nationwide educational and organizing campaign working to change United States policy to protect and restore America's last wild and natural forests. We provide support to environmental and citizens groups and business in our coalition, and represent their views to Congress, the Administration, and the national press. We promote legislation that will end logging in the last Ancient Forests on our federal forestlands, end clearcutting and restore the native biodiversity of these forests, and protect places like the Giant Sequoia National Monument.

In addition, we work to protect forests around the world and the indigenous peoples who live in them. We have a major campaign to protect forests of the Napo Moist Forest Region in the Amazon of Ecuador and Peru. These forests are not only the most biologically diverse forests in the world, but they also are inhabited by thousands of indigneous people of different groups, including some who are uncontacted and live as traditional hunter-gatherers with no modern tools of any sort.

Internships are available for students with a background in ecology, forest protection, and politics. Preference is given to candidates with experience in environmental or legislative organizing. Applicant must possess excellent writing and typing ability, a desire to learn and improve skills, and a strong personal belief in forest protection. Advanced skills in web design, science writing and research, and/or publishing a strong plus. Fluent Spanish is important for work on the Amazon project. Both teamwork and independent initiative will be important aspects of this position. Assignments vary, from lobbying Congressional staff and research projects to data base management and membership mailings. Opportunities to meet and assist U.S. forest activists and indigenous forest people from all parts of the United States and overseas. Minimum work commitment: one semester, spring, summer, or fall, with minimum attendance of three days per week.

To Apply

To apply, email

(preferred) word documents or pdf attachments

a cover letter

your resume

one or two recent writing samples, one preferably about the environment

a list of 2 or 3 references

intern@SaveAmericasForests.org

or

Save America's Forests

Internship Director

4 Library Court, SE

Washington, DC 20003

Phone 202-544-9219 -- If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call.

Contact or send resume and supporting material as detailed above

Please read the following sample letter from one of our former interns.

September 10, 1996

Dear Carl:

My internship at Save America’s Forests this last summer was outstanding, and has served as a perfect transition into my senior year at Yale. I chose Save America’s Forests over several other organizations for its small size, uncompromising politics, and sincere commitment to citizen mobilization and systematic change. I was not disappointed; my summer with you and Mark was outstanding. I would highly recommend such an internship for students interested in Washington politics, environmental policy, and forest protection.

When I came to D.C. I knew very little about federal politics and environmental policy. A summer with Save America’s Forests was a crash course in policy-making, grassroots organizing, environmental philosophy, and even database computer skills. I left with a much better understanding of how D.C. actually works and where the environmental movement has gone and could go.

I especially appreciated the extensive responsibility that you and Mark allotted to us interns. It’s no surprise you needed us to do a lot of work—you and Mark’s zeal and ambition leads you to take on a range and intensity of projects that much exceeds Save America’s Forests small staff size. I was truly shocked and excited that after only a week of furious self-education, we were given the opportunity to lobby in the House of Representatives on behalf of your forest protection legislation and your letter to the President. Lobbying was exciting and challenging, as well as extremely educational.

Besides lobbying, our responsibilities included office management, writing and editing stories for the winter newsletter, and researching various topics. Unlike many other summer internships in the capital, we did not spend the majority of our time photocopying and serving as receptionists (although we gladly assumed those tasks as part of the overall functioning of things). The office was always teeming with tasks and goals, but interns nevertheless had ample time to read relevant materials and become educated on forest protection politics. You and Mark supported our efforts to educate ourselves on current happenings and were always open to our questions. Discussions among staff members on relevant issues were frequent; a fact that fostered an expanded and better informed understanding of environmental policy.

By the end of the summer it was clear to me that Save America’s Forests is a small organization, but it is needed and appreciated nationwide. Every day, we received calls from individuals and coalition group members who sought updates on forest politics and recommendations for activism. Such callers frequently praised us for our work and expressed their deep appreciation that someone in Washington was “telling it like it is.” While conducting interviews for the newsletter, I spoke with several significant members of the forest protection movement who praised Save America’s Forests as their critical arm in the Washington. One environmental lawyer said something along the lines of: ‘I’m sure you’d rather be working for a big environmental organization like the -------------, it’s wonderful that you chose Save America’s Forests. They’re the only ones in D.C. who are honest about what’s going on.” (In fact I would not have preferred an internship with a larger environmental organization, but the comment was memorable and much appreciated all the same.)

Save America’s Forests combines many of the best assets of a policy think tank and a grassroots organization. It made for a memorable, engaging, and VERY educational job experience. Thank you for the opportunity to benefit from your expertise and the excellent summer it offered me.

Sincerely,

Michelle Anderson

Company info

Save Americas Forests
Phone : 202-544-9219
Website : http://www.saveamericasforests.org