Third Millennium Alliance is a non-profit dedicated to preserving the last remnants of Ecuador’s coastal Pacific Forest and to empower local communities to restore what has been lost. We own and operate the 1000+ acre Jama-Coaque Reserve in Manabi, Ecuador, and envision a culture in which local communities recognize both the practical and intrinsic benefits of forest stewardship and manage the land accordingly, creating both economic and environmental sustainability in the region.
Internship opportunity in the coastal forests of Ecuador, in conservation, permaculture, restoration, community outreach, scientific research, construction& environmental technology. Two-month duration, living off the grid at an ecological reserve, includes optional PDC course.
Full description of internship: Third Millennium Alliance (TMA) was founded in 2007 with the purchase of 100 acres and the establishment of the Jama-Coaque Reserve (JCR) in the western province of Manabí, Ecuador, between the cities of Jama and Pedernales, and four kilometers inland. Now encompassing over 1,000 acres, the Jama-Coaque Reserve actively protects one of the last remaining fragments of Pacific Equatorial Forest, which is considered to be one of the most threatened tropical forests in the world. Learn more at www.tmalliance.org.
Internship Opportunities: Interns are to take on high-impact and dynamic projects in a variety of ecological and sustainable fields of focus. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done and experience to be gained – for interns and for us. Above all, creativity, innovation, and self-motivation are the fuel of our intern program. Immediately surrounding the house we are designing/growing/building a living laboratory of sustainable resource management (i.e. permaculture), which also serves as our field station for field biological research and forest monitoring.
Generally speaking, there are three categories of personal projects for interns to tackle during their internship: 1) conservation biology research, 2) sustainable food production, and 3) appropriate technology.
The following is a list of some of the projects we’re looking to tackle during the upcoming sessions. Some are new projects and others are ongoing and multi-year projects. Projects with stars next to them are of high interest and priority. When applying please prioritize three projects from the list below in the order of most interest.
Conservation Biology Research:
• *Native Seed Bank Nursery* (requires strong Spanish-speaking skills)
• *Water Quality Measurements* (knowledge of aquatic macrofauna is an advantage)
• *GIS Research* (mapping of the JCR, related mostly to another Flora & Fauna Research Project)
• Camera trap survey of wild felines (ocelot, jaguarondi, margay, etc)
• *Monkey Troop Demography & Behavioral Study (Mantled howler monkeys & critically endangered Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchins)
• *Herpetofauna survey* (reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance)
• Ornithology Survey - (ornithology experience and Spanish-speaking skills)
Sustainable Food Production:
• Seed Starting and Planting
• Garden Design and Development
• Raised Bed Construction
• Tree Maintenance and Brush Clearing
• Compost Production and other Fertility Management Practices
• Food Forest Design and Maintenance
• Production Zone Intensive – Focused on increasing food production, crop zonification & rotation, plant propagation, care/maintenance, integrated pest management and food preservation (ie, canning, drying)
• *Natural Building* – bamboo, adobe walls, enlarging our kitchen
• *GIS mapping of our irrigation systems and production zone*
Appropriate Technology:
•*Alternative Energy projects for the Bamboo House (solar & hydro)*
•*Build a compost dry-toilet
•Design and build a non-electrical refrigerator
We are also offering two optional short courses during this internship session:
1. Permaculture Design Certification Course (PDC) - to be taught throughout the two-month duration. The Permaculture Design Course is an opportunity to receive lecture based and hands on experience in Permaculture Design and Practice. Topics surrounding Sustainable Land Management and Water Use, Design Methods and Techniques, General Ecology, Aquaculture, and Appropriate Technology give our participants a well rounded introduction to Permaculture Design and its principles.
2. Introduction to GIS – to be taught during three full days of lecture and hands-on learning sessions as well as two months of practical use. The Intro to GIS course is an opportunity to become versed in the basics of GIS, spatial information, and field applications. The course will be taught by our GIS expert Wouter Hantson, who has years of experience teaching GIs to students in the fields of ecology and landscape analysis. The course will be based on the open source software Quantum GIS (QGIS), which is a freely available GIS software comparable to ArcGIS.
There is a difference in price based on whether you choose to take the PDC course or Intro to GIS courses. Please visit our website for more information: www.tmalliance.org/internships/program-cost.
Early Summer Internship Dates: June 1– July 28, 2015
Early Summer Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 1, 2015
To see a complete program description, please visit our “Internship” page on our website at http://www.tmalliance.org/internships. Here you can download the application form and contact details, as well as other media, such as photos, video, and the program FAQ.
Please submit your application to Director of Administration Pamela Goldhagen and copy Ryan Lynch. The subject of your application email should read as follows: “APPLICATION – Season Year (Your Name)”. For example: “APPLICATION -Spring 2015 (John Doe)”. Don’t forget to attach the completed application form and “short answer” questions. Please be sure to include whether or not you are interested in taking the Permaculture Design Certification Course or the Introduction to GIS short course. Note: if you fill out the Application Form in PDF format, be sure that your written entries are saved to the document–for some reason, Adobe often times erases these entries and the form is saved blank.We look forward to working with you!