Did you know that wetlands sustain life more than any other ecosystem? Only 5.6% of British Columbia’s land mass holds these natural oases and they are under constant threat.

Join us in our effort to help conserve and steward BC wetlands!

The BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Education Program (WEP) needs your help to make a difference in BC communities. A non-profit program established in 1996, WEP is known for successfully delivering quality wetland education across the province. This program builds the capacity of communities to assess their wetland assets and, using this new knowledge, increase community & ecosystem health. WEP’s activities are built upon four core programs: the Wetland Institute workshop, Wetlandkeepers courses, The Puddle Project and Wild Kidz Camps.

Three volunteer internship positions are now available:

• Programming Assistant
• Children’s Environmental Programming Facilitator
• Social Media Assistant

See below for details on these positions.

Our volunteer internships are limited and competitive. Experience gained in these positions is valuable for individuals looking for a career in environmental conservation. To take a look at the 2011 intern roster and see the types of activities they participated in, click here.

Please send an email with your resume and a cover letter describing your qualifications and interest in this position. Quote the position title you are interested in applying for in your email subject header.

Deadline: Monday, February 13^th, 2012.

Contact: 

Neil Fletcher (BCWF Wetlands Education Program Coordinator)  wetlands@bcwf.bc.ca

The BCWF WEP office is located at 101-9706 188th St., Surrey BC, V4N 3M2

Programming Assistant Intern 

The Programming Assistant Intern will work closely with the Wetlands Education Program Coordinator to plan, budget and deliver 2012 workshops across the province. This will include traveling to a minimum of one event to assist in facilitating.  Experience gained in this position is valuable to future work in environmental education and coordinating positions. Responsibilities for this volunteer internship include:

• Assist the WEP coordinator in the planning of 2012 workshops.
• Attend at least one workshop as an assistant programming facilitator.

Qualifications:

• This position demands an individual with excellent verbal and communication skills.
• The candidate should demonstrate initiative, leadership and the ability to work on tasks with minimal supervision.
• Must be able to travel within the province.
• Must be able to commit a minimum of 4 hours per week for 8 months (some of this work can be done from home).
• Knowledge and/or experience with ecology, conservation and/or environmental stewardship is a requirement.

Children’s Programming Facilitator Intern

The Children’s Programming Facilitator Intern will work closely with the Wetlands Education Program Coordinator to plan, budget and deliver the 2012 Wild Kidz Summer day camps. This will include traveling to Barriere and Oliver, BC, to participate in the final programming. The Intern will also assist in the researching, planning and creating of wetland displays for children’s events.  Responsibilities for this volunteer internship include:

• Assist the WEP coordinator in the planning of two summer day camps for children aged 9-12.
• Research activities for children’s outdoor and environmental learning.
• Attend the two day camps in Barriere and Oliver as an assistant programming facilitator.

Qualifications:

• This position demands an individual with an outgoing personality, excellent verbal and communication skills and experience with children.
• Must be willing to have a criminal record check for working with youth.
• The candidate should demonstrate initiative, leadership and the ability to work on tasks with minimal supervision.
• Must be able to attend camps on August 5-10^th and August 12-17^th.
• Must be able to commit a minimum of 4 hours per week for 8 months in addition to the attendance of both camps (some of this work can be done from home).
• Some knowledge or experience in outdoor education, recreation and ecology is an asset.
• Creativity and a good sense of humor are required.

Social Media Assistant Intern

The  Social Media Assistant will work with the Wetlands Education Program Coordinator to promote wetland conservation and stewardship within BC. This will include writing short blog entries, posting to Facebook and Twitter, and assisting with online media and publications. Responsibilities for this volunteer internship include:

• Assist the WEP coordinator in disseminating important wetland news and programming information by Tweeting and posting to Facebook.
• Help promote the Wetlands Education Program through online media.
• Gain support and votes for the Program in a current social media grant campaign.
• Research wetland plants, animals and related news and write fun and informative weekly blog entries.

Qualifications:

• This position demands an individual with excellent research and writing skills.
• Should be comfortable, confident and innovative with social media.
• The candidate should demonstrate initiative and the ability to work on tasks with minimal supervision.
• Must be able to commit a minimum of 4 hours per week for 8 months (some of this work can be done from home).
• Some knowledge or experience with ecology, conservation and environmental stewardship is valuable but not necessary.
• Experience with graphics programs is an asset but is not required.