2008 Internship Project Descriptions
Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
(ECWA) is dedicated to improving the relationship between
Durham residents and Ellerbe Creek through education, ecosystem
restoration, land protection, and the creation of urban nature
trails and preserves for the public to enjoy.
www.ellerbecreek.org
Information relevant
to all internship projects
Background Information: ECWA is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to protecting open space and streams
in the Ellerbe Creek Watershed. The Ellerbe Creek "Watershed"
is the 37- square mile area that drains to Ellerbe Creek (the
creek itself, begins near Bennett Place and flows to Falls
Lake). The watershed is largely urban and contains many of
Durham's landmark businesses and institutions including the
Ninth Street business district, Duke University and the majority
of downtown Durham.
Since its' founding in 1999, ECWA has acquired
over 100 acres that it manages for recreation, native plant
and habitat restoration and education. Our long term goal
is the creation of a string of connected nature preserves
that allow people to enjoy nature by simply walking, running
or biking from their home or place of work. Another goal is
to bring back the rich native flora of the Ellerbe Creek valley,
much of which survives only in remnants along roadways, in
ditches, or here and there along the creek.
Other ECWA activities include partnering with
state and local agencies to fund and implement stream restoration
and stormwater management projects; trail building; working
with local schools and community organizations; and hosting
regular work days and nature walks.
ECWA is also a partner in the Upper Neuse Clean
Water Initiative (UNCWI), a partnership effort to prioritize
and protect those lands most critical for the long-term safety
and health of all drinking water supplies for the communities
in the Upper Neuse River Basin. Through UNCWI, ECWA and other
initiative partners conduct outreach to landowners, local
governments and the public and work to acquire key parcels
of land through voluntary purchase or donation of land or
conservation agreements.
Location: ECWA's office is located on
Broad Street in Durham. The intern should be available to
meet and work in the office several times per week to facilitate
collaboration with the project supervisor, but can otherwise
opt to work either from home or in the ECWA office.
Additional Information: Opportunities for networking
include attending any UNCWI general meetings occurring during
the internship, outreach to state and local agencies, and
interaction with ECWA's land committee and board of directors.
The intern will also have the opportunity to work with ECWA's
director to organize and implement site visits and informational
activities for the ECWA board, city and county officials and
UNCWI partners.
ECWA would be happy to help the intern adapt the project
for use as a Masters Project (MP).
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Project Proposal 1:
Land Protection Intern
Project Description: The Ellerbe Creek
Watershed Association (ECWA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to protecting open space and streams in the Ellerbe Creek
Watershed; a 37-square mile area that includes much of Duke
campus and downtown Durham. For more information about our
work, please visit www.ellerbecreek.org
Assist the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
(ECWA), a Durham based nonprofit watershed protection group,
with initiative to protect land considered critical to protecting
water quality.
Excellent opportunity for graduate or undergraduate
with interest in land protection, natural resources, environmental
planning, public policy, local government or nonprofit organizations.
--Open to all Duke graduate and undergraduate
students--
Responsibilities: Specific
duties will vary based on the status of negotiations with
landowners and funding partners and the skills and interests
of the intern. The range of possible activities includes:
- Assist in evaluating parcels for protection.
- Assist in researching parcels identified for protection
- Field visits to sites identified for protection and/or
acquisition
- Outreach via letters, emails and meetings with landowners,
local governments, and the public.
- Assist in development of maps for use by landowners, state
and local officials, grant organizations and the ECWA Board
of Directors.
- Assist in preparation of proposals to various agencies
for funds to protect key parcels.
Hours and Pay: Interns work full-time
(40 hours per week) for 11 weeks during the summer and receive
a $4,500 stipend. The stipend is distributed by Duke in equal
monthly allotments.
Work Schedule and Location: ECWA's office
is located near Duke University in Durham. The intern should
be available to meet and work in the office several times
per week, but can otherwise opt to work from home or the library.
Qualifications: Desirable
qualifications include resourcefulness, good research and
interpersonal skills and basic computer skills. Interest in
land and water protection and familiarity with GIS and watershed
issues a plus.
To apply: Please send an electronic resume
and informal letter of interest to: dianat@ellerbecreek.org
For further information, please call the ECWA office at (919)
698-8161
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Project Proposal 2:
Land Acquisition Priority and Planning
Project Description: One of ECWA's long
term goals is the creation of a string of connected nature
preserves that allow people to enjoy nature by simply walking,
running or biking from their home or place of work. The intern
would help ECWA achieve this goal by creating a land acquisition
priority plan. The plan would would integrate factors such
as the importance of the parcel in protecting water quality,
habitat and wildlife corridors, passive recreation options,
proximity to the city's current and planned greenway trails,
unique natural features, and acquisition feasibility. The
intern would integrate this information using a weighted ranking
system and identify 4 or 5 top priority and 4or 5 second priority
acquisition sites.
Responsibilities:
- Work with ECWA's director, land committee and board of
directors to identify the most important factors to include
in the weighted ranking system.
- Analyze parcels attributes through research and site
visits.
- Develop a prioritized list of parcels for acquisition
- If time permits: Develop a suite of suggested acquisition
strategies and potential partners and funding sources.
Expected Products: The end product of this
project will be a prioritized list of acquisitions and, if
time permits, a summary of suggested acquisition strategies
.
Qualifications: Desirable qualifications
include a strong interest in land and water conservation,
resourcefulness, good research and interpersonal skills, familiarity
with GIS and watershed issues.
Supervisor: The intern will
be supervised by Diana Tetens, Executive Director of the Ellerbe
Creek Watershed Association
dianatetens@hotmail.com (919) 698-8161).
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Project Proposal 3:
Urban Preserve Management Planning
Project Description: ECWA owns and manages
the three urban preserves listed below. We are seeking an
intern to work closely with our preserve manager in developing
a comprehensive management plan focused primarily on the 17
Acre Wood Preserve. Attention will be given to the other two
preserves as time permits.
The management plan will focus on invasive
species removal and the restoration of native plant and wildlife
diversity and habitat. Other factors for possible inclusion,
such as increasing the number of wetland gardens, expanding
the trail system and developing new interpretive displays
will be evaluated in collaboration with ECWA's preserve manager.
17 Acre Wood : This preserve, located near
Duke University between Albany Street and Guess Road in Durham,
was ECWA's first preserve. Open to the public, the preserve
consists of nearly 20 acres of floodplain forest. Since the
initial purchase, in 2000, hundreds of volunteers and community
organizations have transformed the Albany Street end of the
reserve from an impenetrable thicket of invasive exotic plants
into an oasis for people and native plant diversity. Represented
plant communities include prairie and wetland, in addition
to the mature floodplain forest. A paved trail, part of the
West Ellerbe Creek Trail, follows the creek through the middle
of the Preserve. Unique among city trails, its corridor is
managed by ECWA for native floodplain and prairie wildflowers
rather than for turf grass.
The trail and reserve also serve as refuge
for native plants rescued from development sites elsewhere
in the watershed. In addition to resident wildlife like barred
owls, beavers, muskrats and box turtles, the reserve provides
food and resting place for migrating birds and other wildlife
moving up and down the creek. Periodic sightings of wild turkey,
great blue heron, deer and fox show that even an urban nature
preserve can play an important role in a larger web of life.
Glennstone Preserve : The Glennstone Preserve
is an 83-acre preserve located located to the north and west
of the Glennstone housing development on Glenn Road. The site
contains a rich variety of native wildflowers and grasses
persisting in areas that have yet to become dominated by tree
saplings. Red-headed woodpeckers inhabit one area with lots
of snags and a heron rookery is located a short walk west
of the preserve area. Though some invasive plants have become
established along the right of ways, they are not at this
time dominant in the preserve.
Pearl Mill Preserve : The three acre Pearl Mill
Preserve is ECWA's most recent land acquisition. Located along
the East Branch of South Ellerbe Creek, the Preserve is part
of a corridor of wetlands and floodplain woods bounded by
the Trinity Park, Old North Durham and Duke Park neighborhoods.
It stretches alongside the popular South Ellerbe Creek Trail,
just south of Green Street. Plans for the preserve include
restoring native habitat, creating nature trails, building
an observation platform over a wetland area and cultivating
flowers along the greenway.
Responsibilities:
- Survey of current conditions at the preserve and development
of a baseline report summarizing these conditions.
- Research leading to the development of a seasonal management
plan for the preserve.
- Research leading to the development of a long range management
plan designed to control invasive species and restore native
plant and wildlife diversity and habitat.
Qualifications:
A strong interest in land and water conservation, resourcefulness
and good research skills are essential to this position. The
ideal candidate will also have skills and knowledge in forestry,land
management, botany or biology and familiarity with GIS.
Expected Products
: Report detailing the baseline survey, seasonal
management and long range management plans for the preserve
to be presented to the ECWA board.
Supervisor(s): The intern
will be supervised by Cynthie Culstad, ECWA's preserve manager,
with additional support and supervision provided by Diana
Tetens, ECWA's Executive Director.
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