Thank you for your interest in employment and internship opportunities at D&R Greenway Land Trust.

Staff Opportunity
Summer Fellowship at The Discovery Center at Point Breeze
Apply ASAP but no later than May 18, 2024

Location: 101 Park Street, Bordentown, New Jersey

Background:

In 2020, D&R Greenway and partners permanently protected the last open space in the City of Bordentown that was once home to the Lenape, the First People. From 1816-1839, that land was home to the exiled King of Spain, Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte. Today, the property has been transformed into the Discovery Center at Point Breeze, an exploratory museum that shares stories of the land and its people with visitors. The property includes an Historic Garden that grows heritage crops from the Bonaparte era and includes a Three Sisters Garden to honor the Lenape. In 2023, we donated 481 lbs. of produce to feed local people in the Bordentown community. Nearby, at Bordentown Beach on the Delaware River, we offer a kayak program that introduces people to the Delaware River waterways.

We are offering a Summer Fellowship that will provide an opportunity for the Fellow to learn about and contribute to the Discovery Center, Historic Garden and Kayaking Program.

To view a video about Point Breeze, and to learn about D&R Greenway Land Trust, click HERE.  

Local residents of all ages, young people considering a career in conservation, people of Lenape heritage, and people with Spanish speaking skills are all encouraged to apply. If you are enthusiastic, detail-oriented, and eager to make a positive impact, we would love to have you on board!

Fellowship Dates: June 8 – August 23, 2024 (some flexibility with start and end dates)

Required Participation:

The Summer Fellowship is funded by the William Penn Foundation through a partnership with 23 nature centers known as the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River (AWE).  The Fellow will meet and work with other AWE Fellows by participating in these required meetings:

• June 12-14: Fellowship Orientation (overnight) at the Pocono Environmental Education Center. (Meals, transportation, and accommodation provided.)
• The Fellow will work with their Supervisor to identify a Capstone Project that may involve research, program planning, development of materials and activities related to the Fellow’s work at the Discovery Center at Point Breeze.
• The Fellow will attend occasional check-in meetings with other Fellows throughout the summer.
• August 16: Watershed Fellowship Summit with presentation of Summer Capstone Project.

Hours: Minimum 20 hours per week up to 37.5 hours per week for a total of 12 weeks.  This position requires working six hours per day on Saturdays and Sundays and the balance during scheduled weekdays.  Very occasional participation with evening programs is possible. The Fellow will be off two consecutive weekdays.

Compensation: $16.25 per hour. This is a temporary Fellowship position and is not eligible for benefits.

Job Description

• Assist with opening and closing protocol for the Discovery Center at Point Breeze.
• Greet visitors and provide guidance to the exhibits.
• Help coordinate special programs and events: set up and break down (tables, chairs, displays)
• Assist the Manager of the Discovery Center at Point Breeze in development of programs and exhibits that share stories of the many peoples and resources of this special place.
• Participate in exhibit care and help with indoor & outdoor maintenance to provide a positive experience for visitors.
• Assist the Lead Gardener by working in the Historic Garden and Three Sisters Garden to grow vegetables and herbs and assist with donation to the local community.
• Provide support to the Kayak Program Coordinator by giving tours for participants and by assisting as needed with kayak trips on the Delaware River waterways.
• Other duties as assigned to support stewardship of plants and exhibits.

The Fellow will have the opportunity to learn about the Delaware River watershed, indigenous peoples and history, environmental protection, and native plants and birds. An example of a Capstone Project could be to work with the Native American community, and the greater Bordentown community, to plan, organize and manage a summertime celebration of Lenape history at The Discovery Center at Point Breeze.

Skills Needed:

• A positive attitude and willingness to greet visitors and start conversations with strangers.
• An ideal candidate will be creative and flexible, and interested in learning how to engage audiences of all ages.
• An interest in history and/or nature and gardening will support this work.
• Ability to do physical work that includes walking up and down stairs; carrying up to 50 pounds; squatting and bending to work in a garden; and, working outdoors, no matter the weather.
• Kayak or canoe experience helpful but not essential.
• Knowledge of Lenape customs and/or language, or of Spanish language, helpful but not essential.
• Valid driver’s license and car needed, or proficiency with public transportation. (There is a bus stop next to our center.)
• Ability to work remotely on occasion (have access to computer/internet).
• The selected Fellow will be able to work cooperatively as a member of a team and will be punctual and follow supervision.

To apply: Send a letter of interest including your resume and relevant experience, contact information and three references to Melanie Mead at ptbreezemanager@drgreenway.org.

Please include the dates you are available when applying. Applications will be reviewed, and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis until the job is filled.

D&R Greenway Land Trust, an accredited non-profit organization, has saved 22,000 acres of land in New Jersey since 1989. We provide healthy food and clean drinking water for our communities, natural refuge for birds and wildlife, resilience for our future, and trails to connect people with the great outdoors. Our preserves and programs inspire people from all walks of life to care about conservation.

Neil Upmeyer Internship

In Neil Upmeyer’s memory, D&R Greenway Land Trust has established The Neil Upmeyer Internship in Land Preservation & Stewardship at the Johnson Education Center. Spearheaded by his good friend Jim Amon and funded by the generosity of Neil’s friends and colleagues, the Upmeyer Internship is made available to graduate and undergraduate college students. Under the guidance of a D&R Greenway advisor, the intern will dedicate 100 hours  or more to assisting stewardship staff with conservation practices. The intern receives a stipend and an invitation to attend all educational programs at the Johnson Education Center for a year.

This living legacy creates the next generation of land preservationists to follow in Neil’s footsteps. Every Upmeyer intern is given an experience that we hope will transfer Neil Upmeyer’s generosity, dedication, insight, and leadership to a new generation of environmental leaders.

Charles Evans Conservation Leader

Charles Evans was a visionary and an entrepreneur – he saw opportunity and understood its significance and the benefits that could be created from it. His first career was in the fashion industry, where he parlayed an elegant approach to styling women’s sportswear with a clean, classic menswear look into the Evan-Picone label. Charles Evans was also a contemplative man who found his own renewal in nature. He appreciated the importance of preserving and caring for the land for the benefit of future generations. He would have recognized the need to encourage the next generation of environmental leaders by providing an opportunity for them to gain hands-on experience in conservation.

In his honor, the Charles Evans Foundation has presented an endowment to D&R Greenway Land Trust to fund the Charles Evans Future Conservation Leader Awards. Each year, D&R Greenway will grant one or more Conservation Leader Awards to support internships for selected undergraduate or graduate students with a strong interest in land preservation and stewardship or in related fields such as development, communications or nonprofit management.

Linda Munson, President of the Charles Evans Foundation explained, “Charles believed in empowering talent – through education, mentoring and training. D&R Greenway is an outstanding organization; there is none better able to prepare students to become environmental professionals. It was a logical step to create the Charles Evans Future Conservation Leader Awards for D&R Greenway to administer. I believe the results will have a lasting impact on the face and future of conservation.”

D&R Greenway Land Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, affectional or sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law.  All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.