Blue Forest Conservation, Project Development Internship, Summer 2022
Description of agency and internship overview:
Blue Forest Conservation is an innovative climate finance non-profit that develops financial tools and investment opportunities to address pressing environmental challenges. We are an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, foresters, finance, and communications professionals committed to the mission of “Financial Innovation for Sustainable Solutions” through our culture of learning, collaboration, diligence, and innovation. Our flagship tool, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), uses collaborative financing to accelerate the pace and scale of forest restoration projects and lower the risk of severe wildfire across the Western US. There will likely be 1-3 field site visits to the Sierra Nevada mountains and/or Washington state if Covid protocols allow.
The intern will work on one or more of the following projects:
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Evaluating the public health benefits of forest restoration linked to decreased wildfire risk and therefore avoided smoke-related outcomes
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Laying the foundation for developing a new product for the nearshore marine environment, understanding how innovative approaches can accelerate salmon recovery and improve human and ecosystem health
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Supporting the Forest Resilience Bond project and development of Pacific Northwest initiatives in Oregon and/or Washington, including understanding project benefits, researching project components, developing a landscape assessment, and understanding state-level policies and programs that could support project development
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Research and assess how the Forest Resilience Bond can support the development of a restoration economy, including evaluating wood product use and community resilience
- Research project components, such as: identifying potential partners, assessing state policies, and addressing project development roadblocks
- Develop print (report, memo, 2-pager, etc.) and digital (deck, website, blog, video, article, etc.) communications materials
- Engage with stakeholders to better understand forest and watershed management benefits to diverse entities
- Synthesize research and present findings to internal and external audiences
- Create maps and analyze data relevant to benefit and ecosystem services quantification
Eligibility:
Bill Lane Center internships are part of Cardinal Quarter opportunities and we encourage students from all disciplines to apply to our opportunities. The opportunities are full-time (35-40 hours a week) for 10-weeks during the summer. Specific start and end dates can be coordinated directly with the supervisor.
We encourage sophomores and juniors to apply as the position is likely not appropriate for freshmen given the level of experience needed. Potential majors of interest may include economics, earth systems, environmental systems engineering, science technology and society, communications, political science and public policy.
Note: Students are only eligible for one Stanford-funded full-time experiential learning opportunity during the 2021-22 academic year (inclusive of summer).
For more helpful application advice, please visit the BLC’s FAQs page.
Required Skills:
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Passion for environmental or conservation work
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Excellent written and oral communication skills
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Demonstrated PowerPoint/Google Slides/deck development experience
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Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail
Desired Skills:
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Previous research experience
- GIS mapping skills
Selection of applicants:
Complete applications are screened and finalists are contacted for an interview with staff from the Bill Lane Center for the American West. The top candidates for each position are forwarded to the agency for direct interviews with their potential supervisors and other agency staff. Host agencies will then notify the Lane Center of their preferred candidate and that applicant will receive an internship offer by email. The applicant is expected to respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to the offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts an offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
