GIS Project Internship

Job Description: Summer Internship: Project Assistant This position is a seasonal position. Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) is a not-for-profit 501 (C) (3) corporation directed by volunteer board members. Our office is located in Amana, IA and serves the counties of; Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Linn, Poweshiek, and Tama. Iowa Valley RC&D assists people protect and develop their economic, natural, and social resources in ways that improve their areas’ economies, environment, and quality of life. The Iowa Valley RC&D provides avenues for people to plan and implement projects that will make their communities better places to live. Several important and resume building internship opportunities exist with our current projects. Roadside Remnant Tour, Guidebook Series, and Rare Plants Poster Projects The Roadside Remnant Tour project is part of an educational program focused on the celebration of the cultural and natural heritage of plants native to the six county areas of Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Linn, Poweshiek and Tama. The goal of this project is to actively inform the traveling public, so that roadsides may be equated with the preservation of our tall grass prairie heritage. The Guidebooks series includes the development of a Sportsman’s, Paddlers’, and Birders’ Guides of the Iowa and Cedar Valley region. The goal of the guidebook series is to increase awareness of the unique natural, historic, and cultural areas, as well as the many recreational, hunting, fishing, birding and eco-tourism opportunities of the region. Job duties associated with all aspects of the implementation of these projects include but are not limited to: ð Organization and transcription of written roadside inventories into digital format ð Assistance with web design ð Development of a database of eco-businesses ð Work with ArcGIS to populate databases ð Photography ð Field verification of remnants and plantings ð Updating website ð Research ð Limited travel A working knowledge of ArcGIS and plants is a must for these projects; experience with Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium would be very helpful. I-Food, Regional Food Initiative For the student interested in community agriculture, the I-Food initiative represents the opportunity to work with a diverse group of people to finalize a regional food model, bringing together key local leaders with a stake in local food production. There are four sub-programs under the I-Food umbrella in addition to the regional planning process, the Linn County Local Food Project, the Amish/Mennonite Dairy Project and the Grazing Workgroup Project (which includes a beef marbling study), Carbon Footprint Analysis of Locally Grown Foods. Job duties associated with this project include but are not limited to: ð Assistance with the organization and management of educational programs and workshops ð Development of newsletters ð Work with ArcGIS to populate databases ð Occasional participation in evening, weekend and/or educational workshops and meetings ð Updating partner and participant databases and e-mail contacts ð Assisting in the development of surveys ð Visiting local food growers ð Updating website ð Research (among other things, reseach of carbon analysis of conventionally grown grains vs. locally produced food) ð Occasional coordination of projects from start to finish ð Limited travel The preferred applicant must have: ð A valid Iowa driver’s license ð Access to a vehicle Experience with the following software programs is strongly desired: ð Adobe Dreamweaver to maintain frequent updating of the RC&D's website ð Excel, Word, PowerPoint ð Adobe Creative Suite 2.0., Microsoft Publisher ð ArcGIS software ð Digital photography All interested candidates please submit a resume and three references via mail and/or email to: Christine Taliga Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development Coordinator 920 48th Avenue Amana, Iowa 52203 ctaliga@ivrcd.org www.ivrcd.org Phone: 319.213.9243 Fax: 319.213.9245