Hendricks Park Native Plant Garden Volunteer Intern

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Interns at the Native Plant Garden support all aspects of garden care and maintenance throughout the year. Tasks vary by season but always include hands-on-work meeting the daily needs of the garden. Interns can expect to gain experience in identifying, propagating and caring for native plants in formal and natural garden settings. Opportunities for special areas of focus include garden mapping, creating outreach + educational materials, and deepening community engagement.

Purpose:

Native Plant Garden interns specialize in support of the Hendricks Park Native Plant Garden. The garden includes natural, garden and semi-natural displays of Willamette Valley native plants in a variety of settings. The garden functions as a living bridge between the more formal Rhododendron Garden and the Douglas fir forest that lay adjacent.

Essential Duties:

• Assist with detail-oriented aspects of garden operations, including careful weeding, pruning, planting and garden tasks that vary by season.
• Assist with seed collection and seed cleaning.
• Assist with plant labeling, inventory, and other data collection.
• Assist with outreach/education efforts and support volunteer groups.
• Maintain good working relationships with City staff and other volunteers/interns.
• Perform additional tasks as requested.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Strong interest in or knowledge of native plants and their care.
• Ability to follow instructions and pay attention to detail, especially in a formal garden setting.
• Willingness to work in inclement weather conditions.
• Ability to be flexible, cooperative, and to work as part of a group or individually.
• Commitment to being respectful of others at all times.
• Capacity to provide their own transportation to Hendricks Park.
• Ability to perform gardening type work, including kneeling, bending, digging, hauling wheel barrows, and lifting.

Time Commitment: Time commitments can be geared to meet the needs of each intern to the degree that the days and times match the supporting staff’s work schedule. Two quarter-commitment strongly preferred.

Training Provided: On-the-job training will be provided in the areas of native plant identification and propagation, native plant care throughout changing seasons and life cycles, uses of native plants in formal and informal gardens, seed collection and cleaning.

Individuals interested in the Native Plant Garden Internship should send a resume and cover letter describing how this internship fits with their educational/career goals to Christina Bentrup at christina.r.bentrup@ci.eugene.or.us. For more information email or call Christina at 541-510-4636.