Classification: Internship, onsite
Reports to: Gardener
Course credit: This internship requires course credit or comparable arrangement with university
Job Summary: The Garden & Landscape Intern plays an integral role in helping to care for the grounds and gardens at Rough Point Museum and support landscape-related programming. They will be responsible for assisting the estate gardener and groundskeeping team in the planning, planting, and maintenance of the grounds and gardens at this oceanfront estate.
Specific Responsibilities may include:
- Helping to develop planting plans for the existing formal gardens, vegetable garden, containers, and new landscape plantings, and work with the Landscape Curator to build a modern maintenance plan focused on climate adaptation and historic representation.
- Assisting the Gardener in seeding, planting, and caring for these areas as well as the existing historic landscape plantings.
- Support Rough Point’s current effort to be recognized as a class I or class II arboretum by performing tree surveys, develop an inventory and labeling program, or propagating plants located on the property as part of a log-term succession plan.
- Coordinating the donation of produce harvested from the gardens to the MLK Community Center food bank in Newport.
- Planning educational programming such as visits from local youth groups and garden clubs.
The intern may choose to focus their internship in any one of these areas or another per their interest and will work with the Gardener to design a project, program, or experiment that reflects their experience.
Qualifications:
- Academic interest in organic ornamental horticulture, organic vegetable production, historic landscape preservation, arboriculture, environmental education, or restoration ecology.
- Self-directed and motivated.
- Transportation to and from job site; free parking on site.
Preferred Skills and Abilities
- Familiar with common agricultural, ornamental, and native plants and their biology.
- Comfortable using common landscaping tools.
- Valid driver’s license.
- Ability to work independently or as part of a team.
Working Conditions and Physical Demands
- Ability to work outdoors in most weather conditions.
- Tasks may involve standing, stooping, bending, reaching, routinely carrying loads of 20 lbs and occasionally more than 40 lbs. Accommodations can be made to tailor the internship experience for any candidate that may find these tasks challenging.
- Interns will have access to produce from the vegetable garden, cut flowers and propagated plants, family/guest passes to visit the museum at Rough Point, and learning opportunities with other NRF departments such as carpentry/other historic trades, archives & collections, education, or visitor services.
The job description is meant to outline the role, but not define potential candidates. If you do not meet all the qualifications, but are enthusiastic about the work of NRF and this position, please apply!
To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to sawyer@newportrestoration.org. Please contact Sawyer Hussey, Gardner, for more information and to apply.
