Position Title: Native Plant Program Intern
Reports to: Native Plant Program Director and Native Plant Program Manager
Hours/Week: 10 hours/week
Internship Date Range: February 1st, 2027 to April 30th, 2027
Location: Patagonia, AZ and remotely
About the Resilience Internships and Student Experiences (RISE) Program
The RISE Program is hosted by the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) and places undergraduate and graduate students in paid, resilience-related internships. RISE internships provide real-world work/research experience, grow students’ career readiness skills, and prepare them for careers after graduation.
About Borderlands Restoration Network (BRN):
BRN is a 501c3 based in Patagonia, AZ that is dedicated to ecological restoration in the binational biodiversity hotspot that is the Sky Islands ecoregion of southern Arizona and northern Sonora. BRN envisions connected borderlands where rivers flow, plants, wildlife and cultures thrive, and communities develop an inclusive restorative economy where a sense of place inspires a sense of purpose. We partner to grow a restorative economy by rebuilding healthy ecosystems, restoring habitat for plants and wildlife, and reconnecting our border communities to the land through shared learning. BRN’s program areas include watershed restoration, education, and native plants.
The Native Plant Program includes the BRN Seed Lab, a seed storage and processing facility, and the BRN Native Plant Nursery, a plant and seed propagation/production facility. The program now encompasses the production of over 100,000 plants a year and a regional seed center with over 550 collections of seed from wildlands. The mission of BRN’s Native Plant Program is to promote and protect biodiversity by providing individuals, communities, and land managers access to restoration quality plant materials and guidance for effective use. We offer organically grown plants and seeds specific to the Madrean Archipelago’s semi-arid highlands, focusing on those with high habitat value and in-situ survival rates.
Internship summary:
This 10 hour a week, 13 week internship will support interns to assist Borderlands Restoration Network, a 501c3 located in Patagonia, AZ with updating the propagation database and native plant nursery retail website with accurately summarized native plant propagation information and guidance for effective use. There is also funding to support gas money for travel to Patagonia, AZ. Students will have the opportunity to gain experience in the week to week of a native plant program that wild collects and curates native seed, propagates plants for ecological restoration and retail home garden sales, and educates the public through outreach and advice on home habitats.
Internship description:
The Native Plant Program Intern will support the Native Plant Program staff and will work at the seed barn, native plant nursery, and farm.
This position serves as a project support for the Native Plant Program. The intern will help with program tasks including native plant propagation, transplanting, weeding, seed collection, and seed cleaning as well as seed and propagation database and website edits.
Compensation:
The intern will be hired and paid by the University of Arizona. The pay rate is $19/hr.
Credit Requirements:
The intern must be a U of A graduate student enrolled in at least 6 credits during the academic year.
Allowable Work Hours:
During the semester, student employees are limited to 25 hours/week (20 hours/week for international students) across ALL U of A positions.
For graduate students with a GA position on campus, total on-campus employment must not exceed 26.4 hours/week.
International Students:
International students should consult with International Student Services (ISS) if work authorization is needed before securing an internship. ISS advising information can be found here.
How to Apply:
Applicants must be a U of A student enrolled in a graduate program.
Please send your resume and cover letter to Francesca Claverie and Perin McNelis at horticulture@borderlandsrestoration.org.
Applications must be submitted no later than January 1st, 2027.