Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy Leave No Child Inside Environmental Education Internship

GIS Mapping, Restoration, Conservation and Community Engagement

Park Location: Dumbarton Oaks Park, R and 31st NW, Washington, DC

 Fall 2026  Semester

Open to college juniors, seniors and graduate students. 

 One semester, with the possibility of a second semester renewal upon review and invitation.

About Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy (DOPC):

A 27-acre pastoral oasis in the heart of Georgetown, Dumbarton Oaks Park (DOP) is the woodland and meadow portion of the original 53-acre Dumbarton Oaks estate. One of the finest garden designs in American landscape history, it is the master work of Beatrix Farrand, America’s first woman landscape architect. In 1940, Mildred and Robert Bliss donated the naturalistic portion of the garden to the American people as a public park overseen by the National Park Service (NPS).

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy a 501(c)(3), winner of the 2023 DC Sustainability Award, was established in 2010 as a private non-profit organization with the mission to restore, promote, andmaintain Dumbarton Oaks Park. The Conservancy and the National Park Service are in a public-private partnership, tackling significant conservation and restoration needs of the Park.  Leave No Child Inside, the Conservancy’s educational programming, introduces students of all ages to land stewardship through conservation, restoration, land management concepts and the issues that impact urban landscapes. Leave No Child Inside’s mission is to foster education, recreation, and stewardship, at Dumbarton Oaks Park.

Position Description:

The DOPC Data Mapping Internship is an exciting opportunity to gain outdoor field work experience in data mapping, conservation and restoration. The internship includes a focus on GIS mapping and data collection, native plant ID and invasive plants identification and removal, tree identification, conservation and restoration field work and community engagement. Successful internship candidates will work closely with the Director of Education and DOPC Staff Members at Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy, being guided through field experiences in the Leave No Child Inside environmental education program. This is a prescribed internship; interns will work on specific projects and programs.  

Primary Responsibility:

• Guided by DOPC staff, interns volunteer a minimum of 60 hours or more over the course of one semester. These hours are prescribed in advance with specific program activities.
• GIS Mapping Project: Attend and assist the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy (DOPC) by participating in the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy GIS mapping program each week. Working with your internship and fellowship cohort, learn about Dumbarton Oaks Park and how to use mapping instruments and use them to collect and analyze data.
• Community Engagement: Attend and volunteer at DOPC Community Volunteer Days and Leave No Child Inside events assisting the DOPC staff and other volunteers with the conservation and restoration of Dumbarton Oaks Park. (On select Saturday or Sunday mornings once or twice a month).
• Attend scheduled meetings, lectures and events as needed.
• Learn about invasive plants and plant removal techniques. Learn about the flora and fauna of the designed woodland that is Dumbarton Oaks Park. Completion of specific project/s that advance the mission of the organization and enhance your skills in environmental education and presentation of project/s at the end of tenure.
• Select interns with specific skill sets, in addition to the requirements, may be involved with special projects that highlight their skills.
• Work collaboratively with your cohort to create a presentation for DOPC staff and boardmembers showing the progress of the data mapping project and what you have learned as interns.

Desired Abilities/Qualification:

• Junior or senior undergraduates or graduate student with a major in a subject area that relates to environmental science, data mapping, botany, outdoor education, or a related field. Also open to experienced, master naturalists, master gardeners and outdoor educators, who have a particular interest in environmental mapping and conservation work.
• Experience working with others is a plus.
• A passion for the outdoor environment and the desire to make a difference.
• Interest in environmental education, conservation, and stewardship and how it can be interpreted. Leadership, public speaking, research and writing skills.
• Organizational and creative skills are a plus.
• Technical mapping skills and environmental studies experience are a plus.
• Interest in learning and being a part of historic land conservation and restoration.

Students receive a certificate, letter and award upon completion of internship.

Please note:  All programming is held outdoors, in all weather. The candidate must be able to work outdoors in a woodland environment.