Our internship and workforce development programs provide mentorship, technical training, and community to a diverse group of STEM students and those aspiring toward careers in conservation science.
By offering paid technical and professional development training to interns, we hope to create new opportunities for young New Yorkers to pursue and succeed in green jobs.
Since 2016, we have provided over 150 paid internships to more than 100 students from the City University of New York (CUNY).
We offer a high school Student Urban Nature (SUN) paid internship program working with students in Forest Park, Queens, and in the Greenbelt, Staten Island. In 2024, our new fellowship program launched for CUNY students interested in natural resource management.
We offer paid summer internships for CUNY students. This eight-week, full-time urban ecology program provides training in plant identification, field ecology, data management, ecological surveying methods, and trail improvement techniques.
Eligible interns include current CUNY students (undergraduates, graduate, and certification students) and recent graduates (within two years of graduation).
Interns also have the chance to hone their professional skills throughout their term. We offer resume and cover letter development guidance, and the opportunity to network with professionals from organizations like NYC Parks, local park conservancies, and city environmental organizations.
We found 80% of job-seeking interns secured employment within six months of completing our program, and 90% of those now work in the environmental field.
All students who intern with the NAC join a thriving alumni network that continues to share knowledge, build community, highlight professional growth opportunities, and steward the environment.
Find out if you are eligible to participate in our summer internship program.
Former public health NAC intern, Julia Rossi, used skills gained during her NAC internship to purse a career in advocacy.
Read more
The high school SUN internship is a paid urban ecology program that is centered on fostering interest in science and nature by connecting students to their local natural area and the fascinating ecology within.
By engaging with high school students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields, we hope to provide mentorship and training that will expand their opportunities to pursue careers in the ecology and environmental field.
Students in our program can expect to learn about the foundations of wetland and forest ecology through flora and fauna identification, how data and observations inform natural areas management, and engage with local ecosystems through scientific inquiry, ending the summer by presenting their research findings at an end-of-summer symposium.
The high school SUN internship program has two program locations:
For the 2026 SUN internship, applications will be accepted from Monday, December 15, 2025, to Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 11:59 PM.
Learn more about the internship and eligibility requirements.
Reach out with any questions to Leanna Rodriguez, internship community coordinator at leanna.rodriguez@naturalareasnyc.org.
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Authored by Juliet Rabinowitz, Kareem Ali, Nathanael Alvarez
Research conducted in Staten Island Greenbelt
Authored by Madelyn Balseca, Alex George, Ashfaque Kareeb
Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens
Authored by Cailyn Chen, Nwanneka Odikagbue, Sudipto Halder
Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens
Authored by Emmanuel Nicanor , Evan Wu, Kaden Harvey
Research conducted in Staten Island Greenbelt
Authored by Nicolas Ong, Nicole Perez, Sarika Ibnat
Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens
Authored by Concetta Esposito, Grace Lin, Olivia Giardina
Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens
In 2024, we launched a program for CUNY students eager to gain more hands-on experience in natural resource management and to kickstart their careers. This year-long program allows students to specialize in research or field work, and to pursue additional training and certifications that will make them more competitive to employers in the green sector. What makes this program unique is its long-term cohort model, which trains passionate students for local jobs soon after they graduate from a CUNY school.
In the fall, fellows participate in lectures facilitated by seasoned practitioners and professionals in the environmental field to gain foundational knowledge crucial for career growth. Participants hone a variety of technical skills such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), plant identification, data collection, trail navigation; and professional development skills in public speaking and networking. In the spring, fellows can expect to join group stewardship days in local communities and will be matched with either a field-based or research-based practical skills project applying what they learned earlier in the program. Finally in the summer, fellows will continue to build off of what they learned throughout the fellowship by taking more ownership of projects they are working on alongside staff at the NAC, NYC Parks and at other partner organizations.
Fellows will walk away with extensive experience in natural resources management, professional certifications, connections within the local environmental workforce and membership to the vast NAC Alumni Network.
Find out if you are eligible to participate in our fellowship program.
Our Urban NEST internship program partners with NYC Parks, the City University of New York, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, National Parks Service, New York Botanical Garden, and Hudson River Foundation.
Our high school SUN internship program partners with the NYC Science Research and Mentoring Consortium, Forest Park Trust, NYC Parks, the Department of Education’s Summer Youth Employment Program, Greenbelt Nature Center, the Freshkills Park Alliance, and the Plant Ecology Center and Nursery (PECAN).
Your contribution will help us continue to offer paid work opportunities to STEM students.
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