Agency Sponsor: Brett Hall, brett@ucsc.edu
If interested, email agency sponsor. This is an unpaid internship.
# of Interns:
- Winter 2026: Hosting 10 interns enrolling in ENVS 83, 84, 183 and 183A/183B
Agency Description:
Our Mission – connecting people with plants
The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden displays both scientific and horticultural plants for the purposes of conservation and education, and is an academic support unit, living laboratory, and outdoor classroom that benefits students, researchers, and the community.
The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden’s rich and diverse collection contains representatives of more than 300 plant families of Mediterranean climates. The garden maintains collections of rare and threatened plants of unusual scientific interest. Particular specialties are world conifers, primitive angiosperms, and bulb-forming plant families. Large assemblages of plants from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and California natives are displayed on the grounds. Many of the species in these collections are not otherwise available for study in American botanical gardens and arboreta.
Intern Responsibilities:
Adventures in and around the Arboretum. A biogeographical perspective. This internship will feature practical horticultural work with Arboretum gardens and collections, primarily with our Native Plant collections. Some local optional field trips will be offered to explore local ecology, vegetation and botanical highlights. 5 unit and 2 unit interns are welcome to apply. Our interns should have excellent participation.
Other Requirements: Reading assignments, keeping detailed plant lists, ‘& writing
Intern Shifts: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with some exceptions
Location: In the UCSC Arboretum and in the field
Key Words: Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change, Ecology/Natural History, Insects/Wildlife, Plants/Restoration