We are working towards a sustainable future in the rainforest of Ecuador and
we need help! In 2007, a few of us—ecology, economics, and business
graduates—founded a non-profit organization called Third Millennium
Alliance. We raised some money and bought a lot of land in a critically
endangered rainforest and established an ecological reserve (Jama-Coaque
Reserve). There was a small patch of previously degraded land right in the
middle where we have built an innovative and surprisingly comfortable
research station out of bamboo by hand. Immediately surrounding the house we
are designing/growing/building a living laboratory of sustainable resource
management (i.e. permaculture), which also serves as our field headquarters
for biological scientific research and forest monitoring.
Project Activities: Interns are encouraged to take on high-impact and
dynamic projects; we are a young organization forging our path as we
discover it. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done and experience
to be gained – for interns and for us. Above all, creativity, innovation,
and self-motivation are the fuel of our intern program.
In addition to work managing the agroforestry production zone and organic
vegetable garden, each intern is assigned a personal project, which is akin
to a “thesis” of sort, but of a much more practical nature. Generally
speaking, there are three categories of personal projects: 1) conservation
biology research and 2) permaculture/sustainable food production and land
management, and 3) appropriate technology.
The following is a list of some of the projects we’re looking to tackle
during the upcoming sessions. Some are new projects and others are ongoing
and multi-year projects. Projects with stars next to them are of high
interest and priority. When applying please prioritize three projects from
the list below in the order of most interest.
Flora & Fauna Research:
• *Camera trap survey of wild felines* (ocelot)
• *Development of New Touristic Trail* (Investigation natural history of
common flora/fauna found on the trouristic trail, dsigning and creating
educational signage and placks)
• *Ethnobotany* (requires strong Spanish-speaking skills)
• *Monkey Troop Survey (Howler & critically endangered White Fronted Capuchin)
• *Investigation of Endangered Avifauna - (Ornithology experience and strong
Spanish-speaking skills required for community surveying)
Food Production
• Production Zone Intensive – Focused on increasing food production, crop
zonification & rotation, plant propagation, care/maintenance, integrated
pest management and food preservation (ie, canning)
Appropriate Technology
• *Working with natural materials *(mainly, native bamboo and mate gourds)
to build home appliances (e.g., cutlery, drinking cups, bowls, garden pots,
balcony boxes, candle holders, etc.)
• *Design and build a non-electrical refrigerator*
• Design and build a solar food dehydrator
Fall Internship Dates:
October 20th – December 15th
Fall Application Deadline: September 9th
To see a complete program description, please visit our “Internship” page at
our website at www.tmalliance.org. Here you can download the application
form and contact details, as well as other media, such as the
intern-maintained blog, and the program FAQ.
We look forward to working with you!
|