Internships

young conservationists

Since 2014 Mendocino Land Trust has run an annual and evolving summer internship program to provide hands-on educational opportunities for students interested in conservation. In recent summers, donor funding has enabled multi-student internships, providing environments that vibrantly showcase the value of teamwork and experiential diversity.

2026 Interns

My name is Liana Edington. I’m an intern this summer with Mendocino Land Trust. I grew up in Ukiah and have lived and explored all over Mendocino County. I’m also a Mendocino College student majoring in Agriculture and eventually Environmental Science. My biggest passion in life is learning how things work. Everything fits together like a puzzle that I slowly get to put together. My secondary passion is nature. Getting to put them together? A dream. I’m especially drawn to flowers and bugs. My friends call me the bug guy. I’m excited to learn more about conservation and fully explore this wonderful field with MLT this summer.

I am Aly King, and I am absolutely thrilled to be working for Mendocino Land Trust this summer! MLT called me due to its long standing dedication to increasing public access to some of the most beautiful landscapes in all of California. I am very passionate about showing people how incredible our natural world is and increasing education to conserve its beauty for future generations. This opportunity is a chance for me to delve deeper into the realm of conservation and apply some of the skills I’ve accumulated to create actionable change.

Currently, I am a fourth year student at UC Santa Cruz, double majoring Environmental Studies, with a concentration in Conservation Science and Policy, Sociology, and minoring in Sustainability Studies. I focus my studies on understanding how we can develop mutually beneficial relationships that blend traditional ecological knowledge with modern technologies. In my free time, I love to make jewelry out of found objects, get lost exploring new places, lounge alongside any accessible body of water, and climb oak trees! I grew up near Little Rock, Arkansas and Riverside County, so this is the furthest North I’ve ever lived! I’m looking forward to learning all of what Mendocino has to offer. 

Enjoy this inspiring video made by one of our interns during summer 2021:

In 2021 interns included Finn Newman from Reed College, who joined us as the Paul Siegel Conservation Intern, as well as Fort Bragg locals Tauren Brown (maker of this video) and Esme Plascencia, our first Latino Outdoors Outreach Intern.

Since it began, this program has hosted 14 students—and with your support, we will look forward to hosting many more. The MLT team gains inspiration and young energy from our interns and they gain valuable hands-on conservation experience in the form of a paid internship that will prepare them for future environmental work.

Please consider donating in support of the work MLT does to prepare future generations for conservation projects.

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Past Interns

2025

  • Natalie Marrewa – MLT Conservation and Trails Intern – UC San Diego
  • Logan Duggan – MLT Conservation and Trails Intern – UC Santa Cruz

2024

  • John Ebinger – Paul Siegel Conservation Intern – Reed College
  • Diego Ortega – MLT Conservation and Trails Intern – Cal Poly San Luis Osbispo

2023

  • Emma Alliende – MLT Conservation and Trails Intern – Cal Poly San Luis Osbispo
  • Indy Fitch – Paul Siegel Conservation Intern – Reed College

2022

  • Khalil Laltoo – Paul Siegel Conservation Intern – Reed College
  • Mia Sloane – MLT Conservation and Trails Intern – Oregon State University

2021

  • Tauren Brown – Digital Outreach Intern – Fort Bragg Local
  • Esme Plascencia – Latino Outdoors Outreach Intern – Fort Bragg Local
  • Finn Newman – Paul Siegel Salmon Restoration Intern – Reed College

2019

Joseph Cofresi – Conservation Intern from Humboldt State University – Now works for California State Parks

Tory Cattaneo – Conservation Intern from Humboldt State University

Nancy McWilliams – Reed College

2018

  • Marisa McGrew – Cal Poly Humboldt
  • Clare Brase – Reed College
  • Maggie Davies – Reed College

2017

  • Emily Clark – Reed College
  • Lance Spence – California Council of Land Trusts
  • Clarke Stevenson – California Council of Land Trusts

What is Lance doing now?

2016

Three teens smiling and holding arms over a newly constructed trail
  • Linden Mullins – Reed College

2015

  • Garrett Linck – Reed College

2014

  • Emily Merfeld – Reed College
Three teens smiling and holding arms over a newly constructed trail
Three interns smiling

Please donate so we can continue to train the next generation of conservationists!

How do I become a MLT intern?

If you are interested in learning more about MLT internship possibilities, please email anna@mendocinolandtrust.org. Tell us a little about yourself and what you are hoping to learn. Most of our internships take the form of a ten-week programs between June and August but other arrangements may be possible.