Summer Internship Program: Prince William County

1. Primary Program Area Focus:  ANR

The intern will be working with the Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) and 4-H sections of the VCE Prince William Unit.

The AMR section works primarily with homeowners, HOAs and local government agencies. There is also some work with local agricultural producers but as this is a largely suburban county there are limited opportunities to do so. The ANR section works to promote responsible land management, to provide education to the government, the green industry and the public and to help protect water quality.

The 4-H section is focused on youth development and supports an array of clubs and projects across the county. 4-H in Prince William is not as focused on the more traditional 4-H program areas like livestock, but rather a robust selection of programs to include STEM-focused activities. 4-H conducts an annual weeklong camp for youth during our county fair.

The intern will be assisting the ANR section by supporting current programming needs or the office. This will include taking on and/or assisting with various projects to include BEST Lawns program, stormwater site visits, assist with weekly zoom classes, summer children’s programming, some administration, and our demonstration garden. The intern will be assisting the 4-H section by working on the planning and execution of Fair Camp and potentially a day camp or two.

2. Describe the knowledge / skills you expect the intern to gain from this experience.

The intern will, covid restrictions permitting, work in the office, at our demonstration garden and in the field. They will make site visits to experience soil testing, plant and insect collection, data collection, and observe plant diseases and insect pests. They will learn the skills needed to work with volunteers, clients (adult and children) and industry professionals. They will gain a basic understanding of Virginia Cooperative Extension and its functions in the Commonwealth.

3. How will the intern learn about the breadth of VCE and our various program areas?

The intern will be exposed to an array of programs offered by the Prince William Unit to include ANR, 4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences. There will be opportunities to work with agents (in the County and across the district) and staff as well as veteran volunteers. There will opportunities to interact with partner agencies as well as with landscape/horticulture professionals.