Offered in partnership with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, our 8-week Youth Conservation Internship program links Portsmouth high school students with mentors in river-friendly horticulture, sustainable landscape design and more. Along the way, they earn a certification as a Chesapeake Bay Landscaping Professional Associate and develop a lifelong appreciation for the natural world. The program is held at Paradise Creek Nature Park.
Interns work in teams to learn about the river and its surrounding environment. Each intern develops skills to lead volunteers, including military, students and the community.
Life Skills
Mentors offer insightful lectures, conversations and hands-on learning opportunities to keep interns learning and engaged.
Appreciation for Nature
Each Intern learns first-hand about biodiversity, conservation, the impact humans have on the river, and how everyone can become an agent of positive change.
Job Skills
Interns gain valuable job skills through hands-on learning in horticulture, landscape design, landscape maintenance and outdoor leadership education.
Certified Fun
Youth Conservation Interns become certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Associates by completing this entry-level certificate course that introduces students to green infrastructure and training on sustainable landscaping practices that help restore the Chesapeake Bay and our cherished waterways.