Summary
Fall 2025 UCSC Undergraduate Internship Opportunities
UC Santa Cruz Fort Ord Natural Reserve – Marina, Ca
Ten week internships align with the UCSC Fall Quarter 09/25/2025 – 12/05/2025
Work may be physically demanding and dirty; with potential contact with poison oak, insects, and wildlife. Reserve staff will highlight best practices and safety precautions.
Previous experience is not required, but preferred. Your acceptance to these opportunities is based on experience, but also largely based on your availability, so please be thorough about your available work days in the application form.
These are volunteer opportunities are open to UCSC, CSUMB, and Community College students. In the form below list which of these you are interested in, and why you are uniquely qualified. We will contact you individually about potential selection and scheduling.
Apply by clicking this application form
More information:
- Rare Plant Restoration Internships
Location: Fort Ord Natural Reserve in Marina, CA and UC Santa Cruz Coastal Campus
Schedule: Shifts on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday 8 – 4
During the first 5 weeks interns will help with seed collecting, site preparation, and general land stewardship on UCSC Fort Ord Natural Reserve in Marina, CA. Carpool in reserve vehicle leaves and returns from UCSC Coastal Biology Campus. Restoration interns will then spend the last 5 weeks of the Fall quarter on UCSC Coastal Biology Campus, working in greenhouses to transplant seedlings of endangered Monterey Gilia (Gilia tenuiflora ssp. arenaria).
This is a great introduction to habitat restoration, Fort Ord natural history, and the UC Natural Reserves in general. Experience is nice, but not required. Applicants should be prepared to pay attention to detail, be accountable for their work, and help achieve group goals in a fun and relaxing outdoor and greenhouse atmosphere! Availability requirements: at least one available workday per week from 8-4.
Rideshare in a reserve vehicle is included for the restoration related work in Marina, CA. Carpool leaves from UCSC Coastal Biology Campus at 8am, and returns by 4pm each day. During greenhouse work in the second part of the internship, work will take place in UCSC Greenhouses on Coastal Biology Campus
- Field Research Support Internships
UCSC FONR Staff are supporting multiple research projects this year. Interns may work on one or more of the following projects:
Kangaroo Rat Research – Interns will assist in setting and checking small mammal traps, handling and measuring multiple species while targeting Kangaroo Rats (Dipodomys sp.) for morphological analysis related to habitat differences across California’s central coast. Small Mammal Handling experience is a plus!
Mycorrhizal Fungi Project – FONR is supporting Jepson Herbarium researchers on this interesting project that aims to catalog fungal interactions across the central coast. Interns will learn the process of collecting soil samples, analyzing root fungal activity with microscopes, and data collection. Reserve staff will highlight safety and best practices.
Cataloging Invertebrates at UCSC FONR – Interns will assist a team in checking insect traps, and preparing species for identification and preservation in a reserve collection.
Location: UCSC Fort Ord Natural Reserve, Marina, CA and some weekend overnight trips to other conservation areas (Strathearn Ranch Natural Reserve, Hastings Natural History Reservation, etc.)
Schedule: TBD depending on intern availability.
Some weekend camping at other UC reserve sites may be included, please include your weekend availability.
Schedule varies, list your availability including weekends.
- Additional independent opportunities – Let us know about your independent project ideas!
Additional internship opportunities may be available for your relevant independent projects.
Apply by using the following Google form: https://forms.gle/QM1pgsGH6iH2Xcxv8
All interns may also help with additional restoration, stewardship, wildlife cameras, and other reserve work.
This is a good opportunity to gain research experience and support conservation, fellow students, and researchers.
Team members may use a reserve carpool vehicle to commute from UCSC Coastal Biology Campus to UCSC Fort Ord Natural Reserve in Marina, CA, as well as research areas around the central coast.
UCSC Interns may enroll for 2 units credit through the ENVS Internship Office. More info will be provided about signing up upon internship acceptance.
Due to the nature of the work and commuting logistics, we generally need an intern to have a whole day available. Shifts are 6 hours long, not including commute time. A reserve carpool vehicle is available for commuting from UCSC Coastal Biology Campus to UCSC FONR.
Interested undergraduates may complete the following form to apply. Please be descriptive in your responses! Availability and previous experience determine selection. The internships require transportation to UCSC Fort Ord Natural Reserve in Marina, Ca. which is about 45 minutes – 1 hour drive from UCSC Campus. All UCSC Fort Ord Natural Reserve internships require teamwork and communication. There is potential for exposure to poison oak, snakes, weather, and insects.
Contact Director Joe Miller with any questions at joemiller@ucsc.edu.