Title: Summer 2025 Environmental Policy Intern

Department: Projects & Programs

Employment Level: 15 hours/week; 8 weeks

Reports to: Advocacy Director

Stipend: $2,000

Targeted Start Date: June 2nd

Mountain Area Preservation’s (MAP) mission is to preserve the Truckee-Tahoe region’s mountain character and natural environment for present and future generations.

Mountain Area Preservation (MAP) seeks to hire a dynamic summer intern to support our advocacy program and inform policy positions. This is an exciting opportunity to work for a successful grassroots environmental non-profit organization and learn about land use, advocacy, and environmental stewardship.

Job Purpose: The Environmental Policy Intern is responsible for developing a white paper to help inform MAP’s policy positions. With the support of the Advocacy Director, the intern will determine a topic of focus and will then be responsible for reviewing existing literature and best practices, summarizing key findings, drafting policy recommendations, and presenting results to the MAP Projects Committee. 

Potential topics of focus include: Environmental Justice Best Practices for Small Nonprofits, Biological Resources Mapping and Conservation, Preservation of Scenic Resources, and Wildfire Mitigation and Planning. The Summer 2024 Intern focused on Best Practices in Climate Action Planning for Local Jurisdictions. In addition to the white paper, the intern will have the opportunity to participate in summer outreach opportunities, including Truckee Thursdays, the 2025 Lake Tahoe Summit, and the Tahoe City Farmers’ Market.

Work Environment: Mountain Area Preservation is a small team with an office on Jibboom Street in Truckee, CA. Most hours will take place in a typical office environment, at a desk with a laptop to be provided by MAP. However, this is a flexible position and remote work opportunities are available—specific hours to be determined with the Advocacy Director. Outreach events take place on-site throughout Truckee and the Tahoe area. The intern is expected to have reliable transportation to the Truckee office and be able to coordinate carpooling or transportation to outreach events.

Job Requirements/Qualifications

  • Pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree (or recently graduated) in environmental policy, planning, conservation, or a related field. 

  • Strong commitment to environmental advocacy work, stewardship, conservation, and, in particular, MAP's mission, goals, and values. 

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 

  • Ability to self-motivate and work independently, as well as in a team-oriented environment. 

  • Experience with research, writing, and critical thinking. 

  • Knowledge of or familiarity with the Truckee Tahoe region. 

  • Be kind and have a sense of humor.

To Apply, please send Sophia Heidrich, Mountain Area Preservation Advocacy Director, a cover letter and resume to sophia@mapf.org. In your cover letter, please identify a potential topic of interest that you would like to be the focus of your summer internship and explain why you find it important. Applications are due by May 12th, with interviews targeted for the week of May 19th.