High Peaks Alliance is a volunteer-led nonprofit working to protect the lands, trails, and outdoor access that make Maine’s High Peaks region special. We bring together community members, landowners, volunteers, outdoor recreation users, and local partners to conserve land, maintain and improve trails, and encourage responsible recreation.
As an HPA intern, you will gain hands-on experience with a small conservation organization. Your work may include trail stewardship, communications, community outreach, conservation education, photography, and storytelling. You will spend time both in the field and in the office, helping connect people to the region’s natural places and the work needed to protect them.
The intern will split time between trail work and office-based work.
Fieldwork days may include trail maintenance, trail assessment, Recreation Ranger Corps work, stewardship activities, site visits, trail photography, volunteer trailwork days, and other outdoor HPA projects.
Office and event days may include social media, communications, press releases, “Voices of the High Peaks” interviews, planned giving support, event preparation, photo and video organization, volunteer coordination, conservation education, and work on the special project.
Through this internship, you will:
- Gain hands-on experience with a community-based conservation nonprofit.
- Spend time both outdoors and in an office setting.
- Learn how trail stewardship, land conservation, communications, fundraising, and community engagement work together.
- Build writing, photography, social media, event support, and project-management skills.
- Work with HPA staff, volunteers, community members, and local partners.
- Complete a special project that supports HPA’s work and can be included in your portfolio, résumé, or future job applications.
- Learn more about conservation careers and the range of work involved in protecting land and improving public access.
This internship is designed for a student who wants a broad, hands-on introduction to conservation nonprofit work. No two weeks will look the same. You may spend one day helping document trail work, another creating social media content or preparing for a community event, and another developing a special project that supports HPA’s long-term work. You will leave with practical experience, work samples, new connections, and a better understanding of how local organizations protect the places people care about.
Housing in the High Peaks region is strongly preferred. Limited housing may be available for a fee, and seasonal camping options may also be available. HPA will share available options with the selected intern and help connect them with local resources.
Specific Responsibilities:
Community Engagement & Outreach
"Voices of the high Peaks" Interviews
- Conduct two interviews with individuals connected to the High Peaks region, such as local business owners, conservation leaders, long-time residents, or
- Prepare interview questions in advance and provide them to the
- Record and transcribe
- Edit the interview and get approval from the
- Obtain photos of the interviewee for
- Write and publish blog posts and social media posts based on the
Community Outreach events
- Help staff prepare for outreach events such as Scenic 7 hikes.
- Staff information booths at festivals and July 3rd events.
- Organize materials needed for information booths, including signage and handouts.
- Assist with Scenic 7 hikes, Tree ID hikes, and other outreach activities.
- Help document events through photos, videos, and social media posts.
Training & Organizational Systems
- Receive training in HPA’s Google Workspace, Trello, Little Green Light, website platform, and social media scheduling tools.
- Use Trello to organize weekly assignments, deadlines, events, trail work, communications tasks, and special-project work.
- Use Google Workspace to create, save, organize, and share documents, photos, videos, calendars, spreadsheets, and project materials.
- Build practical skills in the digital tools commonly used by small nonprofits for communications, fundraising, volunteer coordination, and project management.
Social Media Planning & Scheduling
- Develop a social media calendar to plan content.
- Schedule posts using social media management tools.
- Monitor social media engagement.
- Respond to messages and engage with followers to build community support.
Social Media Content Creation
- Create 4 social media posts per week for Facebook and instagram.
- Create 1 LinkedIn post per
Content should focus on:
- Trail conditions and updates.
- Responsible recreation tips.
- HPA’s conservation efforts.
- Upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.
- Local ecology and history.
- Scenic photos and videos from trails.
Press Releases
- Write 3 press releases during the internship
- Topics could include:
- Successful volunteer workdays.
- New trail openings or improvements.
- Conservation milestones.
- Upcoming events.
- Distribute press releases to local media outlets.
- Write and publish blog posts and social media posts based on press releases.
Volunteer Recruitment
- Recruit volunteers for Recreation Ranger Corps trail maintenance and general HPA activities.
- Create volunteer recruitment materials, including online postings, social media posts, documents, and sign-up forms.
- Follow up with potential volunteers, including individuals, schools, clubs, and community groups.
- Update volunteer lists and track responses in Little Green Light.
- Manage volunteer sign-up sheets.
- Coordinate volunteer Communications.
Volunteer Workday Planning
- Plan two volunteer workdays on trail days with the Recreation Ranger Corps.
- Recruit volunteers.
- Prepare materials, and equipment.
- Assist with workday, and document each workday.
Photo & Video Management Tasks
- Upload all photos and videos to the shared drive or Google Drive.
Special Project
HPA is growing and looking to try new things, so new ideas are required.
- Complete one special project during the internship
- The project will be proposed by the intern and approved by HPA staff during Week 2 or Week 3.
- The project should support HPA’s trail work, conservation, communications, outreach, development, or stewardship work.
- Work on the special project throughout the remainder of the
- Complete and share the final project with HPA staff during Week
Possible special projects include:
- A responsible recreation
- A “Voices of the High Peaks” story
- A photo and video organization
- A trailwork impact-reporting
- A planned giving communications
- A conservation education
To explore a fellowship with this organization, contact
Amanda Laliberte
email: amanda@highpeaksalliance.org