Student internship opportunities are available through Evergreen State College at www.evergreen.edu/coda. Opportunities include but are not limited to the following.

Biointensive Garden and Orchard

  • Students learn the Biointensive garden bed preparation and companion planting techniques by preparing, designing a planting scheme, planting and maintaining one garden bed. The chicken tractor is ready for our new heirloom “endangered” Java Chickens to begin the bed preparation.
  • Rebuild Raspberry patch – double dig three beds, design build supports and plant raspberry cane with strawberry and onion companion plants.
  • Blueberry Patch –  maintain the 3 dozen mature blueberry patch – secure and adjust mulching fabric, learn hoe to winter prune, planting 1 dozen additional blueberry shrubs.
  • Care of the apple orchard includes learning the art of sheet mulching around  4 of the Apple trees. 
  • Start House – setting of seeds into seed trays and soil blocks using heat pads and micro fiber fabric hydration for later transplanting into the outdoor garden beds.
  • Various research/design/build projects include: Grape Arbor, movable high tunnel greenhouse, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping.
  • Wall murals, hand painted identification signs for the garden. Print interpretive native plant images and build posts for Native Plant walk.

Habitat Restoration Projects

These projects involve collaboration with Thurston County Steam team, Thurston Conservation District, Capitol Land Trust, and Thurston County Public works, possibly with Salmon Enhancement Group, Squaxin Tribe and periodic work parties with school groups.

  • Blackberry removal and replanting along Spurgeon Creek . 
  • Off Channel research, design, build along Spurgeon in collaboration with Thurston Conservation District. 
  • Removal of invasive plants including Tansy, blackberry, nonnative hawthorn, reed canary grass
  • Summer work parties to remove yellow flag iris along the banks of the creek.
  • Planting and watering new trees and shrubs along the wetland mitigation area. 
  • Channelization at Pond overflow ditch and wetland mitigation junction.
  • Channelization and at the ditch south of greenhouses from wetland complex to Spurgeon Ck.
  • Re-build wooden 2 pedestrian bridges over the wetland swale.