New York Botanical Garden Careers

TitleReports to

Digitizing InternManager of Urban Conservation Data, Tools and Outreach

Basic Job Functions

Equitably Enhancing New York’s Tree Canopy is a project designed to increase the city’s resilience to climate stressors through the identification of native tree species that will thrive in its urban landscape. Urban trees provide a vital bulwark against the damaging effects of climate change but the landscape where native trees evolved is starkly different from available spaces today. In addition, the benefits of tree canopies are unevenly distributed throughout the city. A solution that shows great promise is to establish compact, low-maintenance forests, or microforests, with trees better adapted to urbanization in areas most impacted by environmental injustice.

The part-time Digitizing Intern will work closely with a small team of experts to support georeferencing and digitization of historic tree survey maps, making accessible long-term urban forest records in New York City for analysis. The Digitizing Intern will report to the Manager of Urban Conservation Data, Tools and Outreach.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Georeference scanned historic tree surveys
• Digitize individual tree locations and capture species, diameter, and height attributes

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in history, geography, ecology, biology, environmental science or related field. Advanced forestry coursework preferred.

• A commitment to conservation of the world's biological diversity, especially of plants

and plant allies

• Knowledge of and interest in urban geography and history, especially the indigenous

life, biology, geology, and ecology of New York City.

• Excellent computer user skills; including facility with online databases, modern Microsoft Office software products (e.g. Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Teams, etc.) required.
• Beginning GIS skills (ArcGIS or QGIS preferred) required; Intermediate or advanced skills preferred.
• Ability to communicate clearly, efficiently, and professionally, over variety of

communication platforms and in person, with scientists, scholars, librarians and

archivists, collections managers, editors, artists, and other professionals, desired.

• A self-starter with a desire to learn, highly desired.
• Kindness, collegiality, flexibility, and a sense of humor required.

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

This position will require work with extended periods sitting or standing at a desk, using a computer, and attending meetings virtually or in person with other people. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Baseline Work Schedule:

~20 hours per week for four months (approximately January – May 2026), with the possibility of renewal.  This position may in-person at the New York Botanical Garden, or hybrid, as will be agreed with the successful candidate.

Payrate: $20/hour

Please include a cover letter with your application.