
Meet Maine’s Young Conservationists
December 3, 2018 | Caring for the Land | Land Stewardship, Programming
Maine Coast Heritage Trust launched its Conservation Internship Program in 2015 and has since paired 18 young Maine students with land trusts across the state.
The program has been a win-win for host land trusts, who benefit from the extra help in the busy summer months, and the interns, who earn a healthy wage as well as an introduction to a career in conservation.

Several 2018 interns jump for joy on a retreat to The Goslings islands in Casco Bay.
Sarah Oberink, who was paired with York Land Trust this year, says, “Many of the people who pioneered this effort are starting to age now so it’s important to try to fill that gap and get younger people involved. I think that’s what this program is all about.”
Thank you to all the interns and host land trusts who have made this program a success so far, and especially to the MCHT donors who make it possible.
Want to know more? 2018 interns share more about their experiences in the program:
- Abraham Lebel (Maine Coast Heritage Trust)
- Colleen Hendricks (Boothbay Region Land Trust)
- Connor Rockett (Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust)
- Sarah Oberink (York Land Trust)
- Trent Stevens (Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, Phippsburg Land Trust, and Bates Morse Mountain Conservation Area & Shortridge Coastal Center)