We are now accepting applications to join our 2016-2017 class of Hubbard Fellows. Please share this with anyone who might be interested. I’m biased, but I think it’s the best opportunity in the world for a recent college graduate looking for a career in ecology or conservation.
Kim Tri and Evan Barrientos are this year’s Hubbard Fellows. You can be one of the next Fellows – apply now!
The Claire M. Hubbard Fellowship Program bridges the gap between school and career by providing Fellows with a broad set of experiences that supplement their college education. Fellows are employed for a full year by The Nature Conservancy. During that year, they spend much of their time doing prairie restoration and management, including invasive species control, prescribed fire, livestock management, equipment maintenance and repair, seed harvest and planting, etc. In addition, Fellows attend a wide variety of conferences and meetings and gain experience with grant writing, marketing, outreach, research and monitoring, budgeting, conservation planning, and much more. Each Fellow also designs and carries out an independent project that fits their individual interests.
The Fellowship is based at the Platte River Prairies, west of Grand Island, Nebraska, but Fellows also spend considerable time at the Niobrara Valley Preserve and many other sites. Click here to see this year’s brochure, which includes much more information and guidance for interested applicants.
The Fellowship is open to graduates (by May 2016) of undergraduate and graduate programs in natural resources, conservation biology, or related subjects. We are looking for highly-qualified, motivated people with strong leadership and communication skills. Applications are due January 8 and the Fellowship will begin in early June, 2016.
We are extremely grateful to Anne Hubbard and the Claire M Hubbard Foundation for funding this Fellowship Program.
The Prairie Ecologist 
It is really great that the Hubbard family made it possible for The Nature Conservancy to provide experience to promising young talent. I think many people would like to help fund this type of program, but are not able to donate enough to support a fellow for a whole year. I think The Nature Conservancy would have good success using the crowd sourcing model to get individual projects like the Hubbard Fellows funded. Using crowd sourcing would allow middle America (like me) an opportunity to directly have a small part in such a program.
As a current fellow, I can’t recommend this opportunity highly enough. If you are considering applying and have any questions about the fellowship, feel free to contact me at evan.barrientos@tnc.org.