LOCATION: Wild Gardens of Acadia, Sieur de Monts, Acadia National Park – Bar Harbor, Maine

REPORTING TO: Wild Gardens of Acadia Supervisory Gardener

JOB STATUS: Seasonal, non-exempt, 40 hours a week

EMPLOYMENT PERIODS: Early June through end of August, with opportunity to extend into October; total hours not to exceed 800.

COMPENSATION:

$18.32/hr. paid every two weeks

JOB SUMMARY:  

Friends of Acadia is accepting applications for the Wild Gardens of Acadia Intern for the 2025 summer season. Located at Sieur de Monts in Acadia National Park, the Wild Gardens of Acadia is an important park destination with thirteen habitats displaying native plants in habitats that are similar to those found in the park. Habitats range from deciduous and coniferous woods to a beach, bog, pond, roadside, and mountain. A committee of volunteers, the Supervisory Gardener, and the Wild Gardens of Acadia Intern manage the Wild Gardens in partnership with the National Park Service and Friends of Acadia. Friends of Acadia also provides financial and administrative support.

Friends of Acadia is committed to providing an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming environment for visitors, volunteers and staff from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Maintenance (40%): 

• Perform regular maintenance activities, such as weeding, watering, transplanting, raking paths, turning compost, and setting up informational materials.
• Complete daily log of work activities. Record observations of visitor use and impacts, maintenance needs, and visitor comments, compliments, and complaints.

Visitor Interaction (30%):

• Greet visitors to the Wild Gardens and answer their questions with patience and politeness.
• Share with visitors the importance of native plants.
• Respectfully inform visitors of Wild Gardens’ policies (e.g., no pets allowed, no picnicking, etc.) if visitors are observed ignoring them.

Knowledge Enhancement (20%):

• Learn about the habitats in the Wild Gardens, the native plants in those habitats, and the importance of conserving native plants.
• May assist with preparing educational materials, such as information for the Wild Gardens’ bulletin boards or new children’s activities.

Other (10%):

• Work with the Supervisory Gardener and volunteers to plan and implement special events, such as garden tours.
• Write an end-of season evaluation of work experience with FOA and ANP.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Applicants must be over 18 and demonstrate that they are:
• capable of working hard at a physical job which may involve lifting 50 pounds, bending, kneeling, raking, and digging.
• capable of communicating with people of different backgrounds and levels of knowledge.
• willing to follow directions and pay attention to detail.
• capable of working independently.
• willing to work in inclement weather (hot, cold, or wet) and attend to routine tasks.
• willing to learn about Acadia National Park, native plants, and gardening.
• flexible, prepared, and willing to adapt to quickly changing work demands.
• The position will require some evening and weekend hours.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Applicant has botany, plant biology, or forestry classes and/or gardening, greenhouse, landscaping, or invasive plant removal experience.
• Has worked with volunteers before.

Uniforms/Equipment: Uniform shirts, rain jacket, fleece, and hat(s) are provided. Purchase of appropriate footwear for the gardens will be reimbursed up to $200. Friends of Acadia will also reimburse up to $150 for the purchase of appropriate pants to be worn in the gardens.

Hours: 40 hrs./wk. including holidays. Shifts are to be determined by the Supervisory Gardener, but will likely be from 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., with one regularly scheduled weekend day. Special events may require different hours. Most weeks, employees will have 2 consecutive days off per week. Unpaid days off can be taken with permission of the Supervisory Gardener. Employees earn one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours they work.

Housing: Not provided. Applicants will be expected to find their own housing; however, we support your search by providing leads and sources. Work Environment: Most work is performed outside in all weather conditions.