Each summer, twelve students spend eight weeks with The Piedmont Environmental Council, a placed-base, community-supported conservation nonprofit, to gain a firsthand look into how we achieve environmental and social change in our communities.
Are you an undergraduate or recent graduate interested in learning more about a career in environmental conservation? If so, you should consider applying! Twelve students will be selected for this unique opportunity to spend the summer living and learning with other current and future activists and decision-makers in the environmental movement.
The PEC Fellowship Program is much more than an internship! It’s an immersive experience that promises personalized experiences and practical knowledge and skills for transitioning into various career fields, such as:
- Public policy and law
- Land conservation
- Grassroots advocacy
- Land use/regional planning
- Habitat management and restoration
- Renewable energy
- Sustainable agriculture
- Historic preservation
- Environmental fieldwork
- Nonprofit leadership, development and communications
- Geographic information systems (GIS) mapping
- and more!
Please note, the summer 2024 application is not live yet! Check back in during November-January.
Spend the summer with us!
The hybrid eight-week program gives participants a practical and comprehensive understanding of the role of nonprofit and local engagement in addressing complex and interdisciplinary environmental issues faced by communities today.
Five weeks of the program will be online through Google Meet/Zoom, featuring Socratic seminar-style classroom discussions, guest lectures, and assignments to practice knowledge and skill application. Three weeks will be devoted to an in-person stay in Northern Virginia, with off-site excursions to conservation properties owned by PEC and key sites in our nine-county area and the City of Charlottesville. Fellows will be engaged in hands-on activities, fieldwork, educational tours, and recreation — from hikes at state and national parks to a float down the Rappahannock River. Along the way, fellows will explore how individual and collective action can shape the short and long-term futures of communities, the climate, and the environment as a whole.
The program culminates in a collaborative real–world practicum, during which fellows will choose a research focus of interest based on a particular aspect of PEC’s work in the Virginia Piedmont.
Stipend and accommodations
PEC covers all program-related expenses and provides each fellow with a stipend of $325 per week to cover living expenses. For the three weeks in-person, PEC will provide dual occupancy lodging/hotel accommodations and offer a travel reimbursement, subject to prior approval, to cover the cost of getting to and from the Virginia Piedmont (i.e. airfare, gas mileage).
We encourage you to apply to the PEC Fellowship Program if you:
- want to broaden your environmental knowledge and gain new perspectives;
- are interested in a local, interdisciplinary, and multi-sector approach to environmental work;
- want to explore how policy, conservation science, and advocacy intersect on the ground, in the real world;
- hold space for nuance and complexity in problem-solving;
- value smart growth, land conservation and access to nature;
- have an interest in the nonprofit or government sector;
- are passionate about a diverse and holistic environmental field;
- are committed to supporting and advocating for equity and justice; and
- want to strengthen your leadership, critical thinking, and communication skills.
2022 Summer Fellows Return to the Piedmont
2021 PEC Fellows conclude summer of learning
A Few Highlights from 2020
Welcome 2020 Fellows!
Happy Anniversary PEC Fellowship!
Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders in Environmental Conservation
Looking Ahead
Changing Perspectives: My time as a PEC Fellow