Opportunities

POSITION OPEN:
Botanical Illustrator

Do you have a portfolio of botanically accurate illustrations of plants (and or insects/ animals)?  We’re looking to partner with an artist for a variety of projects.  Please send a sample portfolio to keith(@)prospectrock.org

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More details will be announced soon- but we will have 4 Full-Time Residential Internship Positions for the Growing Season of 2012.

Housing and/ or camping, some meals provided.

This year we’ll be ‘focusing’ people a little bit more-  essentially, we will have 4 full-time residential internship positions, each with a focus:

Biological Systems:  This intern will be the point person for our food and medicinal herb production, nursery work, bees, chickens, conservation plantings, wildcrafting, greenhouse management, the plant and animal components of garden and farm design, for clients, etc.

Building Systems:  This intern will be more focused on building systems- ie. building design, carpentry, timberframing, site work and foundations, drainage, earthworks, machines, water systems, energy and waste management systems, etc.

Design:   This intern will be more focused on the client and presentation/ ‘deliverables’  end of the design spectrum- presentation graphics, map making, media generation, landscape analysis, client liaison, etc.

Education:  This intern will be the point person for educational offerings, farm workshops, curriculum development, public presentations, outreach, web and media generation, etc.  Ideally, this intern has some of the most experience with the other fields.

Obviously, each intern will be intimately involved in each of these ‘fields’, and they’ll be working together on all of these in an integrated way, but the ‘focus tracks’ will help us help people develop their skills within a particular focus, and also help with management and task delineation, etc.  Ideally, each applicant has already successfully completed a Permaculture Design Certification course (PDC), and has a portfolio of designs and implemented projects.

We have a two-bedroom apartment in a duplex downtown (about 2 miles from the farm), and will be offering housing there and/or camping at our farm.  We will also be building some other housing options (including- hopefully- a treehouse), during the summer.  The program will run from May- October, although there would be the potential for the right people to stay on longer.

Johnson is a relatively dynamic town for northern VT, home to a smaller state college, an international art school, and nearby a variety of awesome farms, wild places, tourism attractions, and resorts.

With housing and some meals and produce provided, it is an unpaid internship.  However, we are certainly willing to share the proceeds of market sales, educational workshops, and design and building work for clients- relative to interns’ contribution to those income streams.

As for us, we just had our second child, and live between the farm seasonally and a separate apartment in the building downtown.  My partner works in the healing arts as an herbalist, massage and yoga therapist, and we’re both very involved as parents.  I juggle the farm and my design firm, while teaching evenings at UVM (and with other schools), and run some workshops on our farm.  We also host a two-week residential PDC that will be in mid-July this summer.

Please let us know about your interest immediately, and if a particular focus track is resonating with you.  I’ll be announcing the formal application process within the next few weeks, applications will be due in mid-February, and I’ll notify those selected in mid-March.  Ideally, we’ll be meeting with each of the applicants, so if anything is bringing you to the northeast, please be in touch.

Thanks for checking this out, and please let us know if you have any questions.  Please feel free to share with interested friends or relevant networks.

While we are limited in our ability to support just 4 full-time residential interns, we are always willing to set up individual and shorter term apprenticeships to help Permaculture Design Course Graduates develop professional, community-scale skills.

Email keith@prospectrock(dot)org for more information, and check out last year’s apprenticeship descriptions below for additional details.

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Hiring for April-May

Part Time Tree Planting Crew

Position begins April 9 and goes through May.

Must be able and willing to put in a whole day of digging holes.  Dates are sporadic and weather dependent.

Interesting multi-purpose permaculture trees.  Other learning opportunities abound.

Preference for folks with organic farming, tree ID, design, or building/ carpentry experience.

Camping and eggs provided.

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‘Chef in the Field’ Events:

If you are a chef who would like to showcase your talents, we will be dinners throughout the growing season where meals are made directly from the garden and other local sources and served in a special environment.

Also seeking to explore potential partnerships for a farm-based restaurant/ diner/ juice bar/ tea house.

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2011 Prospect Rock Permaculture Internships:

Sought:  1-2 interns/ apprentices or couple for intensive Permaculture design, build, and education experience.
You will help with and be supported in:
DESIGN:    Analysis, assessment, and whole-site professional permaculture designs for farms, schools, residences, and municipal clients throughout the region.  Build skills and experience in client relationships, urban farming and community food security, etc.
EDUCATION:    Assist with professional educational programming, help plan, run, and teach multiple Permaculture Design Certification courses, develop public speaking skills, workshops and workshop hosting, lectures and keynotes, and help run an educational farm.
GROWING:    Producing food for market, storage, preservation, and (most importantly?) consumption!:  organic vegetables, medicinal and culinary herbs, fruit trees, nut trees, berry bushes, vines, winter vegetables. etc..  Nursery production, plant breeding, research, and propagation.  Poultry care, organic apiculture (beekeeping), and integrated systems.  Rice and aquaculture.  CREP/ NRCS riparian reforestation and ecological regeneration, EQIP funded high tunnels, pollinator borders, and cover cropping systems.  Build Competence with Farm machinery and biodiesel vehicle use, maintenance, and other regenerative tools.
NATURAL BUILDING, FARM INFRASTRUCTURE, AND DESIGN/ BUILD: Design and build Farm infrastructure:  Ecological excavation and earthworks, masonry, concrete work, carpentry, natural insulation (strawbale, cob, woodchip clay, etc.), commercial high tunnels and passive solar greenhouses, geodesic domes, root cellars, food processing facilities, pond and paddy construction, alternative energy, water catchment, spring development, irrigation, barns, timber-framing, small homes, etc.
ALSO:        Incredibly beautiful Lamoille River waterfront site on the Rail Trail and Long Trail in a vibrant college town, near a resort.  Kind people and great community, arts and activism, many other area farms and allied projects, etc.  Our farm also hosts practitioners of healing arts, yoga courses, ‘Chef in a Field’ events, etc.
THE SKINNY:    We are hoping to find individuals/ a couple who already have some proficiency with one or more of the above skill sets who are looking to compliment them with others to better design, implement, and build regenerative resilent whole systems, and/or making them (and permaculture ethics and principles) more accessible to others by delivering excellent education and community service.
We offer eggs, veggies, rustic housing, travel to projects and events, and countless structured and unstructured learning opportunities in exchange for 20-50 hours a week (it will vary and we try to keep a human pace).  There may also be stipends for skilled labour and expertise.
Strong preference for Permaculture Design Course (PDC) graduates or equivalent.  (Although there are ample other opportunities to help and learn- please be in touch.)   Preference given to Permaculture Teacher Training and/ or Advanced Permaculture course (APDC) graduates.  Preference for folks with some farming, design, building, or education experience.  Outdoor education, wilderness, ancient skills, youth mentorship, etc. experience a plus.  Enthusiasm or expertise with boating, hiking, biking, rock climbing, naturalists, plant ID, storytelling, tracking, original skills, etc. a plus.

Equal opportunity, ALANA, LGBTQF encouraged to apply.
Couples and non-traditional couples encouraged to apply singly or jointly.  Some child care may be available (or we can at least share!)
College Credit may be available through home institution.
Thanks for looking and sharing with potentially interested people!

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Residential Chef (Paid Position): 

Position Filled- Welcome aboard Emily and Ross!

There are still opportunities to cook here- see the guest chef lising.

June 17 – July 1  (and further possibilities)

Position open immediately to live on farm and cook for the PDC and preceding workshops and worktrade.

Must have a passion for cooking directly from the farm and our gardens, wild foods, and sourcing local food.  Permaculture Design course graduates preferred.  Child care may be available.

Please email interest, qualifications and experience, and sample menu to keith(@)prospectrock.org