Public Horticulture Curatorial Intern

PUBLIC HORTICULTURE INTERNSHIP w/ CURATORIAL FOCUS - 2025 Job Description

Position Title: Public Horticulture Curatorial Intern 

Department: Horticulture & Plant Records

Reports To: Colin V. Lee, Curator of Plant Collections & Amanda Goodwin Horticultural Manager

Employee Status: Summer Intern 

Organization Mission: To protect the alpine environment through education, conservation and living plant collections. 

Internship Mission: Beyond the primary focus of providing a beautiful garden experience for every Guest, this internship will present the intern with many opportunities to broaden their experience within the horticulture field and to learn about different careers in Public Horticulture. 

Academic/Experiential-Learning Nexus: Horticulture, Public Gardening, Focusing on Plant Records

Overview: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is an internationally acclaimed botanic garden known for its alpine horticulture, education and conservation. Located in the small resort town of Vail, Colorado which attracts a global audience for its skiing and outdoor recreation, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is the highest elevation botanical garden in North America situated at 8,200’ (2,700 m) in the central Rocky Mountains. The 4.6 acre cultivated gardens attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually to see its unique collection of alpine and mountain plants collected from around the world. 

Position Summary: The intern will immerse themselves in the following areas: 

• Ornamental gardening, including planting, mulching, weeding, staking, dead-heading, pruning, watering, pest identification and integrated pest management, plant identification, and developing knowledge of plant, design, and material needs 

• General maintenance of gardens, horticulture buildings, and equipment, including raking, sweeping, cleaning, sharpening, and repairs as needed 

• Propagation/Production, including collection, storage, and sowing of seed, cuttings, transplanting, watering, additional plant care, and greenhouse management 

• Plant curation, including labeling, record-keeping, mapping, plant photography, and phenology • Other departmental and/or organizational duties as needed (e.g., special events, etc.) 

• Conservation duties, plant pressing, seed collection, in-field plant ID, plant collection, hiking day trips.

•Curatorial duties including but not limited to, bed inventorying, BG BASE data management, plant ID and photography, record keeping.

Qualifications: The successful candidate must be comfortable interacting with Guests, Staff, and Board members. The candidate must have some educational and/or practical experience in horticulture, botany, and/or landscape design/maintenance. They must be enthusiastic about plants, conscientious of the environment, and be willing to participate in all horticulture practices. 

Schedule: This is a five-day/week 40hrs +/- on-site internship. This position begins in May 2025 and continues through August of 2025, with some flexibility on start and finish dates, due to candidate’s availability (e.g., school schedule, etc.). 

Internship Housing and Pay Details: $500/ week stipend, plus shared housing with other interns provided at no cost to intern(s) in Vail via Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and Vail Resorts. Housing is about 1.5 mi away from gardens, 20 min walk to gardens and housing is very accessible to the free Town of Vail Bus System. Applicants may  have a car but do not need a car.

Send resume, cover letter & (3) references via email to: 

Colin V. Lee, Curator of Plant Collections

colin@bettyfordalpinegardens.org

Application Deadline: Feb 1st 2025 , timeline will be extended if need be for ideal applicants.

Physical demands (in a usual workday): 

Approximate percentages of time tasks are performed in carrying out the essential functions of this position: 

90% of time bending/stooping, squatting, reaching above shoulder level, kneeling, hand/fingers used for repetitive motion, hands/fingers used for fine manipulation, hands/fingers used for firm grasping, head/neck in rotational movements, head/neck in extension movements, head/neck in flexing movements 

10% of time in sitting position 

Maximum load an employee will be required to lift/carry is 50 lbs. 

*This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, the company reserves the right to revise the functions and duties of the job or to require that additional or different tasks be performed when circumstances dictate (such as emergencies, weather conditions, changes in personnel, work load, rush jobs, special events, or technological developments).