Climate Corps Internship Program

Department: Economic Development
Project: Research, analysis, and surveying for Sustainable Farming Practices in Ulster County

• Design and conduct a survey of Ulster County farmers on sustainable farming practices.
• Meet with local stakeholders and identify barriers to entry or adoption for sustainable farming practices.
• Provide analysis on survey results and practices.

Department: Interdepartmental (Climate Fellow)
Project: Better Homes for All Program Support

• Create outreach materials (infographics, flyers, organizational charts, etc.) and promote the Better Homes for All program through outreach at events with Office for the Aging, Department of Social Services, Veteran Services Agency, and the program’s partner organizations: Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Ulster County Community Action Coalition.
• Participate and present in meetings with stakeholder organizations, assist in the preparation of briefs and other materials for the County and stakeholders, and assist with other day-to-day programmatic tasks.

Department: Emergency Services
Project: Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (Implementation, Advisory, and Education)

• Provide guidance, considerations, and methods on how to integrate the current Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan into climate resiliency actions that can shared with the public and municipality officials.
• Conduct outreach, create plans for green projects focused on hazard mitigation efforts, and assess how this plan might be impacted by budgets, infrastructure, and hazards specific to Ulster County.

Department: Environment
Project: Climate Smart Communities Program Participation

• Research and compile documents on Climate Smart Community actions that the County has completed in order to assist in Silver-level recertification and Gold-level certification and develop updated content for the County’s CSC webpage.
• Coordinate across all current and past Climate Corps and department projects to identify alignment with relevant CSC actions.

Project: Energy and Electrification GIS Mapping

• Create a GIS story map and database that outlines past and current Ulster County buildings and facility energy usage, County EV charging stations, and documenting energy-related projects and associated energy savings.
• Assist in compiling data and engaging in fieldwork on a weekly basis.
• Helpful skills (but not required): GIS

Project: Graphic Design and User Experience for Climate Initiatives

• Design fliers, social media graphics, infographics, and other materials to support Climate Corps projects and consult with fellow interns to assist in their graphic design needs.
• Attend meetings with stakeholder departments, define audiences and user stories, help design wireframes and other usability components, expand the County’s climate sub-branding, and assist with formatting and sourcing images for climate-related content on the County's website, newsletter, and Participate Ulster.
• Scoping and front-end design for user-friendly, County-branded relaunch of the REConnect Map.

Project: Update/Recreate the Ulster REConnect Map application on ArcGIS

• Update and enhance the REConnect Map (a map that replicates the Tourism printed recreation guide into a fully functional web application) that maximizes user efficiency and follows Ulster County brand kit guidelines.
• Attend discovery sessions for REConnect Map redesign with stakeholder departments, define audiences and user stories, design wireframes, and other usability components, and craft a list of existing maps across County departments.
• Helpful skills (but not required): GIS, graphic design.

Project: Update Data for the Ulster REConnect Map application

• Update, verify, and create new point, line, and polygon recreation features and data points to assist with the redesign of the REConnect Map (a map that replicates the Tourism printed recreation guide into a fully functional web application).
• Attend discovery sessions for REConnect Map redesign with stakeholder departments, define audiences and user stories, design wireframes, and other usability components, and craft a list of existing maps across County departments.
• Helpful skills (but not required): GIS

Department: Office for the Aging
Project: Transportation System Research for Elderly Residents

• Research transportation systems in other rural/suburban areas.
• Review existing infrastructure and analyze current gaps in service.
• Present findings to OFA with replicable ideas to bolster transportation plans for Ulster County.

Department: Planning/Tourism
Project: Research and Mapping for EV Charging Stations

• Collaborate with Department of Tourism to analyze popular points of interest across municipalities.
• Work alongside Planning Department to review zoning and infrastructure methods and practices.
• Compile research into a comprehensive report with community profiles that detail recommended locations for public EV charging stations based on findings.

Department: Public Works
Project: Waste Reduction and Education for County Facilities

• Establish a formal relationship with a local compost facility to collect compostable waste from the County Office Building and Development Court Building.
• Assess inventory of unused office products and develop guidelines for sharing items.
• Create educational materials and develop a communications plan to identify collection points for county employees.

Department: Purchasing
Project: Ulster County Sustainable Purchasing Best Practices

• Update 2023 sustainable purchasing training program, including a general awareness version and guidelines to assist user research.
• Work with Department of Environment to develop streamlined, relevant reporting from data analysis performed in Summer 2024.
• Review nationwide municipal sustainability programs for best practices in purchasing; identify addressing program improvements for the County.

Department: Youth Bureau
Project: Youth Climate Education

• Collaborate with the Summer Program Coordinator to create age-appropriate lesson plans on topics such as recycling, pollution, and conservation.
• Lead interactive lessons and discussions tailored to different age groups (5-8, 9-12, and 13-15), adapting teaching techniques to match student needs and interests.
• Collect feedback from students and families to assess effectiveness of lessons and report on insights and ideas for future programming based on engagement and results.