Introduction

Land Use Planning Interns gain hands on experience in working on planning projects in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Why did you want to become an intern?

My interest was to do an internship in the USA to learn about the difference of landscape/environmental planning in Germany and here. I also wanted to gain some experience with the computer program ArcView GIS.

Which field(s) interest you?

As an environmental plannner, my interests include many branches around nature: Ecology, biology, esp. plant sociology, etc. I have a specific interest in the participation of different groups (public, NGO’s, administration, business, etc.) in projects regarding environmental concerns.

How much time did you commit to your internship?

The advantage of this position was the flexibility of my work schedule, so I was able to fit my work hours into my schedule from university. I committed 16 hours per week for six months.

Tell us about your college career.

I studied landscape planning at the University of Kassel, Germany. In 2000 I finished with my masters degree. I had a great time at university, mostly I enjoyed the variety of the subject. You get to work inside and outside and you get to know many different fields ranging from climatology to forestry and many more.

What have you gained from your experience as an intern?

The internship gave me the possibility to learn ArcView GIS. I got to know how the National Park Service is organized, the variety of projects you work on and what kind of difficulties exist to protect those beautiful National Parks.

Do you feel your goals for this internship have been met?

My goals were met 100%. Working on the trail management plan helped me to understand the different user groups and their different interests the NPS has to deal with. Recreational use versus nature protection was one of the subjects I chose for my final exams at university. Everybody was very helpful, especially with GIS, which was a new program for me to use.