The Maryland Forestry Foundation is pleased to offer four annual Fellowships to Maryland college students in the amount of $10,000 per Fellowship.
Made possible by an annual grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Fellowship program is intended to encourage students to pursue careers in Natural Resources and to help them matriculate in a Natural Resources-related field of study.
The Fellowship program is named after Mel Noland, one of the state's preeminent citizen leaders in forestry and the Chesapeake Bay who championed sustainable forestry practices across the state and worked tirelessly with the Forestry Boards to support forestry education efforts and the establishment of school forests on all school campuses. Mel was named an honorary Admiral of the Chesapeake by Governor Martin O'Malley in 2009, the highest award the Governor can give to a private citizen.
The responsibilities of the Fellowship are listed below, a main one being to act as an ambassador of either the Natural Resources Careers Camp or of various Urban Forestry programs and initiatives. In travels and meetings across the state, students will be introduced to a wide range of industry, government and nonprofit professionals, making important contacts for future job searches.
Fellowship applications and letters of recommendation must be submitted online - a pdf of the application can be downloaded here if you want to preview what information is required.
Timeline:
Applications must be submitted online (Apply Now!) accompanied by a resume. Two online letters of recommendation must be received by the July 15 deadline.
Requirements: Applicant must be a Maryland resident and a college student currently enrolled in a natural resources field of study. Expectations are that fellowship activities will require roughly 5 hrs/wk and may include travel to Annapolis, to locations around the state and possibly to conferences across the US. However, most work can be carried out from your home base.
Two Letters of Recommendation must be submitted online. One from a faculty member in a natural resources field who verifies the student's enrollment in the college and speaks to the student's career interest and their ability to manage a fellowship workload in addition to their academic program. The 2nd letter should be from any other non-family member who can speak to the personal motivation and character of the applicant and their ability to work independently with initiative. Note: Inform your references which Fellowship program you are applying to - they are required to know.
Expectations: The primary goal of the Fellowship is to help a student successfully graduate in a Natural Resources field of study. Beyond that, specific Fellowship expectations are found in Appendix A for Natural Resources Careers and in Appendix B for Urban & Community Forestry. A final report must be submitted listing accomplishments and suggestions for how to improve the Fellowship program.
Remuneration: $10,000 total stipend, paid out monthly, based on mutually agreed upon goals and deliverables. The Fellowship payments are intended to offset the cost of college and will not be considered taxable income if the student's tuition and books/fees equal or exceed the Fellowship payments in each fiscal year. The estimated timing of payments will be $3,000 in 2023 and $7,000 in 2024.
Read Appendix A & B to decide upon which Fellowship program is of interest to you.
Complete the Application online, attach your Resume and have your two chosen references fill in our online Letter of Recommendation form. All submissions should be submitted by July 15, 2023.
An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to the student. If you experience any problems with the application process, please email us at balinski.dawn@gmail.com.
A pdf application questions for you to preview can be downloaded here.
Expectations
for the
Natural Resources Careers Fellowship
October 1, 2023 - July 31, 2024
Note: Not all items listed above will be a part of an individual's set of assigned efforts. The Foundation will work with the student to develop a reasonable plan of expected outcomes.
Expectations
for the
Urban & Community Forestry Fellowship
October 1, 2023 - July 31, 2024
Note: Not all items listed above will be a part of an individual's set of assigned efforts. The Foundation will work with the student to develop a reasonable plan of expected outcomes.