Interns

Atticus Scott, 2025 Intern

My name is Atticus Scott, and I graduated in May from Endicott College with a Bachelor's in Environmental Science and a Minor in Biology. I will be beginning a Master's at the University of Rhode Island in the Fall studying salt marsh migration.

As this year’s Green Ellsworth Summer Intern I have been splitting my time between two projects. I have been working at Ellsworth’s Community Tree Nursery at the Jordan Homestead Preserve with Ellsworth’s Community Tree Steward, Michael Otzwirk. At the nursery, Ellsworth’s Arbor Commission, Green Ellsworth and its other partners are growing many different species of trees for planting along city streets and in its other green spaces—including along the shores of the Union River—once these trees are large enough to survive well. After laying mulching fabric around the newest tree plantings and setting up a drip irrigation system for each row of trees, we have now completed the installation of solar panels to power a water pump which will service the irrigation system. This plus general nursery maintenance has taken up the majority of my work hours up to this point, but Michael and I have also been measuring the widths of city streets and researching rights of way to finalize a database and map to be used in determining where trees can be planted in Ellsworth going forward.

I addition to tree-related work, I have also been working with Green Ellsworth’s partner organization, Downeast Salmon Federation. I have been laying the groundwork for a potential salt marsh restoration project along the Union River. This has involved looking at historical maps of the river, including historical Google Earth satellite imagery to see where salt marshes may have been present in the past, and then going out to these sites and taking pictures/preliminary data & samples so that the best sites for restoration can be determined. The planning and mapping of salt marsh restoration was the focus of projects I completed as an undergraduate, and it is directly related to the graduate level work I will begin in the Fall.

Thanks to Green Ellsworth and the Maine Climate Science Information Exchange Internship program for making this summer possible!

Past Green Ellsworth Interns

Zoe Toribio

A senior at the College of the Atlantic, Zoe completed an extended internship with both Green Ellsworth and Frenchman Bay Conservancy, which included projects ranging from mapping Union River watershed access points and projected tree planting projects to invasive plant inventories and interviews with Green Star businesses and non-profits. Zoe helped with the Green Ellsworth table at the Elementary Middle School Fall Fest.

Guinevere Tibbits

As part of the graduating class of 2023, one of Guin’s goals was to be more involved in her community before the end of high school. The internship gave her that opportunity through action to make Ellsworth a more environmentally friendly and sustainable town. She was a walkability advocate and hoped to incorporate more green activities into her daily life and encourage others to do the same.

Allie Pickering

An upcoming senior at Bucksport High School, Allie saw her internship as an opportunity to make a difference in addressing climate change and to gain experience toward a future career. She extended her expertise in courtesy boat inspection more broadly as a certified invasive plant patrol participant (see her account of becoming a Plant Patroller below), and she began developing a mini green plan and eco team for BHS.

Rowan Tate

As a junior in the fall at Ellsworth High School, Rowan lived in Otis. Since third grade, he had been interested in climate change and finding ways to reverse it. More specifically, he worked on green initiatives at Ellsworth High School—including setting in motion the placement of solar panels there. He also helped with Green Ellsworth’s website and its Green Guide.

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