New internship opportunity for University of Memphis students through partnership with Wolf River Conservancy

The University of Memphis’ Institute for Agricultural and Conservation Research and Education has partnered with the Wolf River Conservancy to provide students from all majors with the opportunity to participate in a new internship project, thanks to a donation from the William B. “Billy” Dunavant, Jr. Foundation. The internship will begin with one student in the Spring 2026 semester.

According to an article on the University of Memphis’ website, Erik Houston, the executive director of the Wolf River Conservancy, was quoted as saying of the partnership, “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the University of Memphis and the ACRE Institute. We are also incredibly appreciative for the leadership, generosity and foresight of Tommie Dunavant and the William B. “Billy” Dunavant, Jr. Foundation in bringing this partnership together. We look forward to working with interns from the University who can bring fresh perspectives and creativity to our mission. This opportunity is unique for students because they get an opportunity to do work that directly affects our watershed and makes a real difference for the long-term health, well-being and natural heritage of our local community. The opportunity is unique for both the Wolf River Conservancy and the University of Memphis’ ACRE Institute because it is the start of a partnership between two leading organizations that share a conservation ethic and have complimentary capacity to effect positive environmental change in the region.”

The internship will pay students $15 per hour from January 26 to May 15, 2026. According to the internship description page on the Institute for Agricultural and Conservation Research and Education’s website, the intern will “support WRC projects that advance conservation, environmental education, stewardship, and community engagement,” as well as “gain hands-on experience in land trust operations and applied conservation work, while building professional skills in project planning, communications, and collaboration.”

Jennifer Mandel, PhD, who is the ACRE director and the William B. “Billy” Dunavant Endowed Chair of Agritech and Sustainable Agriculture, was quoted as saying of the internship, “Through this internship, our students will help to advance ACRE and the Wolf River Conservancy’s mission. At ACRE our mission is training the next generation of agriculture and conservation scientists, so this opportunity helps advance conservation for future generations. Our hope is that this gives our students opportunities for careers and there is no better way to get your next step than through an internship. We have fantastic students, from biology and earth science to business and engineering, who are all looking for a way to get more involved in our community with the skills they are learning here at the UofM. This is such a great opportunity for them, and I’m hopeful other organizations will look to this partnership as a model for future internships for our students.”

This is not the first time the Institute for Agricultural and Conservation Research and Education has partnered with the Wolf River Conservancy. In the spring of 2025, the Institute for Agricultural and Conservation Research and Education, the Wolf River Conservancy, and Ducks Unlimited came together to plant 200 trees. The relationship with the university’s Ecology Conservation and Management class, the WRC, and Ducks Unlimited also grew into an opportunity to provide students with an internship. That internship is available to one student per year for the next ten years. 

For more information about the University of Memphis, visit the school’s website.