Summer Internships

The Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society (TCSS) is offering current and prospective college students who have an interest in plants, horticulture, and/or Sonoran Desert ecology an impactful, hands-on experience working with industry experts at Pima Prickly Park and the Pima County Native Plant Nursery (NPN).

TCSS is the largest Cactus and Succulent Society in the U.S., whose members and volunteers include specialists and leaders in Tucson’s horticulture community. Pima Prickly Park is a collaboration between Pima County and TCSS that is fully designed and maintained by TCSS using salvaged plants from Tucson and surrounding areas. NPN, a part of Pima County’s Natural Resources division, is a fully operational plant nursery that grows and salvages native plants for public projects and restoration, located adjacent to Pima Prickly Park.

This unique internship allows students the opportunity to participate in conservation and restoration efforts driven by the community through local governmental projects and programs, volunteer commitment, and shared-interest collaborations. Tasks and duties of nursery and conservation work in Arizona involve physical labor, working outdoors in extreme heat and occasional rain, sometimes in remote locations, and working with plants that have spines or thorns. Protective equipment and safety training will be provided.

Students will work under the supervision of Amy Belk, the Native Plant Nursery manager, as well as project leaders with the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society, and will work alongside industry professionals and experts to gain hands-on experience caring for plants that grow in the Sonoran Desert.