Paid internship seeks student trail guides

Concerned Citizens of Montauk is starting a new program of bilingual trail walks, and is looking for a half-dozen or so East Hampton High School students to accept paid internships and be trained as trail walk leaders.

Jerry Samuelson, the Montauk group’s environmental advocate, said not every student must be bilingual, but that each walking tour would have at least one Spanish-speaking student as a guide.

This will be the first year the program has been tried, and Samuelson said they are starting small, focusing on East Hampton High School sophomores and juniors, with the candidates selected getting special training from the National Park Service.

“Any real environmental sustainability has to begin with our kids,” Samuelson said. “Ideally, they become energized and take the message home.”

The students selected will receive a $500 grant, paid for by the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation. Along with guiding tours around East Hampton Town, they will be expected to research and write trail information brochures. Applications must be filed with Concerned Citizens of Montauk by Feb. 13.

All trail walks will be free to the public. The full schedule, not yet prepared, will be posted on the group’s website -- preservemontauk.org. Application forms can also be found there.