Mel Fellowship Program
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 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. Apply now at www.marylandforestryfoundation.org/programs/students-educators/mel-fellowship-program/
Mel Fellowship Positions Announcement
The Maryland Forestry Foundation, administrator of the DNR Fellowship program, is calling for applications to fill 4 Mel Fellowship positions, 2 each in the areas of:
1. Natural Resources Careers
2. Urban & Community Forestry
Application process opens: May 15, 2026
Application deadline: July 15, 2026
Decision announcement: July 30, 2026
Fellowship term: October 1, 2026 - July 31, 2027
Mel Fellowship – Application Details
Applications must be submitted online 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 hours/week 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 acquaintance 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 listing accomplishments and suggestions for how to improve the Fellowship program must be submitted at the end of the term.
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 2026 and $7,000 in 2027.
Students who are awarded a Fellowship are ineligible to apply for future Fellowship positions. Application Instructions
Read Appendix A & B to decide upon which Fellowship program is of interest to you.
Complete the Application online at www.marylandforestryfoundation.org. Attach your resume and have your two chosen references fill in our online Letter of Recommendation form. All submissions should be sent in by July 15, 2026.
An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to the student. If you experience any problems with the application process, please email us at info@marylandforestryfoundation.org.
Appendix A
Expectations
for the
Natural Resources Careers Fellowship
October 1, 2026 - July 31, 2027
• Primary goal of the Fellowship
o Successful matriculation in your degree program
• Promotional goals
o Promotion of careers within Natural Resources fields by sharing your educational experiences, work experiences and future career plans with students around the state
o Promotion of the Fellowship program within your university and to similarly situated students for recruitment of future applicants
• Efforts on behalf of the Natural Resources Careers Camp
o Become familiar with NRCC (marylandforestryfoundation.org), attend monthly committee Zoom meetings and visit camp in July of next year to speak with students and meet NRCC staff and industry participants
o Assist in the promotion of the camp through social media and online marketing o Work with partners to increase visibility of the camp and recruitment of students: local Forestry Boards, Maryland Forest Service, industry partners and the Green School program
• Support the mission of Maryland Forestry Foundation
o Conduct research on forest policy, forest landowner incentive initiatives and other topics pertinent to the legislative efforts of Foundation staff
o Promote and provide input to the Foundation webinar series and other events o Attend bi-annual Forestry Board Association meetings
o Attend relevant conferences if possible
o Assist in conceptualizing and planning a summit meeting to bring together the two industries of Rural/Traditional Forestry and Urban Forestry
o Submit 3 blogs to be posted on the Foundation website
• Reporting duties
o Submit a final report listing your Fellowship accomplishments and suggestions for how we can improve the Fellowship program
o Regular phone and email communication with Foundation staff and partners when appropriate
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.
Appendix B
Expectations
for the
Urban & Community Forestry Fellowship
October 1, 2026 - July 31, 2027
1. Primary goal of the Fellowship
o Successful matriculation in your degree program
2. Promotional goals
o Promotion of careers within Natural Resources fields by sharing your educational experiences, work experiences and future career plans with students in the state o Promotion of the Fellowship program within your university and to similarly situated students for recruitment of future applicants
3. Efforts on behalf of the Maryland Urban & Community Forestry committee (MUCFC) o Attend quarterly MUCFC meetings to assist with grant reviews and the PLANT recognition award program
(dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Pages/programs/urban/mcfc.aspx)
o Assist in the promotion of MUCFC and its grant and other outreach programs
4. Support the mission of Maryland Forestry Foundation
o Conduct research on forest policy, forest landowner incentive initiatives and other topics pertinent to the legislative efforts of Foundation staff
o Promote and provide input to the Foundation webinar series and other events o Attend bi-annual Forestry Board Association meetings
o Attend relevant conferences if possible
o Submit 3 blogs to be posted on the Foundation website
5. Efforts on behalf of the Urban Forestry Careers Camp
o Assist in updating the curriculum for UFCC and visit camp in mid-July of next year to speak with students and meet UFCC staff and industry participants
o Help to promote the camp and to recruit high school students
o Work with partners to increase visibility of the camp: local municipalities, universities, Forestry Boards, Maryland Forest Service and industry partners
6. Reporting and meeting duties
o Submit a final report listing your Fellowship accomplishments and suggestions for how we can improve the Fellowship program
o Regular phone and email communication with Foundation staff and partners
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.
