Start/End Dates: May 2, 2024 – November 1, 2024

Compensation: $600/week (40 weeks)

Application Due: November 1, 2023
Positions available: 2

Environment for the Americas seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse professionals in natural resource careers.

• Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
• Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to the start of their internship.

*Personal vehicle required

Please Apply Here

Position Description:

Working as a two-person team with our partners at the Monarch Joint Venture, interns will participate in 9 months/26 weeks of monitoring and habitat assessment for monarch butterflies on and near Department of Defense lands in priority locations in the upper Midwest. They will design and facilitate outreach and education programs that foster cultural connections and awareness of monarchs, pollinators, and migratory species in diverse communities and with Blue Star Families.

A special emphasis will be placed on monitoring habitat for monarchs on or near military installations and Department of Defense lands based on conservation priorities. Interns will be required to attend training in monarch monitoring and sampling strategies. As monitoring sites are established, interns will navigate to the pre-selected sites to perform monarch and vegetation surveys using a standardized protocol. Environment for the Americas (EFTA) will provide guidance on community outreach and engagement practices, training on co-designing engagement programs with community groups, and developing culturally resonant activities for multigenerational audiences that lead to conservation action.

Work Products:  During the internship, the intern will:

• Conduct monarch and vegetation surveys on Department of Defense lands.

• Develop community community partnerships and facilitate education programs

• Create weekly blog posts shared on social media informing on internship experience and work projects.

Training: The intern will have the opportunity to train in:

Protocols for collecting data including:

• Describing features of each site,

• Performing counts of monarch host plants (milkweeds),

• Identifying plant species and recording their frequency,

• Examining milkweed plants for monarch eggs and caterpillars, and performing counts of adult monarchs.

Field data collection will include:

• Techniques in conducting field surveys.

• Data collection involves walking a series of transects at each site and recording the information within 1-m2 quadrats,

• Examining milkweed for monarch eggs and larvae within a 1-ha area, and

• Recording adult monarchs observed along a transect or incidentally.

Protocols for data and field logistics management will include:

• Maintaining, organizing, and entering field data on tablets/computers

• Organizing details for travel and other logistics to/from field sites.

• Conducting data proofing and correction to ensure data accuracy.

• Maintaining regular contact with EFTA staff and partners such as the MJV, other monarch partners, and field site contacts.

Outreach and education programs will include:

• Identifying and developing community partnerships, especially with Blue Star Families

• Co-developing culturally resonant educational activities with and for community groups

• Lead culturally relevant interpretive talks and educational events

• Communicate with their cohort, EFTA staff, government agency staff, and the public.

Intern Qualifications:

• Ability to conduct monarch and vegetation surveys

• Ability to take directions and work independently

• Ability to develop and facilitate education activities for multigenerational audiences

• Ability to work well with coworkers and function effectively as a member of a team and during independent work

Other Requirements:

• Cultural competence

• A personal vehicle

• Attend regular check-ins with EFTA staff and meet as a group on a monthly basis

• Strong communication skills to work with the cohort, EFTA staff, government agency staff, and the public

Preferred Skills (not required):

• Excellent teamwork skills

• Proficient in Spanish language

• Communication and program facilitation skills

• Awareness of Midwest flora and fauna

• Knowledgeable of military installations and Department of Defense lands

• Experience in working outdoors

• Experience gathering and recording data

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.