Start/End Dates: November 3,  2023 – November 2024

Compensation: $475 per week + housing on park grounds

Application Due: October 8, 2023

The Golden Gate Internship Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers.

* A valid driver’s license is required for this role.

Please Apply Here

Position Description: The intern will assist with field- monitoring duties at wetland and coastal sites in GGNRA.  Primary duties will involve water- quality monitoring and physical monitoring, andhowever the intern will assist with fish surveys as well.  The intern will help to maintain several water- quality and water- level sensors deployed at a number of sites around the park.  This will include downloading and managing data, calibrating instruments, troubleshooting mechanical and other issues, and keeping detailed records of actions.  At first, the intern will assist other NPS staff with these tasks, but later they will take on the primary responsibility for many ongoing water quality tasks. The intern will also assist with topographic surveys using a total station and/or RTK GPS equipment and may create maps and graphics using ArcGIS.  From May-August, the intern will recruit, train and lead volunteers doing night-time surveys for California Grunion at Crissy Field.  There will also be time to complete special projects depending on the interests of the intern.  Part of the internship (approx. 10% of time) will be cross-disciplinary work on other Natural Resource Division projects.

Work Products: Key deliverables of the internship 

1. Learn, and eventually lead ongoing hydrologic monitoring using a variety of water- quality and water- level sensors.
2. Data management of hydrologic datasets, including data entry and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC).
3. Clear and detailed documentation of field actions and instrument maintenance activities.
4. Assistance with topographic surveys using RTK GPS or total station.
5. Recruit, train and lead volunteers doing night-time surveys for grunions at Crissy Field.

Survey of finished floor elevations of NPS buildings and assets at Stinson Beach for use in climate adaptation planning.

Qualifications:

Required:

College coursework and/or BS degree in Ecology, Biology, physical sciences or related field.  Experience or interest in natural resources management, water quality sampling, creek and wetland restoration, and physical monitoring techniques.  Highly organized with strong attention to detail and strong quantitative skills.  Ability, experience or interest utilizing technologies including GIS, total station and monitoring instrumentation.  Demonstrated ability to work well independently and as a member of a team.  

Desired: GIS skills

Mentoring:  The internship is designed to embed the applicant into an existing professional aquatics resources management program. While they will be given ample guidance and support from the project mentors, they will also be challenged to develop their own schedule and plan for how to complete their tasks. Early in their internship, the program mentors will meet with the intern and discuss their professional development goals and any specific technical skills and soft skills that they would like to work on during their internship. From that, the intern and mentor will identify specific trainings, tasks or activities that may help the intern reach those goals.  Weekly or bi-weekly check-ins with the mentor will be used to monitor tasks and learning goals.

Learning Goals: 

• • Acquire and enhance technical skills commonly used in aquatics resource management
  • Understand the importance of maintaining clear and detailed documentation of field activities that support resource management
  • Effective time-management and organization: the intern will need to juggle a variety of tasks, many of which are done at repeating intervals while also requiring specific environmental conditions  
  • Critical Thinking skills: field work often doesn’t go as planned. The intern will need to learn to adapt or adjust in response to changing conditions.

• Improved understanding of natural resource management issues and challenges and how they are addressed.

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.