Start/End Dates: May 19, 2025 – October 3, 2025 (20 weeks)

Mosaics in Science seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers.

Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.

Personal vehicle is recommended for this position.

Position Description:
The internship at Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks will primarily support ongoing research and monitoring of wildlife that rely on older forests, with a particular focus on spotted owls and fishers—two species of conservation concern in the southern Sierra Nevada. Efforts will include:

• Conducting surveys for spotted owls, including determining their presence, reproductive status, and nest locations.
• Monitoring meso-carnivores using remote cameras.
• Tracking fishers with radio collars using telemetry.

Additionally, the intern may have occasional opportunities to assist with surveys for peregrine falcons, great gray owls, Pacific martens, squirrels (Douglas and Humboldt flying), and/or Sierra Nevada red foxes.

Fieldwork in the parks can be challenging due to the terrain and the elusive nature of the target wildlife species, but the work is also highly rewarding as we continue to learn more about the occurrence and habitat use of these rare forest-dwelling species in and around recent fire footprints and planned fuels treatments.

Interns will receive training in the methods used to conduct the surveys, navigate with GPS, communicate by radio, and other safety-related skills.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in wildlife monitoring, particularly of spotted owls and fishers.
• Enter data and review photos from remote cameras.
• Assist with gear preparation.
• Revisit locations to gather additional data.

Qualifications:

• Major studies relevant to this position: B.S. in biology, wildlife ecology, natural resource management, forestry, GIS, or a related discipline.
• Ability to follow field protocols, maintain attention to detail in data collection, and demonstrate a strong work ethic.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with others.
• Willingness and ability to work/hike in steep terrain while carrying moderate to heavy backpacks.
• Willingness and ability to work at night in forested areas to conduct owl surveys (in pairs).
• Possess current COVID-19 vaccination (due to proximity to rare/sensitive species).
• Experience conducting bird surveys (owls or nocturnal species) is a plus.
• Experience collecting and managing field data and organizing field samples is preferred.
• Experience with remote cameras, telemetry in mountainous terrain, navigating using GPS and maps, and/or GIS is preferred.

Interns in this program will receive 800 hours toward Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. See below for more information.

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s), the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal, term, or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on USAJobs.gov and selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information, see DOI Personnel Bulletins 11-02 , 12-13, and 17-03.

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.