Spend your summer gaining valuable career experience with Snohomish County as a Freshwater Ecology Intern. We are hiring two highly motivated internship candidates to join our Surface Water Management team for the 2021 field season.
Intern Job Summary
Your internship at Snohomish County will challenge you, sharpen your skills, and start paving your way to a career.
SWM provides a wide variety of public programs and services to preserve and improve the health of Snohomish County’s water resources and natural systems and to reduce road and property flooding. Interns gain hands-on experience under the direction of water resource professionals.
As a Freshwater Ecology intern, you will:
- Assist with the collection of water quality, habitat, and hydrologic data on rivers, streams and lakes.
- Learn to use common equipment for sampling in freshwater systems.
- Manage data including data entry and quality control and assurance.
- Assist with public outreach for the LakeWise program.
The preferred internship candidates will be:
- Enrolled in a four-year environmental studies or science program.
- Knowledgeable of freshwater ecology.
- Experienced doing field work during inclement conditions.
- Experienced in collecting data used to understand the health of rivers, streams and lakes.
- Interested in pursuing a career in natural resource science, policy or communication.
- Comfortable on boats in large rivers, marine waters and estuaries.
- Committed to be a helpful, responsive and dependable teammate.
Ideally interns will be available to start in May or June and work 8 – 12 weeks. Preferred candidates will be available to work 4 days per week, 10 hours per day, in July and August.
Rate of pay is determined by the number of full academic years the applicant has completed at an accredited college or university by the beginning of the internship. Candidates must be majoring or completed coursework in any of the following programs: environmental science/studies, civil engineering, watershed or water resource management, water quality, biology, chemistry, ecology, limnology, forestry, agriculture, botany, plant ecology, horticulture, environmental health, toxicology, environmental planning, geology, geomorphology, geography, GIS, communications, environmental education, marketing, or related field.
Proof of current enrollment in an accredited college or university at the time of participation. If not currently enrolled, the student must provide proof of future enrollment.
Declaration of Emergency
Snohomish County is currently under a Declaration of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The County has put in place initiatives to protect the health of its employees, and as a result, this position may temporarily be assigned to telework. There may be occasions when this position may be required to work in the office or in the field to perform certain job duties. Safety guidelines in compliance with the state, CDC and Snohomish County Health District are required to be followed during those times.
About Surface Water Management (SWM)
SWM works in partnership with the community to reduce road and property flooding and to protect and restore Snohomish County’s rivers, lakes and streams. You can find us responding to water-quality problems and complaints, monitoring river, stream and lake health, maintaining drainage systems, managing habitat improvement projects and more. We focus on four areas of service:
- Clean water in rivers, streams and lakes;
- Habitat for fish and aquatic wildlife;
- River flooding and erosion; and
- Stormwater drainage systems.
For more information on Snohomish County Surface Water Management’s programs, please go to www.surfacewater.info.
About the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)
The Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) includes the Division of Surface Water Management, the Division of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, the Office of Energy and Sustainability and the Office of Agriculture and aims to achieve high-priority environmental sustainability goals. Some of the greatest assets we have in Snohomish County are our unparalleled beauty and abundant natural resources. From the Puget Sound and five watersheds, to forestland, lakes, farms, ranches and parks, our quality of life, economic prosperity and future sustainability are dependent on protecting and improving our environmental resources.
Visit the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources web page to learn more.
Job Duties
Snohomish County supports internship programs that provide work experience for students in an accredited post-secondary institution that is related to their course of study. The internship program is designed so the student will have the opportunity to apply principles and theories learned in the classroom, gain new skills, explore a career path and be supervised and mentored by a professional in their field.
The student may choose to receive scholastic credit for their internship in accordance with the guidelines set by their school.
BASIC FUNCTION
To perform a variety of support activities in the areas of surface water management. Interns will perform tasks under the direct supervision and assistance of Surface Water Management staff.
- Interns may be required to perform one or more of the following job duties:
- Assists with Surface Water Management projects and programs.
- Assists with project assessment and monitoring activities.
- Assists with public outreach at public meetings, fairs and festivals.
- Assists with coordination of volunteer activities for protecting water quality and restoring salmon habitat.
- Assists with data management.
- Performs related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Have completed two full academic years of studies at an accredited college or university by the beginning of the internship and be majoring in or have completed coursework in any of the following programs: environmental sciences/studies, civil engineering, watershed or water resource management, water quality, biology, chemistry, ecology, limnology, forestry, agriculture, botany, plant ecology, horticulture, environmental health, toxicology, environmental planning, geology, geomorphology, geography, GIS, communications, environmental education, marketing, or related field.
A valid Washington State Driver’s License is required
Additional Information
Increase Intern Knowledge of:
- elementary principles and practices of surface water management as related to area of assignment;
- elementary research and data collection techniques;
- use of personal computers and related software.
- communicate effectively, both orally and in writing in a multicultural workforce serving a diverse population;
- work effectively with a cross-section of watershed residents, businesses, specific interest groups and agencies;
- gather, evaluate and document technical data;
- apply technical data to practical in-field problems.
SUPERVISION
The intern is trained and mentored by an administrative superior as assigned. The work is performed with a moderate degree of independence and is reviewed through conferences, periodic reports and results obtained.
WORKING CONDITIONS
The work is performed in a regular office environment with some work performed outdoors in all types of weather conditions. The intern may be required to lift, move and carry objects between 20 and 50 pounds, crouch, crawl, kneel, bend, climb and balance. The intern may be required to work along the water’s edge, wade in streams, or work on the water in a boat. The intern may be required to work evenings, weekends and holidays as necessary.
Accommodations for individuals with disabilities are provided upon request.
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