For more information, please follow this link: https://wsdot.wa.gov/about/employment/internships/wetlands-ecology-monitoring-techniques-internship

Compensation: $3,500 taxable gross income (You pay tuition; we provide this payment to help support costs.)

About the internship

Several internship positions are available each summer through The Evergreen State College (TESC) for Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in Olympia, Washington. This internship program provides hands-on field experience. Interns collect and analyze environmental data gathered from WSDOT wetland compensatory mitigation sites.

Most field activities focus on vegetation sampling and plant identification. Interns use quantitative and qualitative monitoring methods to conduct vegetation surveys. They use statistical methods to evaluate quantitative data. The internship includes other activities such as evaluating soils, hydrology and wildlife, as time allows.

Most weeks include three field days (M-W 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and one day at a virtual or in-person plant lab (Th 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), though some variation occurs in the 11-week schedule. The training and learning opportunities that we usually offer on campus are subject to ever changing COVID-19 restrictions.

Watch a short YouTube video on WSDOT’s Wetland Ecology and Monitoring Techniques Internship program.​​​

Position Title: Wetland Biologist Intern

Internship Duration: June 21 to Sept. 1, 2022

Days/hours: Monday through Thursday, approximately 8-10 hours/day, 38 hours/week

Prerequisites: You must enroll in TESC summer school and pay appropriate tuition. For additional information, please see The Evergreen State College tuition rates website. Financial assistance may be available to those who qualify.

Credit options: 6-16 undergraduate or 4 graduate

Compensation: $3,500 taxable gross income (You pay tuition; we provide this payment to help support costs.)

Contact: Kristen Andrews, Kristen.Andrews@wsdot.wa.gov, Wetland Monitoring Manager, WSDOT

Faculty Sponsor: Lalita Calabria, Ph.D., Member of TESC Faculty

How to apply

Submit the following required materials by April 7, 2022, to Kristen Andrews, Kristen.Andrews@wsdot.wa.gov:

Dates to remember

  • April 7: Applications due to WSDOT
  • April 18 to April 21: Virtual interviews conducted
  • April 28: We notify applicants of decisions
  • June 21: Internship begins

Candidate selection

We encourage students from a broad variety of backgrounds to apply. We are particularly interested in students with the following skills and academic preparation:

  • A degree in (or near completion) the natural, environmental or biological sciences.
  • Experience in the use of a technical plant key.
  • Coursework in wetlands ecology, botany and statistics.
  • Plant and wildlife identification skills.