Environmental Science Internship Opportunity:

Whitebark Pine Restoration and Cone Collection

at Crater Lake National Park

Project Description: Whitebark pine is now being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act due to precipitous decline from the invasive pathogen Cronartium ribicola (blister rust) and other causes.  We seek two students to work on projects in whitebark pine cone collection and restoration. The projects will occur on Wizard Island in Crater Lake and around the perimeter of Crater Lake. Each student will adopt one focus area as an internship project (either restoration or cone collection). The students will help each other on their projects. Students may receive academic credit (ENSC 410 or ENSC 401) for participation, which could contribute to fulfilling degree requirements in Environmental Sciences. Students can contribute creatively to project development. Honors College students seeking thesis topics are encouraged to apply. Students need to commit to between 3 ½ to 4 ½ months of work. The work will not occur in one contiguous block of time and will mostly occur during the summer break (see timeline, below). Travel expenses, lodging, and safety training and certification for tree climbing will be paid for. Students should be in good physical condition for tree climbing. Please see this link to learn more about tree climbing and certification: http://www.fs.fed.us/treeclimbing/intro/2/.

A faculty member from the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute will serve as the primary mentor. Geneticists, ecologists, foresters, and technicians associated with the project will also advise the interns.

Timeline and activities for project:

Interested Applicants: Please e-mail the following to the project contact: CV, contact information for two references, and two written paragraphs addressing why you want to work on this project. Please mention whether you are interested in cone collection or restoration.

Project Contact: Heather Lintz, Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, Oregon State University, 326 Strand Agricultural Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331; hlintz@coas.oregonstate.edu

Other Cooperators:

Richard Sniezko, Forest Geneticist, USDA Forest Service, Dorena Genetic Resource Center, Cottage Grove, Oregon

Greg Holm, Terrestrial Ecologist, National Park Service, CLNP, Crater Lake, Oregon

Chris Jensen, Reforestation, Deschutes and Ochoco National Forest, Bend, Oregon

Jim Hamlin, Forest Geneticist, USDA Forest Service, Umpqua National Forest, Oregon

Angelia Kegley, Forest Geneticist, USDA Forest Service, Dorena Genetic Resource Center, Cottage Grove, Oregon

Bob Danchok, Lead Forestry Technician, USDA Forest Service, Dorena Genetic Resource Center, Cottage Grove, Oregon