The Nisqually Delta is located in South Puget Sound, approximately 8 miles northeast of Olympia, Washington. The Nisqually Delta has been the focus of the largest estuary restoration to date in Puget Sound and represents an exciting opportunity for ecological monitoring and research. USGS Western Ecological Research Center is working with the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and is seeking a part time intern to assist with phenology documentation and maintenance of tidal marsh sensors at the Nisqually River Delta. The office is located at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge near Olympia, Washington.
Duties will be primarily assisting with the maintenance of hydrology and carbon flux instrumentation (cleaning sensors, troubleshooting instrumentation) in the tidal marsh 2-4x/month. Potential independent projects include photo-documentation of phenology at different habitat types within the Nisqually River Delta or documenting available invertebrate prey from existing samples collected from eelgrass beds.
Intern will be assisting biologist in the field, and potential independent projects can be supervised by remote scientists. Field work consists of working in and around the estuary and tidal wetlands, walking in mud, and traveling to the field sites by kayak or small watercraft. Office duties will include organizing photos or sorting macroinvertebrate samples to broad taxonomic categories, keeping a clean and organized work area.
Requirements
- Experience working in estuarine and muddy field conditions
- Comfortable working near, on, or in the water, traveling mostly by small watercraft (canoe/kayak) or foot
- Attention to detail
- Strong work ethic, personal integrity, and sense of responsibility
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
- Good communication skills and able to work independently
- A positive attitude, quick learner, and a desire to participate in estuarine research
- Current driver’s license, and a good driving record
- Comfortable working with a microscope
- May be asked to work unusual hours (including early morning or evening hours and some weekend days) depending on tides.
Details
- Start date: as soon as possible, for periodic help.
- Work schedule: part time, 1 yr
- Salary: initially volunteer, potentially paid internship once congressional budgets approved
- Housing is not provided
Interested?
Email a single document that includes: statement of interest and resume ASAP. Please save the document with your name, for example “Jane.Doe USGS internship” and email to: Isa Woo, iwoo@usgs.gov