Join the Next Generation of national park stewards!
The Future Park Leaders of Emerging Change (FPL) is sponsored and managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the University of Washington College of the Environment. The FPL program supports paid internships to highly accomplished undergraduate and graduate students to work in national parks for about 12 weeks on projects in environmental and climate change research, interpretation, park operations, policy development, and other fields. FPL interns connect with park resources, gain experience, and build leadership skills that prepare them to take on the challenges of the future.
National parks and NPS programs develop and oversee structured projects in one or more of the following interdisciplinary areas: climate change science and monitoring; resource conservation and adaptation; policy development; sustainable park operations; facilities adaptation; and communication/ interpretation/ education. During the internship, students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to address resource management challenges in national parks and communicate with diverse stakeholders. Interns who successfully complete the FPL, an approved Direct Hire Authority Internship program, will be eligible to be hired non-competitively into subsequent federal jobs once they complete their degree program. These jobs would be in the Department of Interior (DOI), NPS, or one of the other bureaus within the DOI. An intern must qualify for the job in order to be hired non-competitively.
Quick Facts and Deadlines:
- The FPL is managed cooperatively with the University of Washington
- Internship opportunities and application forms are posted on the FPL website
- Internships are typically 12 weeks (40 hours/week) during the summer
- Interns are paid $16/hour plus benefits as employees of the University of Washington
- Applications for the summer 2019 season are accepted from December 7, 2018 until January 25, 2019
For more information: See the website, futureparkleaders.org