Field Biology Internship for Hoosier National Forest Ecoblitz
Indiana Forest Alliance 2022

The Indiana Forest Alliance (IFA) seeks a Field Biology Intern to assist with Ecoblitz taxonomic surveys in the Hoosier National Forest during the 2022 season.

Field Biology Intern Job Description:

• Serve as guide and assistant to scientists, program staff and survey teams in the Hoosier National Forest. This will include setting traps, collecting specimens, handling live animals, carrying equipment, delivering lunches, maintaining field data sheets, preparing maps, and managing data on the computer.
• Gain experience in field biology and forest characterization during Ecoblitz surveys, especially small mammal and insect surveys. Mammals surveys will use pitfall traps, Sherman live traps, camera traps, mist-netting, and insect surveys involve emergence tents, bowl trapping and blue vane traps.
• Recruit volunteers by posting notices via listserve, newsletter, and other outlets; and
• Prepare written and oral reports. The intern will be expected to report results of internship experience and survey work in forums such as Indiana Academy of Science;

Qualifications: We seek highly motivated students with career goals in forest ecology, field biology, animal behavior or natural sciences. Applicants must be able to hike for long periods on rough terrain, and willing to spend long hot days in the woods. Some night surveys will be required too. Experience in the woods is critical; familiarity with Hoosier National Forest and Nebo Ridge Trail would be a great asset. Experience in identification of trees, insects, birds or mammals would be helpful. Skills in photography, videography, GoogleDrive, and ArcGIS mapping software would also be very useful.

Compensation & Timing: The internship will begin in May, 2022. Timing is flexible. The intern will work part-time or full time for 10 weeks, and possibly for up to one year, depending on the student’s schedule and the availability of grant funds. Compensation at $10/hour. Lodging, food and fuel costs for field work incurred as a result of the internship will be reimbursed.

Background:

• The Indiana Forest Alliance is a non-profit organization that provides accurate information about Indiana’s forests and involves Hoosiers in efforts to conserve and restore our forests.
• An Ecoblitz is a comprehensive inventory of flora and fauna on tracts of mature forest in southern Indiana. Teams of scientists, interns and volunteers conduct surveys to document small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, spiders, insects, aquatic macroinvertebrates, vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi and lichens that depend on these mature forest ecosystems.
• The Ecoblitz is documenting that these large tracts of mature forest provide some of the best habitat remaining for rare, threatened, and endangered species of native plants and animals in Indiana.
• The Ecoblitz is generating important information about the natural diversity of these older forests that will inform land managers about the biological value of keeping significant tracts of state forests and the Hoosier National Forest in an undisturbed condition.

Application Instructions: Send letter of inquiry describing skills and interests to rae@indianaforestalliance.org or 765-714-4829. For more info, visit www.indianaforestalliance.org or https://indianaforestalliance.org/work/science/ecoblitz/

Volunteer internships with Department of State’s Virtual Student Federal Service, U.S. Forest Service Southern Region

The Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) is the world’s longest-running remote internship program! Since 2009, more than 10,000 U.S. citizen college students have worked on projects for the federal government during their academic year.

VSFS is a nine-month internship program open to U.S. citizens who are high school graduates and who are enrolled in a higher education program at the time of their application. Because the program is virtual, students can be enrolled in school anywhere in the world! Participants can be half-time or full-time students in undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate certificate or degree programs. Half-time is as defined by your institution.

There are opportunities for all majors. Internships are unpaid but may be eligible for course credit. Speak with your guidance counselor regarding course credit.

Students #ApplyinJuly. Project mentors review applications, conduct interviews, and make selections in August. Students and project mentors begin working together in September through May.

Applications for the 2022-2023 school year will be accepted July 1-31, 2022, on USAJOBS.gov. Find the listing by searching for “VSFS” or “Virtual Student Federal Service” on USAJOBS. Students may apply to up to three projects.

Follow VSFS on social media @VSFSatState for updates, project highlights, and more. Email questions to VSFS@state.gov.

College Credit Internships, The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, Illinois

TLC is happy to work with students to structure an internship experience that will meet the University's requirements for course credit. Typical requirements are 100-120 hours of work for a sponsor organization like TLC. These are unpaid Internships since the student is receiving college credit for them. College Interns have worked on projects as diverse as designing and installing native plant gardens to writing press releases and interviewing landowners and then writing essays that describe the landowners' relationships with the land. Contact Lisa for more information.