Mosaics Internship: Natural Resource Management Assistant - ON SITE - Big Bend National Park

Start/End Dates: June 2, 2025 – August 25, 2025 (12 weeks)
Compensation: $768 per week housing
Application Deadline: January 19, 2025

Mosaics in Science seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers. 

MIS Intern 

• You must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

• A valid driver’s license is required.

• You must be a student in an accredited college with a graduation date after the internship end date.

* A personal vehicle is required for this position.

Position Description: 

This intern will work under direct supervision of the park Wildlife Biologist. The intern will receive training on standard operation procedures and safety protocols used across the National Park Service and other management areas. The focus of this internship will be surveying yellow billed cuckoos during breeding season. This work is important to support the recovery of this threatened species in the park. Monitoring and comparing results from the past two years will allow the park to quantify the need for and impact of restoration projects. Big Bend National Park has over 7,000 acres of designated critical habitat for this threatened species. The intern will be required to work in the field to survey cuckoos in critical habitat for 4 weeks with the wildlife biologist using the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) standard protocol. The intern will receive training on call-playback techniques and identifying yellow billed cuckoos by sight and call. The intern will assist the wildlife biologist in assessing habitat in the cuckoo survey transects. These habitat assessments will require identifying dominant vegetation and estimating relative cover percentage of that vegetation. The intern will then be required to enter survey data into standardized USFWS spreadsheets. The intern will create survey detection maps in ArcGIS to provide the USFWS and the park. Many of the park’s high visitation areas are also in critical habitat so this data is vital for compliance of park projects that occur in critical habitat. Through the nature of the project, there will be opportunities to collaborate with and inform other divisions in the park (Facilities Maintenance, Interpretation, and Visitor & Resource Protection). The intern will compile their results of the yellow billed cuckoo surveys and supplementary information, including precipitation and river flow levels from each year, to create a report that will be turned into a presentation and shared with park staff. Sharing this data with the park is very important because protecting threatened and endangered species affects many portions and decisions of park operations. This intern will gain experience in natural resources fields that will give the intern valuable skills to apply in their future career. This project will require a candidate that is well organized and has good attention to detail. The supervisor will support the intern on this project but also provide direction and allow the intern to be autonomous. Finally, this project aligns with the National Park Service mission and objectives. Specifically, this project will provide information that will be used by BIBE to protect and conserve a natural resource that is a threatened species.

Responsibilities:

• Maps and spreadsheets created from data collected on yellow-billed cuckoo surveys to be submitted to USFWS following endangered species permit requirements 

• A report compiling survey results for the park to use as a resource to protect this endangered species within park operations. 

• Park leadership and employees will receive a presentation on the 2025 yellow-billed cuckoo surveys, comparing results from the previous two years of surveys in the park.

Qualifications:

• Ample college or graduate-level coursework in biological or physical sciences, with limited or no work experience applying this coursework in a professional setting.

• College-level coursework in the natural sciences, such as wildlife biology, geology, botany, ecology, or hydrology, or coursework in natural resource management or park/land management.

• Familiarity with the ArcGIS Online environment (including Survey123 or the Field Maps app).

• Experience hiking, camping, and navigating in the backcountry; monitoring or assessing disturbance to natural or cultural resources; documenting or reporting on treatments for invasive plants, fuels, or nuisance animals.

• Experience monitoring vegetation conditions; identifying wildlife, including mammals and birds; conducting environmental monitoring (such as water or air quality tests); and using ArcGIS to create maps or surveys.

Interns in this program will receive 480 hours toward the Direct Hiring Authority. See below for more information:

Direct Hire Authority (DHA)
Direct Hire Authority (DHA) at the successful conclusion of their internship. DHA status enables an agency to hire, after public notice is given, any qualified applicant. A DHA expedites hiring by eliminating competitive rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and "rule of three" procedures. For more information, please click HERE.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employmentand prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Salary : $768