MSU Listserv

From: Nielson, Gabby <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 11:32 AM
To: Schneider, Jim <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Undergrad Internship Opportunities
Hi Jim,

I have an email job alert set up for Defenders of Wildlife. This morning five internships became available that I think would be an incredible and unique opportunity for the undergraduate students. I'm asking if you can please send this out to the undergrad list serve, that would be great!

The first is a Southwest Program Intern<https://jobs.jobvite.com/careers/defendersofwildlife/job/o4z2qfwP?__jvst=Notification>. Location - Santa Fe New Mexico
POSITION SUMMARY
Defenders of Wildlife’s 10-week summer internship program will provide interns with in-depth exposure to Defenders’ conservation work, the opportunity to acquire specific skills needed to pursue their professional goals, the opportunity to engage in hands-on research/projects in their field of study, and the opportunity to build professional networks. The program will also provide students with cross-disciplinary exposure, one-to-one mentor matching, and peer-to-peer support. Defenders strongly encourage students from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds to apply.
Interns will aid with a variety of Southwest field conservation initiatives. Duties will include but are not limited to, assisting with outreach for a new Pinyon Jay private lands conservation program, entering bird and vegetation survey data into databases, helping to develop a website for the Southwest Warbler Working Group (training will be provided), developing scientific literature databases (training will be provided), and more.

The second is a Center for Conservation Innovation Intern<https://jobs.jobvite.com/careers/defendersofwildlife/job/olw2qfw3?__jvst=Notification>. Location - Washington DC
POSITION SUMMARY
Defenders of Wildlife’s 10-week summer internship program will provide interns with in-depth exposure to Defenders’ conservation work, the opportunity to acquire specific skills needed to pursue their professional goals, the opportunity to engage in hands-on research/projects in their field of study, and the opportunity to build professional networks. The program will also provide students with cross-disciplinary exposure, one-to-one mentor matching, and peer-to-peer support. Defenders strongly encourage students from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds to apply.
The Center for Conservation Innovation Internship is an opportunity for experienced students with a commitment to or demonstrated interest in conservation to work with Defenders staff at the interface of science, technology, and national conservation policy. For the summer of 2024, we are looking for interns with experience or interest in geographic information systems (GIS) applications, conservation science or conservation policy. The Intern will assist CCI staff with research tasks and projects, such as those related to the management and recovery of threatened and endangered wildlife species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Depending on experience, the intern may be involved with GIS data analysis and cartography, scientific communication and interactive visualization, and/or policy review and writing. Skill development will vary with the specific projects underway at the time of the internship, but the intern will generally acquire a deep understanding of how the ESA and wildlife conservation more broadly is implemented in practice, along with refining applied skills in data analysis, writing and communication. Example topics include assessing the impact of climate change and other threats on imperiled species, the effectiveness of federal programs in recovering ESA-listed species, and the places in the U.S. where conservation efforts can make a large impact on species recovery.

The third is a California Marine Program Internship<https://defenders.org/about/jobs?p=job%2FoCE2qfws>. Location - Northern Coast of California
POSITION SUMMARY

Defenders of Wildlife’s 10-week summer internship program will provide interns with in-depth exposure to Defenders’ conservation work, the opportunity to acquire specific skills needed to pursue their professional goals, the opportunity to engage in hands-on research/projects in their field of study, and the opportunity to build professional networks. The program will also provide students with cross-disciplinary exposure, one-to-one mentor matching, and peer-to-peer support. Defenders strongly encourages students from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds to apply.

Defenders’ Field Conservation Department offers internships to select college undergraduates with a sincere commitment to or demonstrated interest in wildlife and habitat conservation. This position will provide a range of programmatic and administrative experience relating to a conservation issue of national significance—specifically, recovering the southern sea otter (listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act), restoring nearshore ecosystem health and employing methods of adaptive management.

Typical project work will include subject matter research and writing support for sea otter conservation projects. The current project might involve expediting environmental reviews, permit strategies and regulatory processes; helping coordinate partner and stakeholder involvement in rewilding initiatives; helping deepen tribal relationships and collaborations; building community knowledge and support near prospective sea otter reintroduction sites; and investigating preliminary strategic elements of a large-scale socioeconomic study.

The fourth is a Communications Internship<https://defenders.org/about/jobs?p=job%2Fouy2qfwe>. Location - Washington DC
POSITION SUMMARY
Defenders of Wildlife’s 10-week summer internship program will provide interns with in-depth exposure to Defenders’ conservation work, the opportunity to acquire specific skills needed to pursue their professional goals, the opportunity to engage in hands-on research/projects in their field of study, and the opportunity to build professional networks. The program will also provide students with cross-disciplinary exposure, one-to-one mentor matching, and peer-to-peer support. Defenders strongly encourages students from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds to apply.
As a part of this program, the Communications department offers internships to select communications (inclusive of fields of public relations, multi-media) students with a commitment to or demonstrated interest in wildlife conservation and environmental public interest and advocacy. This position is designed to provide a wide range of communications, programmatic, and administrative experience relating to conservation issues of national significance. The internship program covers a wide range of environmental issues from endangered species to federal lands management and is a terrific opportunity for communications students dedicated to or interested in career of wildlife conservation advocacy.
Interns will provide research, writing and production support for our communications and multi-media projects. A typical project will involve research of a relevant programmatic issue and result in the production of press releases, blogs, social media tool-kits and posts. Additionally, the successful candidate will assist with the organization, creation and optimization of multimedia materials – including photos and creating videos, thumbnails, caption files, transcripts, logging, and organizing and archiving still and motion media.
Finally the fifth is a Land Conservation Internship<https://defenders.org/about/jobs?p=job%2FofB2qfw2>. Location - Washington DC
POSITION SUMMARY
Defenders of Wildlife’s 10-week summer internship program will provide interns with in-depth exposure to Defenders’ comprehensive conservation work, the opportunity to acquire specific skills needed to pursue their professional goals, the opportunity to engage in hands-on research/projects in their field of study, and the opportunity to build professional networks. The program will also provide students with cross-disciplinary exposure, one-to-one mentor matching, and peer-to-peer support. Defenders strongly encourage students from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds to apply.
The Defenders Land Conservation Intern will gain firsthand knowledge of how the nation’s public and private lands play a crucial role in addressing the biodiversity crisis. By focusing on how the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Wildlife Refuge System each incorporate recovery plans into their management plans, the intern will help program staff devise strategies to encourage land management agencies to do more with the authorities they already have. The Land Conservation Intern will also work with Private Lands staff on the advocacy around the passage and implementation of a strong Farm Bill - one of the most impactful ways the federal government can foster wildlife conservation on private lands.
If you love animals and wildlife and are interested in how government policies and legislation can help solve the biodiversity crisis gripping our planet, you may be the perfect person for this position! Experience in how government works is not necessary, but a passion to protect wildlife like wolves, polar bears, tortoises and birds is a must!
Projects could include: analyzing the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for opportunities to strengthen threatened and endangered species recovery plans; working with land agency program leads to respond to comment periods that strengthen policies to protect wildlife; and assist private lands staff on how the implementation of the 2024 Farm Bill can promote the recovery of threatened and imperiled species.

If the links don't work, they can visit https://defenders.org/about/jobs to explore the available internships and other potential career opportunities in the future.

Cheers,
Gabby Nielson



[cid:fa639dab-5a49-49ca-b6fb-358b8314b1d0]

  Gabrielle Nielson (she/her/hers)

  Master's Student

  FW COGS Representative

  Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

  Michigan State University

  e-mail: [log in to unmask]

Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg – Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples. The university resides on land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. We recognize Michigan’s 12 federally recognized Native Nations, historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and those who were forcibly removed from their homelands. In offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty, history and experiences.