Internship - Willamette Valley Project Wildlife Interns

SCA Wildlife Interns (32 week)

Schedule

April 7, 2025 - November 15, 2025

Project Summary:

The wildlife intern will be working in the Environmental Stewardship Section of the Willamette Valley Project (WVP) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. WVP is a major water resource project responsible for operating 13 dams and managing natural resources and recreation in the lakes and surrounding lands. We manage nearly 50,000 acres in the Willamette, McKenzie, and Santiam watersheds. The Environmental Stewardship section is known for our community partnerships in natural resource preservation and restoration.

The intern will assist with monitoring, trapping, and/or tracking sensitive wildlife species including the northwestern pond turtle, Western Purple Martin, Bald Eagles, grassland birds, grebes, and other species as needed. Additional duties may include field support of other natural resources such as native plant surveys, plant nursery operations, and cultural resources monitoring.

Member Key Duties and Responsibilities:

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  Assist with monitoring, trapping, and/or tracking northwestern pond turtle. Interns will conduct pond turtle nest searches, protect nests, identify turtle nests to species. Interns may also conduct trapping of native and non-native turtles and assist with turtle telemetry.

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  Assist with Western Purple Martin nestling checks and nest box repairs and maintenance.

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  Bald Eagle nest monitoring and nestling checks.

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  Assist with grassland bird surveys, grebe surveys, and songbird nest box checks.

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  Assist, as needed, with cooperative avian projects with Western Purple Martins and Black Terns.

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  Conduct data entry, field data collection, field navigation, and QAQC for biological data.

Member Marginal Duties:

• Assist with botanical and cultural artifact surveys
• Conduct wildlife educational presentations for the public

Member Required Qualifications:

• Familiar with biological concepts and wildlife survey techniques
• Familiar with fauna of the Pacific Northwest region
• Familiar with Global Positioning System (GPS) units, ArcOnline (Field Maps and Survey 1, 2, 3), and Geographic Information System (GIS) applications, such as ArcGIS Pro
• Must possess and maintain valid driver’s license
• Must own a car to travel to and from duty station daily
• Possess good verbal and written communications skills
• Physical ability to navigate developed and dispersed recreational sites and other natural areas; lift and carry a 40 lb. object
• Familiar with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint

Member Preferred Qualifications:

• Coursework or degree in biology, zoology, or environmental science
• Familiar with avian species of the Pacific Northwest
• Experience using binoculars and spotting scopes for avian surveys
• Experience handling wildlife
• Experience using GIS and mapping wildlife sightings using various apps and online mapping software.

Age of Member – Adults (18+)

Member Compensation

• $375* - weekly living allowance
• $40* weekly commuting allowance (Personal Vehicle REQUIRED)
• $950* - monthly housing allowance (8 Monthly Disbursements)
• $2,000 reimbursable duty-related travel (receipts required)
• One-time round-trip up to $650** relocation travel reimbursement for non-local candidates (not available for candidates who do not relocate)
• AmeriCorps eligible ($5,176 education award for 1200 hours of service & completion of the internship)
• Trainings, local workshops, or online courses may be provided
• Personal Program Support from assigned SCA Program Coordinator

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  All allowances subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes

**Internship positions with the US Army Corps of Engineers will receive the travel allowance as a reimbursable amount, reflecting the actual costs based upon distance (mileage) travelled and current federal per diem rates. Interns are required to submit an expense report to SCA with documented round-trip travel costs for reimbursement. The requested reimbursement amount is capped at $650.

Living Accommodations

Intern is responsible for securing their own living accommodations.

Member Additional Benefits

• Defensive Driving
• Interpretive Skills

Additional:

• Must be eligible to serve as an AmeriCorps Member. This includes: Being a citizen, permanent resident, or national of the United States.
• Being at least 18 years or older.
• Having a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Being willing to undergo National Service Criminal History Check, including criminal background, sex offender and FBI checks.