WSDOT Wetland Interns

Wetland Ecology and Monitoring Techniques with the Washington State Department of Transportation

Contact: Doug Littauer, Wetland Biologist. 

About 20 internship positions are available through The Evergreen State College (TESC) for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Olympia, WA.

Internship Title: Wetland Ecology and Monitoring Techniques
Position Title: Wetland Biologist Intern
Faculty Sponsor: Dylan Fischer, Ph.D., Member of The Evergreen State College Faculty

Internship duration: June 24 - September 5, 2013
Days/hours: Monday - Thursday, approximately 8-10 hours per day, 38 hrs/wk
Compensation: $3000.00 taxable gross income.
Prerequisites: Enrollment in the TESC summer school and payment of appropriate tuition. For current tuition rates and information, please see The Evergreen State College Tuition Rates web site.
For undergraduate credit, students must enroll for a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 16 undergraduate credits.

For graduate credit, students must enroll for 4 graduate credits.

Important Dates:

• April 11: The last day applications will be accepted.
  
• April 22 - April 24: Interviews will be conducted on these dates, at WSDOT in Olympia.
  
• May 2: By this date, applicants will be notified of the status of their application.
  
• May 13: Mandatory orientation session, 3:00-5:00 PM at TESC. Internship contract forms will be completed at this time.

To Apply: Complete internship application (doc 89 kb) - typewritten or computer generated. Please also include a resume and a list of three references with their contact information.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: April 11, 2013

Applications are preferred via e-mail, though hard copies are accepted.  Please send applications to:

Doug Littauer
WSDOT, Environmental Services
PO Box 47332
Olympia, WA 98504-7332
littaud@wsdot.wa.gov 

Description of Internship

Students enrolled in this internship program gain hands-on field and laboratory experience collecting and analyzing environmental data gathered from WSDOT wetland mitigation sites. During the eleven-week course, students will use quantitative and qualitative monitoring methods while conducting vegetation and wildlife surveys.

Though there will be some variation in the weekly work schedule, most weeks will include three field days (7:15 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.) and one lab day (8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.).

Fieldwork will be conducted on WSDOT wetland mitigation sites. Plant identification laboratory sessions will be conducted on the TESC campus. Approximately 80% of field activities will focus on vegetation sampling, plant identification and an introduction to soils and hydrology. Students will use statistical methods to evaluate data.

Candidate Selection

Students from a broad variety of backgrounds are encouraged to apply. However, we are particularly interested in students with the following skills and academic preparation: 

• A degree in (or near completion) the natural, environmental, or biological sciences
• Experience in the use of a technical plant key
• Coursework in wetlands ecology, botany, and statistics
• Plant and wildlife identification skills

Required texts and equipment (available at TESC Bookstore):

• Flora of the Pacific Northwest (Hitchcock and Cronquist)
• Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary (Harris and Harris)
• Plant-dissecting kit: 2 probes, tweezers, razor knife (scalpel), 10X hand lens, and a 15 cm ruler (metric)
• Knee boots

Other gear and equipment needs: Students are expected to be equipped with the following, but may wish to borrow this equipment from a friend or from lab stores at TESC, instead of making an additional purchase.

• Hip waders
• Binoculars and a bird guide
• Appropriate foul weather gear
• Folding pocket knife or a knife with cover for plant collection
• Calculator with basic statistical functions (recommended but not required)  

Evaluations will be based on the student’s participation, attendance, and performance in field and laboratory activities.