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Position Summary

Intern will work with natural resource managers along the Mississippi River for the US Army Corps of Engineers at the Rivers Project Office, consisting of 49,000 acres of public lands including rivers, lakes, wetlands, prairies, and bottomland forests. This internship will have a blended habitat and vegetation maintenance focus.

Schedule

February 17, 2025 - February 14, 2026

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The intern will be responsible for greenhouse maintenance as well as environmental education and developing partnerships. The intern will also focus on habitat restoration activities including invasive species management, woody encroachment removal, native plant seed collection, and planting.

Greenhouse Maintenance – The Rivers Project Greenhouse is a new facility located at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton, MO. It will be utilized to grow native plants for habitat restoration. The greenhouse will prioritize pollinator plants and prairie restoration and will also serve as a hub for partners through the Great Rivers Pollinator Habitat Partnership (GRPHP). The intern will primarily assist with regulating greenhouse environmental controls and irrigation, germinating and transplanting seedlings, monitoring plant health and growth, and general upkeep of the greenhouse.

Education and Outreach – The greenhouse will be utilized by the Rivers Project and our partners for environmental education and outreach. Intern will assist with educational programming and outreach activities including greenhouse tours, coordinating with GRPHP partners and projects, managing outreach tabling at events, and developing outreach materials.

Habitat Enhancement – The Rivers Project manages thousands of acres of prairie, wetland, and forest habitat. This includes planting thousands of native plants annually to enhance and restore habitat for wildlife. The intern will assist natural resource managers with planting activities as well as seed collection, cleaning, storing, and stratifying for greenhouse propagation. Intern will also assist with maintaining a demonstration pollinator garden adjacent to the Riverlands Greenhouse.

Invasive species removal – Invasive plants are invading grassland and wetland habitats on Corps lands. The intern would assist with mechanical removal of various plant species using mowing, disking, hand pulling, digging, and cutting as well as chemical removal through herbicide treatment.

Forest Resource Monitoring and Management – The Rivers Project forestry team focuses on big-picture forest management actions in the big river floodplain. The intern will assist and gain experience in forest management and monitoring activities such as timber stand improvement (TSI), stand walks, reforestation monitoring, permanent plot monitoring, and forest inventory.

Required Qualifications

Must be 18 years of age.

Must possess and maintain valid driver's license.

Possess good verbal and written communications skills.

Physical ability to navigate uneven terrain and work outdoors during adverse conditions such as heat, cold or rain.

Must be physically able to carry weighted equipment such as backpack sprayers, chainsaws, or backpack blowers for prolonged periods of time during field work.

Must have the physical ability to spend time bent over or crouched for such field activities as invasive weed pulling or seed collection.

Must not be averse to irritating plants or insects.

Knowledge of GIS/GPS data collection and Microsoft Office.

Preferred Qualifications

The intern should have moderate knowledge of habitat management practices, restoration ecology, horticulture, maintaining a greenhouse, and plant identification. The intern will also gain experience managing a greenhouse, working with local, state, and federal partners, and restoring and enhancing prairie, wetland, and forested habitats.

Hours

40 per week

Living Accommodations

Housing is not provided at the site for this internship.

Compensation

Living Allowance - $600/week

Housing Allowance - $1,000/month

Commuting Allowance - $25/week

Relocation Travel Allowance - $650*

  • Internship positions with the US Army Corps of Engineers receive a relocation travel grant as a reimbursement, based upon the actual roundtrip travel costs from the intern's ‘home' location to the site. The reimbursement amount is calculated by the distance travelled (mileage) 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 relocation travel grant is capped at $650.

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

This position is not eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award.

Personal Vehicle Information

Required

Additional Benefits

Health Insurance

AmeriCorps: Not Eligible

Equal Opportunity Statement

SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members. SCA is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere in which people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles may grow personally and professionally. The Student Conservation Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

Physical requirements and working conditions specific to the position are available in the full job description.