Ecology Intern

Overview

RES is currently accepting applications for an Ecology Intern, based out of our Lafayette, LA office. This internship typically runs May-August, but the duration is negotiable based on your schedule.

The Mission: This Internship position will work with regulatory personnel to perform all aspects of fieldwork and assist with data entry and compilation of technical reports. Interns will work under the supervision of a Senior Ecologist. Your internship will conclude with a presentation on what you learned to Regulatory and Operations staff.

Interns will learn the principles of wetland mitigation according to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act implemented by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the business of providing mitigation, while growing your familiarity with the vegetation, hydrology, and soils in the Gulf Coast Region.

You will work under the supervision of a senior member of the Ecology team, in a group of like-minded people who are all passionate about the earth and who occasionally get to work with their four-legged friends out in the field!

Interns will be periodically quizzed to evaluate their developing skillset as they are exposed to the ecological side of the mitigation business. By the end of the summer, interns will be responsible for writing a monitoring report for a RES mitigation site that will be delivered to the USACE and will produce a presentation for the Regulatory team discussing their experience and learning over the summer.

Did you know that our Ecology team in the Gulf Coast has project sites all over Louisiana? This gives you a great opportunity to explore the region’s diverse and beautiful landscapes from the salt marshes of the coast to the floodplain of the Mississippi River and the Coastal Prairie of Louisiana. Each RES site has been designed, constructed, and implemented to provide specific mitigation needs for a client or the local watershed. Our sites are continually monitored and maintained to create a resilient habitat that provides ecological value on a local and regional level.

You will learn about:

· Wetland mitigation in Louisiana

· Ecological restoration practices

· Native vegetation and its importance in ecological restoration

· Vegetation plantings and invasive species abatement

You will learn how to:

· Use GPS and/or other field-based mobile applications to collect field data

· Translate field data into formal reports for various regulating agencies

· Identify native Louisiana vegetation, especially trees

· Identify exotic invasive vegetation

What your day-to-day might look like?

Around 80% of your time, you will be assisting our Field Ecology team, so expect to be in the field. You will learn how to collect a variety of field data, including delineating waters of the U.S., conducting vegetation surveys, and performing hydrological monitoring.

Please be advised that we perform these tasks come rain or come shine and working outside in harsh and under adverse weather conditions (summer days in the Gulf Coast are long, hot, humid) is part of the routine. You will also be walking long distances, climbing, bending, lifting heavy objects, and performing other physical activities.

Around 20% of your time, you will be assisting in administrative tasks including data entry and technical report preparation, as well as other restoration site maintenance and management tasks, so be ready to showcase your technical writing, communication skills, and attention to detail during the interview.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of your duties.

Qualifications

We would love to talk to you if you have many of the following:

· Recently graduated or currently pursuing a degree in Environmental Science, Ecology, Biology, Natural Resource Management, Wildlife and Fisheries Science, or a related field

· Plant identification and taxonomy skills

· A strong work ethic and a willingness to learn

· A passion for ecological restoration

What will make you stand out?

· Strong technical writing skills

· Understanding of the 401/404 regulatory process

· Biological surveying (fish and macroinvertebrate) experience

· Experience using Trimble GPS units and ArcMap

VEVRAA Federal Contractor

RES is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.