Program Website and Application Information
What You Will Do
This post-bachelor's internship is for candidates who have received a bachelor's degree within the last five years. The selected candidate would work with staff from the Environmental Protection and Compliance Division, conducting field monitoring of wildland fire mitigation, forest thinning, and forest health projects across the Laboratory's approximately 40 square miles. The program collaborates with wildland fire staff in the Emergency Management Division, craft crews, biologists, archeologists, environmental monitoring staff, and scientists from the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division.
Examples of potential projects include:
- Forest inventory, forest health assessment, and fuels inventory and mapping.
- Pre- and post-fire mitigation treatment or thinning treatment monitoring and mapping using standard forest inventory and vegetation monitoring methods, remote sensing, and photo monitoring.
- GPS mapping of insect and pathogen affected trees, invasive species, old trees, and urban trees for management planning.
- Environmental stewardship project planning, management, and monitoring, potentially including urban tree planting, pollinator gardens, erosion control, and invasive species management projects.
- Applied research activities including literature reviews, management plans, summary reports, and documentation of mitigation and restoration activities for adaptive management.
- Trails management including trails assessment, light trails maintenance, project management including planning and environmental compliance.
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:
- General knowledge of ecological/forestry field work.
- Data and records management, and organizational skills.
- Communication skills, both oral and written, including collaboration and customer service.
- Strong work ethic, inquisitive nature, and ability to take initiative on projects.
- Physically able to work long hours outside, including early mornings and late evenings, with sometimes challenging temperatures and weather.
Education/Experience at lower level: Bachelor's degree in forestry, ecology, fire ecology, biology, environmental sciences, natural resources management or related field obtained within the last five years.
Desired Qualifications:
- Forest/Fire ecology, wildland fire, forest inventory and monitoring, invasive species management, fuels inventory, or southwest plant identification field experience.
- Natural inclination for collaboration and troubleshooting.
- Familiarity with erosion control best management practices.
- Public outreach experience, interest in website content and interpretive signage development.
- General knowledge of maps, GPS units, and GIS software.
Essential Job Functions (can perform with or without reasonable accommodation):
Vision Speech and Hearing
- Peripheral vision
- Depth perception
- Reading vision
- Distance vision
- Ability to speak
- Ability to discriminate speech
General Physical Mobility
- Stooping
- Crouching
- Balancing
- Specific Physical Mobility
- Reaching overhead
- Reaching horizontally
- Reaching down
- Typing or keyboarding
- Use of both hands
- Use of both arms
- Use of both legs
- Use of both feet
Weight Handling Requirements
- Lifting 5-10 pounds
- Carrying 5-10 pounds
General Work Environment
- Outdoors
- In a cold environment
- In a hot environment 90-100 F
- In a dry environment
- In a widely ranging ambient temperature
- Working irregular schedule
- Operation of motor vehicles
Specific Work Environment
- Work under unusual lighting conditions
- Work near electrical power supplies
- Work with biologic or infectious agents
- Work near sources of non-ionizing radiation
Chemical Environment
- Dusts or powders
- Sprays, mists, or vapors
- Fumes
Protective Clothing and Environment
- Headgear or head protection
- Safety glasses or eye protection
- Gloves or hand protection
- Safety shoes or protective foot gear
Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.
Where You Will Work
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:
- PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
- Dental and vision insurance
- Free basic life and disability insurance
- Paid childbirth and parental leave
- Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
- Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
- Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
- Onsite gyms and wellness programs
- Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)