BLM Rangeland Monitoring and Management Internship

Organization: American Conservation Experience

Dates: September 12 (flexible start date) – July 13, 2012

Application Deadline: August 15

Paid

BLM Rangeland Monitoring and Management Internship

Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nationwide Non-Profit Conservation Corps based in Flagstaff, AZ, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), St. George Field Office (SGFO), is seeking two interns to dedicate 44 weeks to the monitoring, management, and restoration of the area’s diverse and significant natural resources. This opportunity is intended for enthusiastic young professionals with a deep interest in advancing their career goals in public land management.

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A 10-month commitment is required.

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Location: The BLM Utah St. George Field Office has stewardship over approximately 600,000 acres of public lands in Washington County, with 15 wilderness areas, hundreds of miles of trail, and three distinct geographic regions intersecting in southwestern Utah. The office is located in St George, Utah.

Project Partner Website: For more information on the BLM St. George field office please visit their website at: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/st__george.html

Compensation: $12 per hour for 40 hours per week.

Project Background and Objectives: BLM Utah manages approximately 22 million acres of grazing land statewide. Rangelands provide tremendous amount of social, economic and environmental value on a local, national and global scale. They are a great resource not only for people but also for all other living organisms that inhabit the area. Hence it is imperative to encourage and enhance sustainable practices to retain the value of such lands. To that end the state government utilizes rangeland management plans to prevent excessive and unchangeable damage to these resources. The goal and focus of these plans is to improve and maintain conditions of rangelands by assessing and monitoring their health, making necessary changes to current trends and creating sustainable practices.

The objective of this internship is to provide meaningful experiences for youth while also providing a benefit to public land resources and its users. Interns will gain job skills related to the management of public lands by working with land managers primarily on rangeland conservation, management and improvement projects.

Position Description: The ACE intern will assist rangeland managers and other BLM resource specialists in accomplishing a variety of tasks such as surveys, monitoring, maintenance, data entry, and habitat protection along with other duties associated with public land stewardship.

Specific Tasks include:

• Livestock counts under supervision of the range conservationist to determine range use.
• Data entry into the Range Management Automated systems (RMAS) to assist in grazing administration.
• Collecting and recording data for various range studies to determine condition, trend, utilization and actual use of the land.
• Provide assistance in identifying necessary range improvement projects for wells, reservoirs, fences, vegetation, etc. Intern will also inspect and inventory the condition of current projects.
• Serve as a team member of the range inventory efforts. This includes collecting, compiling and recording vegetation data on each site write-up area (SWA) and making observations on wildlife use
• Collect and record water source data from wells, pipelines reservoirs etc. as well as natural and manmade boundary lines defined by allotments, fences and contours
• The ACE interns will help establish new monitoring protocol and continue existing studies. Other tasks include but are not limited to some recreation management, building and maintaining fences, writing for and contributing to the Federal Land Policy and Management process (FLPMA). Applicants must have some knowledge of the NEPA, EA and EIS processes.
• Interns will organize and coordinate field work with BLM and partner organizations, and will prioritize overall duties as established by their supervisor.

Work is partly in a field setting and partly in the office. The ACE interns may be required to work in remote areas of the field office. This includes driving four-wheel drive vehicles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and spending all day walking and working in rough, muddy, uneven terrain while lifting up to 50 pounds of gear. Interns are expected to work 40 hours/week and must be willing to work varied schedules throughout the internship.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have a degree in ecology, botany, rangeland management, natural resource management, or other related disciplines appropriate to the position. A combination of relevant education and appropriate experience is also acceptable. Resumes must contain enough information to show that the applicant meets the experience as defined in the internship announcement. We are looking for determined, strong and developing natural resource managers who are looking for experience working with land management agencies.**

Required Skills:

• Internship is available to US Citizens and Green Card holders only
• Intern must be between the age of 18 and 25
• A valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and ability to provide documentation; personal vehicle is required
• Personal medical insurance for the duration of their participation with ACE
• Ability to undergo a Federal criminal background check

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience with GPS units and ArcGIS software
• Genuine interest and knowledge in range management and basic knowlwdge of methods used to develop and protect rangelands
• Effective communication skills with all ages and diverse audiences; ability to work alone or in a group
• Good writing and analytical skills
• Plant identification skills
• Experience with different field data collection methods
• Experience in backcountry hiking and navigation in steep terrain

• Ability to work independently in remote areas
• Experience driving four wheel drive vehicles over rugged roads
• Strong desire to enter the public service field as a natural resource professional

The interns must be willing to represent ACE and the BLM in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner. Drug users should not consider applying, as ACE reserves the right to require drug testing.

How to Apply

Please email a resume and cover letter along with 3 professional references in one document to [email protected] with “BLM SGFO Range Intern – idealist referred” in the subject heading of your email; Position closes on August 21, 2011. Early consideration will be given as resumes are received.