River & Stream Inventory Internships
Lake County IL
6 Positions Available
The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is working with a variety of local partners on watershed planning in the Des Plaines River Watershed in Lake County. One step in the planning process is to collect and analyze field data that is used to make site-specific recommendations in watershed plans. For additional information on SMC, see our website at http://lakecountyil.gov/stormwater/
Duties/Responsibilities
SMC is seeking 6 interns to work in the Des Plaines River Watershed in 2016. Internships may be scheduled in the spring, summer or fall of the year, or may span 2 seasons. Interns will spend time in the field and office under the guidance of SMC staff. All positions will allow the interns to apply classroom experiences to real world applications by collecting data for later analysis both by the interns and SMC staff. These positions will also expose the interns to many aspects of watershed planning at SMC, a countywide watershed planning and regulatory agency. Representative tasks include:
Stream Inventories (6 Positions Available)
High priority stream(s) will be divided into reaches and a standardized stream/river inventory assessment will be completed for each reach. Six interns working in teams of two will collect stream and river data. The stream inventory will assess channel conditions such as bank height, erosion problems and bank vegetation, lateral recession rates, Hydraulic structures such as bridges, culverts, and dams, pipes and swales draining to the stream or river (point discharges), land use and vegetative cover along the stream corridor, available habitat in the stream, and channel substrate and degree of sedimentation. Most of the streams will be wadable but the Des Plaines River mainstem inventory will be done by boat. Summary reports will be written after field data is complete.
Qualifications
Graduate of, or current student in, a 2 or 4 year higher education program with an emphasis on water resource engineering, environmental science, biology or related field. Applicants must be able to work both inside and outside in variable conditions and be willing to engage in limited to moderately strenuous physical activity. Applicants must be able to use Microsoft Office software. Experience with ESRI ArcGIS software is highly desirable but not required. Applicants must have their own transportation for traveling to and from field sites. The candidate must have a valid driver’s license and satisfactory driving record. Class credit may be available for these internships; please check with your academic advisor.
Additional Information
Interns will work approximately 40 hours per week for up to 15 weeks. The desired start date is between April – May 15th but is somewhat flexible. Pay will be $12.50 per hour.
If you are interested in the internships at the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission in 2016 and have any questions, please contact Jeff Laramy by email (jlaramy@lakecountyil.gov) or phone (847-377-7709). To apply for an internship, please go to the Jobs & Doing Business section of the Lake County website at www.lakecountyil.gov and search all jobs or go directly to http://tinyurl.com/jnkupt3. The internships are listed under College-level and Internships. Please be sure to include a cover letter and resume highlighting your related work or classroom experience. Applications will be accepted until March 4 or until all positions are filled .
ANY OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT IS CONDITIONED ON THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A BACKGROUND CHECK, PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG AND ALCOHOL SCREEN, AND MEDICAL EXAM, IF APPLICABLE.
Lake County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.