Box Turtle Monitoring Volunteer Interns for DC Fisheries and Wildlife Division
Dates: April through June 2020 (flexible start and end dates)
Location: Washington, DCAgency: Department of Energy and Environment, Fisheries and Wildlife Division
Number of Positions: Multiple
Position Description: As part of the Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile
Conservation (NEPARC), the Box Turtle Working Group has been developed to monitor
and assess the population of Eastern Box Turtles in the Northeast region. The working
group has developed a standardized monitoring protocol to be used by all participating
states in the Northeast region. Sites for this position will be located in Washington, D.C
and pre-determined based on habitat. For each site, a visual survey will be conducted
looking for turtles, as outlined in the established protocol.
Duties: The interns will be required to work both with the biologist and independently
with other interns. Survey times will need to be between 7:00am-3:00pm from mid/late
April through June. Surveys can take place under most weather conditions, but avoid
extended (>3 days) cold (< 60 degrees) and hot (> 85 degrees) periods. The protocol
involves three independent surveys at a given site during the spring (primarily May).
Each survey will take approximately 1.5 – 4 hours depending on the size of the survey
area and how many turtles you capture (and need to process). Surveyors will search
within a pre-determined survey area for 1 person hour per hectare of habitat.
Requirements: Interns must be available for several hours between 7:00am-3:00pm
several days a week. Because this position is open to multiple interns, times will be
coordinated so there is more than one person on the survey. Selected interns must attend
a mandatory training to learn how to properly execute the survey and find and identify
turtles, and record data. This is a volunteer internship, therefore there is no salary.
Applicants should be enrolled in or a recent graduate of a college or university program
in wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, zoology, or a closely related field.
How to Apply:
To apply please send a resume, cover letter, and references by February 24, 2020 to:
Lindsay Rohrbaugh
Wildlife Biologist
Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
District Department of Environment
1200 First St., 5 th Floor, NE
Washington, DC 20002
FAX: 202-535-1373
lindsay.rohrbaugh@dc.gov
If you have any questions, send them in an e-mail to lindsay.rohrbaugh@dc.gov