USFWS Internship/Pathways

The US Fish and Wildlife Service hires student interns through our Pathways program. Please go to this link: https://www.fws.gov/northeast-region-pathways-internships-2022 There are a number of Pathways Internships with various position descriptions. Many are in the Regional Office in Hadley, MA. Successful completion of a Pathways internship makes the candidate eligible to apply for term and career appointments within 120 days of graduating. Ecological Services Chesapeake Bay Field Office The student/trainee will take a leading role in mussel issues in the mid-Atlantic Region and the Northeast Region in general. This will include serving as the Chesapeake Bay Field Office (CBFO) lead mussel specialist on the project, “Evaluation of Survival, Growth, Condition Factor and Bioaccumulation in Freshwater Mussels deployed in the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.” In addition, the trainee will work on the assessment of endangered mussels as part of CBFO’s Endangered Species Program, including work on Species Status Assessments. The trainee will also assist on ecological and toxicological projects in DC, Maryland, and Delaware related to fish, invertebrate, and sediment contamination issues. Part of this work will include data analysis and presentation in Excel and R, and image analysis using ImageJ. We are looking for someone who: 1) enjoys working on collaborative projects; 2) is energetic and works well in the field; 3) is a good communicator and team leader; and 4) pays close attention to detail for conducting tasks and analyzing data. Good writing skills are important. Biological Science Student Trainee (GS-499) 4/5/7 FPL 9 fred_pinkney@fws.gov Ecological Services Regional Office The student will assist the Endangered Species Program with implementation of the Habitat Conservation Planning Program, through which the Service provides Endangered Species Act authorization for impacts to endangered and threatened species resulting from wind energy development, oil and gas development, timber harvesting, recreation, and other projects and activities. The student will review draft HCPs prepared by project proponents for compliance with Service regulation, policy, and guidance; compile comments from Service Field Offices; and prepare briefing materials and help deliver briefings for Service management. Biological Science Student Trainee (GS-499) 4/5/7 FPL 9 martin_miller@fws.gov Ecological Services Regional Office The person in this position will work with the National White-nose Syndrome Program to plan, implement, and coordinate priority acoustic monitoring in support of the North American Bat Population Monitoring Program (NABat), which is a multi-agency, continental scale monitoring program co-led by U.S. Geological Survey and the Service. She/he/they will use NABat’s sampling framework to plan and deploy acoustic detectors with a focus on Service-managed land, collect and analyze bat acoustic data, manage data contributions to the NABat database, support acoustic monitoring efforts of non-Service partners, prepare progress and status reports of monitoring efforts, and assist with other data management projects for the program. The student should have experience in GIS and field work; experience with bat acoustic monitoring is desired, but is not required. Biological Science Student Trainee (GS-499) 4/5/7 FPL 9 jeremy_coleman@fws.gov Wildlife Sport Fish Restoration Regional Office The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program is looking for a student intern to provide biological expertise and support to administration of grant programs that fund fish and wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation. Tasks will likely include assembling of grant materials and ensuring all necessary information is included, pre-review of compliance information, pre-review of performance reports, assistance with field monitoring and reviews, and other special projects. The focus of this position will be on fisheries related grants. Biological Science Student Trainee (GS-499) 4/5/7 FPL 9 bill_perry@fws.gov Migratory Birds Regional Office The Division of Migratory Birds is seeking one or more Pathways students to support our efforts to reverse the declines of three billion birds over the last 50 years. Pending funding availability, position(s) could include engaging in Urban Bird Treaty cities, supporting forest bird conservation planning and implementation, science support related to off-shore wind development, analyzing data and fostering partnerships related to migratory birds and climate change, permitting, or other priority needs related to migratory bird conservation and management. Depending on the position, useful skills could include partnership building, complex data analysis (using R, R-Shiny, ArcGIS, Python), written and verbal communications with diverse audiences and partners, and Spanish language fluency. At this time, we have funding for a Pathways student to support permitting, and we anticipate funding for a Pathways student to provide science support related to off-shore wind. Biological Science Student Trainee (GS-499) 4/5/7 FPL 9 pamela_toschik@fws.gov, scott_johnston@fws.gov Fish and Aquatic Conservation Sunderland Office Candidate will determine which species of freshwater mussels are using migratory fish (blueback herring, alewife, American shad, striped bass) as hosts in the Connecticut River. Approaches will include examining temporal and spatial patterns, using genetic or morphologic techniques to identify mussel species and develop an identification key, assessing ecological and anthropogenic (e.g. fish passage) ramifications of results, evaluating results in light of emerging benthic habitat and species distribution information, and determining conservation and management implications. The candidate will also determine the spawning history of individual blueback herring in the Connecticut River using known-age fish, developing a standardized approach for sub-sampling aged fish to re-examine scales and determining individual spawning history, and, using the standardized approach, examine existing scale samples (2013-2020) and determine the annual spawning history distribution of the population. Biological Science Student Trainee (GS-499) 4/5/7 FPL 9 david_perkins@fws.gov External Affairs This position will work with External Affairs to develop and implement communications pertaining to the Fish and Aquatic Conservation program. Candidate will provide written and multi-media content for FWS web and social media platforms, pitch media, and seek new outreach opportunities in coordination with External Affairs and FAC staff. Information and Arts Student Trainee (GS-1099) 4/5, 7 keith_shannon@fws.gov GRADE LEVEL LEVEL OF EDUCATION GS-1 Enrollment in a high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) program. GS-2 Completion of high school or GED diploma. GS-3 Completion of 1 full academic year of post-high school study. GS-4 Completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree. GS-5 Completion of 4 academic years of post-high school leading to a bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree. GS-7 Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education; or Eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision and completion of a bachelor’s degree. GS-9 Completion of 2 academic years of graduate level education, or a master’s degree or equivalent graduate degree. GS-11 For research positions, completion of all requirements for a master’s or equivalent graduate degree. For non-research positions, completion of all requirements for a PhD or equivalent degree.