Internships

About HRWC
The Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization and a coalition of watershed residents, businesses, and local governments. HRWC is the oldest regional river protection organization in Michigan with a mission to protect and restore the river for healthy and vibrant communities. We work with a collaborative and inclusive spirit to give all partners the opportunity to become stewards; generate science-based, trustworthy information for decision makers to ensure reliable supplies of clean water and resilient natural systems; and passionately advocate for the health of the river and the lands around it.

We all need a healthy environment to live and thrive. HRWC commits to upholding intersectionality and anti-racism as foundations to our efforts for the Huron River and its communities. We advance equitable river-friendly policies and programs that ensure all communities can access, benefit from, and enjoy the healthy environment and river. Learn more about our history and organizational values here.

Focus: field-based water quality monitoring and public education

HRWC’s summer aquatic field internship program is primarily intended for undergraduates and those with little to no professional experience. High school and graduate students, as well as early career professionals, are also more than welcome. The opportunity focuses exclusively on the experience of field-based water quality monitoring and public education in the context of a well-rounded internship experience. Interns will visit numerous field locations, in a number of local tributaries to the Huron River, collecting data about benthic macroinvertebrates, in stream and near stream habitat, and water quality parameters such as volumetric flow. All interns will work on HRWC’s education program, teaching area residents and students about water quality and water quality testing, including our summer youth snorkeling program, stormdrain awareness campaign, and possibly door-to-door education of the public. Interns will also participate in green infrastructure evaluation and maintenance. On occasion, interns may be asked to utilize existing abilities/skillsets to assist HRWC staff with general program upkeep tasks such as GIS mapping, Human Relations, Volunteer Management, Development and Membership, Landscape Architecture, etc. Internships run full summer or half summer, 2-4 days per week (including Tuesdays).

Responsibilities

  • Consistently utilize proper work methods
  • Safely travel to field sites and conduct field data collection
  • Keep equipment in working order
  • Communicate effectively with general public and supervisors
  • Assist supervisors on other projects as needed

Qualifications

  • Background and/or strong interest in water quality monitoring and/or a career in environmental science
  • Demonstrated ability to work well in a team setting
  • Attention to detail such as data management
  • Fluent in Microsoft Office suite and Google documents and maps

Value

  • Wide array of experience in field monitoring and data collection and public education
  • Learning from network of interns and staff on a daily basis
  • Access to network of water quality professionals
  • Mileage reimbursement for any driving at the federal rate
  • $10 per day stipend provided to offset incidental costs associated with day-to-day work

Requirements

  • Consistently work from 9:00am-2:00pm, 2-4 days per week, including Tuesdays
  • Must be able to work in physically challenging, outdoor locations during the heat of the summer
  • Ability to drive, or willingness to carpool, throughout the watershed, up to 30 minutes each direction
  • Sign and date Field Internship position agreement including a liability waiver
  • Completion of a background check (a prior record will not necessarily prohibit applicants from participating in the internship program)

Please complete this application form. You will be asked to upload your resume on the form.

Applications will be accepted from January through April. At which time an informational interview will be conducted.

Questions may be directed to Jason Frenzel.

Jobs

Sorry, there are no other job openings.

The Huron River Watershed Council is committed to diversity and equity within the workplace. We prohibit discrimination against volunteers, clients, and applicants based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic class, ethical values and/or political beliefs.

Learn from past interns what it is like to join the HRWC internship program

Volunteer Positions

Do you take your camera with you everywhere you go? Are you constantly capturing moments before they slip away? If you don’t mind getting close to people having fun recreating on or along the Huron River or at local venues then this job is right for you. You may be asked to shoot people and locations both in nature and in the five Trail Towns of the Huron River Water Trail (Milford, Dexter, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Flat Rock) or go to specific cultural or HRWC events. Photography skills are required. All applicants must submit a portfolio of 5-10 pictures they have taken. Time commitment: 20 hours May-September, flexible dates/times.

To express your interest, email Pam Labadie with the following:

  • First and last name and cell phone number;
  • Your experience with photography and DSLR equipment;
  • Why you want to help;
  • What river-recreational activities you are involved in
  • AND MOST IMPORTANT a link to an online “portfolio” (Flickr, Tumblr, BlogSpot, etc.) of 5-10 images that demonstrate both technical skill and the ability to shoot events. We would like to see photographs with people, emotions, and action and iconic events/urban locations.

HRWC is looking for a committed volunteer with qualifications and time to help us continue our work in providing field assessments of natural areas as part of our Bioreserve Project.
The Field Assessment Plant Expert would join field assessment teams at least once a week throughout the 2015 field season to perform assessments that each take about 2-4 hours.

HRWC has conducted over 270 field assessments on properties throughout the watershed. So far, HRWC’s Bioreserve Program has helped conservancies and government preservation programs protect over 1000 acres using data provided by the Bioreserve Map and by field assessments.

We are getting ready to begin a partnership with all the conservancies in the watershed in which we provide field assessments to properties they are targeting for arranging for permanent preservation in priority areas along the Huron River corridor.

Contact Kris Olsson if you are interested.