CEDAR CITY — The Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative program may be Southern Utah University’s best-kept secret for students seeking on-the-ground outdoor and environmental career experience, U.S. Forest Service officials say.
Shianne Shakespeare monitors at Ash Down Gorge in the Dixie National Forest, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Rachael Walters/U.S. Forest Service, Cedar City News
The cooperative partners with the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, nonprofits, counties and other agencies to provide internships to 180 paid interns. SUU has been the home of the program since 2007, according to a news release issued by the Forest Service. The agency currently has 45 interns working within the Dixie, Kaibab and Fishlake National Forests.
Shannon Eberhard, Assistant Director of Outdoor Pathways and the cooperative, said, “Every internship is unique, and each will provide professional mentorship and hands-on experience. With the U.S. Forest Service, there are always forestry, botany, biology and range positions. These jobs involve lots of time working outdoors and off the beaten track, managing and gathering data on plants, trees and sometimes animals. There are also often opportunities in recreation and wilderness, involving trail building, campground management, public education and more.”
Additionally, there are cooperative internships available for students seeking experience in administration, accounting, customer service and other career fields within natural resources and public lands. Interns may also find themselves studying hydrology, researching archaeological sites or computer-aided design drafting for the engineering department, according to the release.
“The partnership between the cooperative and the Forest Service provides never-ending possibilities and opportunities geared toward students’ interests,” the Forest Service states.
While the program is part of SUU’s Outdoor Pathways Department, high school students are also encouraged to apply, the release states. There are a variety of positions youth can apply for, from graphic design and information technology to wildlife and trail building, among others. Internships typically open in spring, but there are openings year-round, which can be found at this link.
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