Climate and Water Intern
Internship Position Description
Position Title: Climate & Water Program Intern
Supervisor: Alexis Lopez-Cepero, Senior Legislative Analyst
Department Head: Kristen Brengel, SVP Government Affairs
Department: Government Affairs
Position Description: (List duties, responsibilities, etc.)
The Climate & Water Program Intern will be responsible for assisting the Federal Water Policy and Climate team, in researching, tracking, and analyzing key water quality, climate, and ecosystem restoration policies and national legislation impacting the coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes aquatic park ecosystems.
The Climate & Water Program Intern’s main responsibilities include:
- Track and assist in advocacy on ocean, climate, and water-related federal legislation and administrative policy—including federal budget and appropriations—important to the Great Lakes, other priority ecosystems, and national parks.
- Researching climate change impacts and water quality impairments in national parks. Developing case studies detailing ongoing threats to water quality and resource resilience and restoration efforts in the Great Lakes and other coastal regions.
- Facilitating the development and maintenance of internal tracking tools related to climate, ecosystem restoration, and conservation investments in parks and park landscapes
- Researching issues and compiling and analyzing information in support of NPCA’s broader legislative and long-range policy programs as needed.
Qualifications/Requirements (i.e., education, technical skills):
-Ideal candidate is an undergraduate (junior or senior) or graduate student. Candidates should have experience, education, and skills in one or more of the following areas: conservation biology, ecology, climate science, natural resources management (terrestrial or marine), ecosystem restoration, cultural resources management, anthropology, public policy (social, demographic, philosophic implications of National Park Service activities), legal research and analysis, or political science.
-Ideal candidate will be detail oriented, organized and creative, possess a professional work ethic and enthusiasm for gaining new knowledge and skills.
-Full-time and part-time students are encouraged to apply; we do our best to work with students and their class schedules.
The Climate & Water Program Intern’s main deliverables include:
-Series of short case studies or fact sheets detailing the impact of climate change on water resources in national parks and stories of effective restoration projects and the use of natural infrastructure solutions for climate resilience in the Great Lakes and other coastal regions.
-An updated database of climate change stories and mitigation/adaptation projects in parks.
-Historic federal funding chart, tracking the change in federal funding for key USACE, USGS, and ---NOAA water programs.
-A series of advocacy letters detailing key funding priorities for Congressional committees in FY2024 negotiations.
Work Status: Part-time Hours per week: 20 hrs/week
Ideal Work Schedule: Flexible schedule between 9am – 5pm (local time), Monday through Thursday
Salary (Hourly Rate): $20