Summer internship open to applicants

Are you a student interested in a career in natural resources? Do you have interest in science, GIS, law, or computers? Do you enjoy CNMI’s blue waters or greenery and wonder to yourself if there’s anything you can do to preserve and protect them? Then getting an internship in a natural resource agency might be something for you!

Several paid internships in marine resource management will be available to post secondary students over the summer of 2005. Interns will be placed at the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) and the Coastal Resources Management Office (CRMO), in Saipan, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Salary will be $7 per hour. Interns will be responsible for providing their own housing and transportation. Preference will be given to students with a long-term interest in working in the CNMI. Interns will develop and complete a project in addition to participating in ongoing activities at the host agency. Available positions include:

DEQ NPS intern—will work on current Non-Point Source Pollution (NPS) and related coral reef projects, possibly getting involved in the “Know Your Watershed” campaign administering surveys and conducting education and outreach to local communities.

DEQ Biology intern—will assist the DEQ biologist in a number of different projects. These may include a current survey, an algae reference collection, water quality sampling, habitat assessment, web site design, and other ongoing studies. Must be a biology or marine science major.

DEQ Safe Water Drinking Program- will input allot of chemical data and then assist with evaluating compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Regulation. Someone who likes computer work would be preferable.

DFW Wildlife intern- will participate in a watershed reforestation project where they will identify three project sites to collect data on existing trees, coordinate the removal of invasive vine species, and the reforestation of the sites with native trees.

CRMO Biology intern- will participate in the day-to-day activities of the marine monitoring team. This will include snorkeling and could include diving if the intern is dive certified. The intern will learn about marine animals and plants, marine survey techniques and data analysis. The intern will work with the biologist to develop an independent project that will be completed over the course of the internship. It may be possible to arrange for the student to receive college credit for this.

CRMO Enforcement intern—will be participating in daily monitoring with enforcement officers, assist in monitoring on Man______agaha Island, will work on compiling an enforcement history report for CRMO permittees, and will provide recommendations for improvements to these practices.

CRMO Natural Resources Planning- The planning project is to train a student how to digitize aerial photos for use in a Geographic Information System (GIS). They will scan available WWII-era aerial photos at the NMC Archives using a high-resolution scanner. They will also learn how to align the photos to existing satellite imagery. The digitized information will allow planners to compare coastal features and benthic habitats between then and now to give us a better understanding how much change has occurred and what man made features has resulted in the noted changes.

CRMO Permit intern—will review permitted projects within the last decade to determine which Area of Particular Concern (APC) had the most concentrated development and develop a report on the activities.

CRMO GIS intern—The GIS section of CRM has an intern position available this summer. The intern topics for this year will evolve around the creation of GIS data. Complete data sets need to be acquired, converted, georeferenced, edited, and formalized with metadata. Interns will learn how to create GIS data that complies with federal and local standards. Data that needs to be created is as follows (in order of priority):
* Wetland delineation
* Land Use
* Agricultural lands

CRMO Coral Reef Education and Outreach intern—will design and implement evaluations of existing education and outreach projects. May also develop other educational materials.

Interested students should submit one letter of recommendation either from a professor or an employer, resume, transcript (unofficial is acceptable) and statement of interest, including desired position(s), by April 14, 2006. Materials can be emailed to john.moreno@crm.gov.mp, or mailed or faxed to:

Coastal Resources Management Office
Attn: John Dax Moreno
PO Box 10000
Saipan, MP 96950
Fax: (670) 664-8315

Funding is available from June through August, but actual dates and hours worked will vary according to availability. For more information, contact John Dax Moreno at (670) 664-8300/1. (PR)