Mountain Quail Field Internship

Position description — Washington State University’s Quantitative Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Lab has openings for two (2) intern positions in our mountain quail research program. Positions will run from mid-March through June (for a total of 16 weeks).

The project is in collaboration with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and conservation oriented due to the “Critically Imperiled” status of mountain quail in the state of Washington. Interns have the exciting opportunity to participate in a research program where they will be fully immersed in a wildlife field project, gaining first-hand experience with sought after skills in this field. Interns will have the unique opportunity to live-capture, radio-collar, and track mountain quail through several life history stages.

Interns will work directly with two graduate students to gain experience handling and tracking radio-collared mountain quail, conducting raptor surveys, performing vegetation surveys, and directly observing mountain quail behavior. Additionally, interns will gain experience deploying and processing data collected from acoustic recording devices to detect quail by their vocalizations, as well as game cameras to detect mammalian predators. Training and field tasks can be geared towards the interns interests if desired.

Field work will be in remote, off-trail environments and require daily rigorous hiking in rugged and beautiful terrain. Interns will be paid $40-$50 per diem (per day) during workdays (4-5 days a week) for a total of $200 per week. Field housing (camper trailers) and a work vehicle are available for shared use by technicians, interns, and graduate students. The nearest towns are Asotin and Clarkston, WA.

Qualifications — A B.S. degree in wildlife or related field. Applicants must be able to hike off-trail 5-10 miles a day in rugged terrain, maintain a positive attitude, and be able to communicate effectively with the graduate students. To apply, send a cover letter, CV, and contact information for 3 references in a single document to Georgia Isted (georgia.isted@wsu.edu). We will begin reviewing applications immediately, in the order they are received. Applicants are encouraged to apply ASAP to be considered for this position.