Internships

Position Description

Think Wild is seeking to recruit one Wildlife Education Intern for the summer of 2024. The intern will assist the Education and Volunteer Manager and Wildlife Educator with Think Wild programs pertaining to wildlife education and outreach. This includes assisting and leading educational programs with local school groups, attending and tabling at local community events, creating relevant social media posts, and designing, planning, and implementing educational curriculum.

Schedule: The Wildlife Education Intern will report to their shifts at the Think Wild hospital (unless otherwise noted) for three scheduled 8-hour shifts per week. The intern will coordinate with the Education and Volunteer Manager and Wildlife Educator to determine daily activities and events as they occur. Shifts are generally from 8am-4pm, but are subject to change slightly as different events are scheduled. 

Anticipated start date: June 10, 2024 (flexible)

Reports to: Education and Volunteer Manager

Compensation: This is an unpaid internship. A $1,000 stipend is provided to cover living expenses. Free and/or discounted housing options are available to selected applicants upon request.

Interested in applying? See our full internship announcement, including instructions on how to apply, here.

Position Description

Think Wild’s Beaver Works program is seeking to recruit 1 beaver habitat intern for the spring/summer of 2024. The intern will assist the Beaver Works Program Manager with efforts pertaining to beaver-related education, outreach, and habitat project planning and execution. The focal areas include conducting literature reviews, writing scientific outreach for broad audiences, supporting beaver site assessments and planting preparation (willow and cottonwood harvest and storage), researching best practices for riparian restoration methodology, monitoring remote trail camera footage, habitat planting coordination, organizing citizen science events, contributing to a better understanding of human dimensions of wildlife coexistence, and more.

Learning Outcomes

Throughout the duration of the internship, the candidate will:

• Develop and deliver educational materials and outreach efforts to raise public awareness about the benefits of beaver and associated habitat
• Conduct site assessments to monitor growth, mortality, and infrastructure at existing restoration sites
• Deploy trail cameras and review trail camera footage, selecting highlights to use in education and outreach
• Assist in coordinating habitat planting projects including harvesting, planting, seeding, and fencing
• Coordinate with the Think Wild team to train and guide volunteers for projects
• Contribute to data management and project design for beaver research projects
• Organize events/workshops to leverage resources and support the program’s goals
• With support from Think Wild staff, conduct an independent project as a capstone to demonstrate skill growth in a focal area of your choosing

Schedule

Throughout the duration of the internship, the intern is responsible for three 8-hour shifts per week. The intern will coordinate with the Beaver Works Program Manager to determine daily activities and events as they occur.

Anticipated Start Date

The internship is from May/April - June/July (start and end dates flexible).

Reports to: Beaver Works Oregon Manager

Compensation: This is an unpaid internship. A $1,000 stipend is provided to cover living expenses. Free and/or discounted housing options are available to selected applicants upon request.

To see the full position description and apply, click here.

Position Description

Think Wild is pleased to offer two full time hotline internship positions. Each position requires a commitment of four eight-hour shifts per week, totaling 32 hours, including Saturday and Sunday. Two internship sessions will be provided, with a duration of 10 weeks each. The first session will begin in May and go until Mid-July. The second session will begin around mid July and last until the end of September.

The Wildlife Hotline primarily operates during business hours (8am-5pm), fielding calls, offering assistance, and providing education to the public on wildlife-related issues. Coordinating volunteer efforts, rescues, patient admissions, and inquiries, the hotline team ensures the welfare of sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation efforts. As part of the internship, completion of a delegated project by the Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation is required for hands-on learning and contribution to the wildlife hospital.

Position Availability

Two internship sessions are being offered for Spring/Summer 2024 with one position available for each session

Session 1: May through Mid-July (exact dates TBD) 

Session 2: Mid-July through September (exact dates TBD)

**Please note in your application which internship session you are applying for**

Compensation: This is an unpaid position. A $1,000 stipend is provided to cover living expenses. Free and/or discounted housing options are available to selected applicants upon request.

Interested in applying? See our full internship announcement, including instructions on how to apply, here.

Position Description

We are seeking eight Wildlife Hospital Interns to join our wildlife rehabilitation team for the spring/summer term. Our wildlife hospital operates on ~4 acres and admits more than 700 injured and orphaned wild animals each year from Deschutes County and the surrounding area. Interns work with our wildlife rehabilitation staff to provide care to patients in our clinic. Duties include many aspects of animal husbandry such as diet preparation, cleaning enclosures, assisting staff with patient treatments and procedures, and more. This internship is sponsored in part by Think Wild and Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center.

Schedule: Interns will report to work at Think Wild for three scheduled 8-hour shifts per week and perform animal care activities onsite. Internships last approximately 9 weeks and closely follow the trimester academic calendar.

Anticipated dates:

1st Session: April 1st-June 2nd (end date flexible)
2nd Session: June 3rd-August 4th (end date flexible)
3rd Session: August 5th-September 29th (end date flexible)

**Please note in your application which internship session you are applying for**

Reports to: Wildlife Rehabilitation Staff

Compensation: These are unpaid internships. A $500 stipend is provided to cover living expenses. Free and/or discounted housing options are available to selected applicants upon request.

Interested in applying? See our full internship announcement, including instructions on how to apply, here.

"I started as a volunteer with Think Wild in August 2020, where I learned the basic routine of how things are done (how to care for certain species, make diets, log in patient charts, husbandry duties). I began my internship in the Spring of 2021, and that's where I really learned my knowledge of how to assess patients upon intake, create treatment plans, and all of the veterinary care that goes into caring for these animals. Once my internship was complete, I was offered a seasonal position, continuing to learn about and help with animal care, as well as handling the wildlife hotline.  Prior to volunteering, I had no experience in the field.  Thanks to this "pyramid" of opportunities, and being able to work alongside Pauline, I learned a vast array of knowledge about how wildlife rehab works. I now have a permanent position at Think Wild as a wildlife technician, and I'm super excited to get to call this my job!"

-Savanna Scheiner, Current Wildlife Technician, Former Summer 2021 Intern

"I worked as a conservation education intern with Think Wild in the summer of 2022. This internship was a wonderful experience. I learned how to design and implement wildlife-themed curriculum for children of various ages, and became familiar with the nuances of education. I was also able to inspire kids from all over Central Oregon to pursue their passions in nature and wildlife. Outreach and science communication are invaluable, and interning with Think Wild allowed me to develop these skills and many more."

-Ellie Ocel, Summer 2022 Wildlife Education Intern

"Interning at Think Wild was nothing short of amazing. Being able to be so hands-on and close to such extraordinary creatures is something few people can say, and even fewer can say that they assisted in the rescue and rehabilitation of such animals. I learned a great deal from this experience. Things I would have never learned if I had stayed a volunteer. The skills I learned from interning I use in everyday life are as I have many pets at home and am going into a career with wildlife. Not only did I learn about animals, proper care, and medical procedures, but I learned about communication, coordination, and leading. I miss the Think Wild team. Pauline was the best mentor anyone could ever ask for and all of the wonderful volunteers made the work we do easier and smoother plus they were always a joy to talk with. I hope to come back and visit, volunteer more in the summer, and in many years from now if end up back in Bend I would want to volunteer with my DVM. Think Wild made me realize what I wanted to do with my life, and I helped many lives along the way. Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity, it truly was life-changing."

-Kylie Lanuza, Summer 2021 Intern