Sea Turtle and Manatee Intern, Pinellas

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF or Federation) is America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state/territorial affiliates and more than six million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes. The Federation's mission is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

About the Position:

The Gulf Program of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) seeks a part time Sea Turtle/Manatee Intern for a three to four month internship to help implement work on manatee education and outreach with Manatee Awareness Coalition (MAC), sea turtle model lighting ordinances, wildlife friendly lighting outreach program, and associated sea turtle conservation activities.

Manatees in the greater Tampa Bay area are at risk from loss of seagrass beds and from collisions with boats.  Nutrient pollution from stormwater runoff, coupled with changes in salinity and increased temperatures, can lead to loss of seagrass beds which deprives manatees of an essential food source and can lead to manatee mortality.  Social science-based education and outreach to area residents and businesses can change behaviors which in turn can reduce the use of fertilizers and nutrient rich stormwater runoff.  Additionally educating and motivating recreational boaters, recreational fishermen, and charter fishermen/boaters can both protect manatees from boat injuries and reduce prop scarring in critical seagrass beds.

Sea turtle hatchling and nesting females face numerous challenges from artificial light.  Artificial light from sources like homes, businesses, roadways and pools disrupts these natural nesting and emergence cues, which can lead to harmful impacts on both nesting females and hatchlings. Adult females are often deterred from nesting on heavily lit beaches, resulting in fewer nests or the selection of poor sites to lay eggs. For those that do try to nest on these artificially lit beaches, artificial light can cause false crawls (non-nesting emergences) and disorientations (inability to successfully locate the water) of both nesting females and just born sea turtles, which can result in death. This project aims to build awareness about sea turtles, their habitat, how to protect them, and how to improve lighting conditions for nesting sea turtles.

The primary responsibilities of the Sea Turtle/Manatee Outreach Intern will be to draft educational materials, engage with the public to gather data and test messaging, research funders for the MAC, implement our lighting display program, identify stakeholder groups to present existing lighting resources to, compile nesting and disorientation data, and to provide audience-specific messaging to three targeted groups along the FL Gulf Coast:

• Targeted Florida Gulf Coast residents and coastal businesses (via outreach to Neighborhood Associations, Property Managers, Condo Associations, Rental Properties, etc.) Manatees/Sea Turtles
• Local governments – Sea Turtles
• Interested public (via blog creation, op-ed drafting, etc.) – Manatees/Sea Turtles

This position will report to the NWF Gulf Program Wildlife Policy Specialist in Florida, Joe Murphy.  They will be managed with input from the MAC and Sea Turtle Conservancy. The selected candidate must be based in the Tampa Bay region in terms of educational institution of residence.

Job Duties:

• Assist with development and design of wildlife friendly lighting display (STLO)
• Contact (email, phone, in-person) hardware stores, visitor centers, and other coastal businesses to promote wildlife friendly lighting displays (STLO)
• Engage targeted stakeholders with educational resources and online tools (MAC/STLO
• Join regular partner meetings to discuss lighting ordinance changes (STLO)
• Attend relevant meetings and conferences (MAC/STLO)
• Draft content for social media, blogs, op-eds and other venues to promote sea turtle and manatee conservation (MAC/STLO)
• Shadow partners for sea turtle monitoring and lighting assessments (STLO)
• Review lighting ordinances (STLO)
• Research funders (MAC)
• Assist with development and implementation of social science based data to inform resident/boater outreach (MAC)
• Other duties as assigned

Preferred Qualifications:

Individuals applying for this internship should meet the following qualifications:

• Florida Resident
• Enrolled in an undergraduate institution and completed at least 2 years of college education, or recent graduate, in a related field of study (biology, marine science, environmental policy, science education, communication, or similar fields)
• Willingness to work on a flexible schedule of 19 hrs/ week, including evenings and occasional weekends
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Able to speak clearly and comfortably with diverse audiences (government employees, coastal businesses, general public, home owners)
• Ability to communicate scientific/technical concepts to the general public
• Knowledge of standard computer software, including Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Comfortable working outside for several hours at a time in Florida heat and humidity
• Valid driver’s license and willingness/ability to drive locally using a personal vehicle
• Willingness to use personal computer and/cell phone
• Reliable and professional
• Organized and self-motivated

Preferred Experience/Knowledge:

It is preferred that individuals applying for this internship position also have experience and knowledge related to:

• Wildlife biology;
• Written communications;
• Coordinating, scheduling, and independent work.

What The Intern Will Gain From This Experience

• The intern will gain valuable real world experience working in conservation policy and public outreach.
• The intern will have the opportunity to work directly with conservation professionals and government staff.
• The intern will be able to better develop and refine public speaking skills
• The intern will increase their knowledge of wildlife and conservation policy
• The intern will be able to better develop and refine planning and multi-tasking skills, as well as time management skills
• The intern will gain professional experience that could advance or shape post college career plans.

NWF Values:

Your actions are expected to reflect the staff values of the National Wildlife Federation: collaboration, mindfulness, empowerment, inclusivity, and mission focus.  Your competencies should include:

• Being motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized.
• Consistently bringing a high level of empathy and social skills to work and interpersonal interactions.
• Actively seeks feedback, direction, and guidance from all team members and keeps staff informed of decisions that impact them.
• Being dedicated to advancing NWF’s internal equity transformation and compelling partners and allies to incorporate equity into their work; and
• Passion for and commitment to NWF's mission

Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s required equity competencies at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires walking moderate distances, up to half a mile, in the warm and humid climate of Florida; remaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods; reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s); dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example, using a keyboard; communication skills using the spoken word; ability to see and hear within normal parameters; ability to move about the workspace. The position requires mobility, including moving materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet).  

Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation. Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis. 

Please Note: 

This job description sets forth the job’s principal duties, responsibilities, and requirements; it should not be construed as an exhaustive statement, however.  Unless they begin with the word “may,” the Essential Duties and Responsibilities described above are “essential functions” of the job, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Location and Work Mode: 

The selected candidate must have a permanent address in one of NWF’s working states and be based in the Tampa Bay region. The National Wildlife Federation is committed to a flexible and empowered work environment with an authentic community of care for all staff. In this position, staff will be fully remote, in addition to on site field work. For more information on Work Modes, please review the benefits section of our careers page: https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers 

Compensation: 

This position pays $18.50 an hour with paid holidays. 

This is a paid short-term internship opportunity with the National Wildlife Federation. NWF is happy to work with the applicant to obtain relevant credit(s) through college/university programming, such as directed independent study (DIS), internship credit hours, etc. Applicant should indicate if they intend to pursue this in application letter. The work schedule is flexible to accommodate your class schedule.

Application:

Interested applicants should apply with a resume and cover letter through NWF website. Please include a listing of your preferred availability.  Your cover letter should describe your interest in working with NWF’s Gulf Program, describing any relevant experience you may have working with community outreach, sea turtles, manatees, or effects of human disturbance on wildlife. 

We strive to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world. We recruit, employ, train compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at nwf.org/equity.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job, therefore our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules.  Your experience, which may include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, helps build the competencies and knowledge that translates to our openings.  Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of excellence.  Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions. To be eligible for this role you must be a U.S. citizen or have valid work authorization to work in the U.S.

Please let us know if you require accommodations during the application or interview process by reaching us at hrhelp@nwf.org or 703-438-6244.

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.