Science, Education, & Leadership Expeditions for Positive Change

 

• Internship Expedition - provides free marine science and sailing programs to local children that are experiencing disadvantages and is open to all genders and majors. Interns, many of whom are college students, volunteer their time, and the position meets internship and service learning requirements.  There are four week and two week options. Here is a flyer that can be shared with students.

 

• Women's Leadership Expedition - an immersive, experiential program that is centered around leadership education and stewardship with a focus on providing women the knowledge to become the optimal version of themselves as a conscious leader. Here is a flyer that can be shared with students. 

Land-Grab Universities

 In 2020 a western U.S.  environmental publication, High Country News, published an in-depth study by Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone of how the Morrill Act of 1962, which established land-grant universities in the U.S., was funded by states selling land expropriated from tribal nations.  The authors gathered extensive data on how these land-grant universities have benefitted, and many continue to benefit, from the sale and ownership of these lands.  

 

Tristan Ahtone  was interviewed yesterday on ”The 21^st  Show,” on NIU’s NPR station, WNIJ.  A YouTube recording of the interview is at the link below.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGI0Rw9ae7U

 

He will be speaking at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana on Feb. 19.

 

https://www.spurlock.illinois.edu/events/event.php?ID=2683

 

The article is in the attached pdf of the January, 2020, issue of the publication. The link below is to an html version of that article.

 

https://www.hcn.org/issues/52-4/indigenous-affairs-education-land-grab-universities/

 

2026 Stormwater Coordinator Internship

The Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is seeking 1 intern to assist our planning, GIS and stormwater coordinator staff on a variety of tasks.

The successful candidate will spend time in the office and field under the guidance of SMC staff and will be involved in several phases of SMC’s programs in support of watershed workgroups, grant inspection coordination, education and outreach, site inspections, MS4 coordinator support and GIS tasks.

Examples of office activities may include, but will not be limited to 1) Watershed Workgroup support by updating the websites, taking and organizing meeting minutes, assisting with lining up presenters and organizing panels, and helping with meeting notes, 2) coordination with other Lake County departments/divisions for educational videos and outreach opportunities 3) updating an SMC funding source spreadsheet, 4) reporting on Watershed-based Plan milestones, 5) education and outreach support by creating project factsheets, coordinating stream clean-up requests, creating an inventory of project photos, assisting with Winter Best Practice workshops and events, 6) Central Permit Facility maintenance support, 7) GIS tasks to include filling data gaps in the SMC GIS Permit database.

Examples of field activities may include but will not be limited to 1) assistance with scheduling and coordinating best management practice inspections, 2) coordinating and performing field inspections and investigating discharges under the guidance of the SMC Stormwater Coordinator 3) field inspections on various construction projects under the guidance of the SMC Regulatory Staff, 4) other assigned field tasks as needed under the guidance of SMC Planning and Regulatory staff.

To be successful in this position, candidates must possess a high level of attention to detail, strong written and verbal communication skills, and intermediate level knowledge of Microsoft Office products. The candidate will also possess the ability to work both inside and outside in variable conditions and be willing to engage in limited to moderately strenuous physical activity. Successful candidate must also be highly motivated, be willing to take initiative and coordinate with project managers to ensure assigned work items are completed on schedule.

We are looking for candidates who are a graduate of, or current student in, a 2- or 4-year higher education program with an emphasis on water resource engineering, environmental science, urban planning, biology, or related field. Basic to intermediate level experience with the ESRI ArcGIS Suite, specifically ArcGIS Pro, is desired. Every effort will be made to provide County vehicles for field use; however, candidates must have their own transportation for traveling to and from field sites, if needed. The candidate must have a valid driver’s license and satisfactory driving record.

This is an office position with regular Monday through Friday work hours (for example 8:00am – 4:30pm). Alternative work schedules are available including varying start times with the possibility for remote work opportunities depending on assignment. Candidate will work approximately 40 hours per week for up to 25 weeks, not to exceed 1,000 hours. The desired start date is flexible. Class credit may be available for these internships; please check with your academic advisor. Questions should be directed to Jeff Laramy at jlaramy@lakecountyil.gov or 847-377-7709.

Visit our Prospective Employee page to get additional information on why you should work for Lake County! To learn more about the department you will be working for, visit the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission Website. To learn more about other services Lake County provides and to see some of our employees in action visit our website to view videos. If you need assistance writing your resume, we have some tools to help you at our Human Resources website.

Any offer of employment is conditioned on the successful completion of a background screening, drug and alcohol testing, and may include a pre-employment medical exam at a County-approved medical facility, at no cost to the applicant. Lake County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply for this internship, visit https://tinyurl.com/3su4xv4y

Job Location Libertyville, Illinois, United States 

Position Type Intern 

Salary $18.00 USD 

Applications will be accepted until March 27, 2026

2026 SMC Project Internship

 The Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is seeking 1 intern to assist our GIS, planning, and regulatory staff on a variety of tasks. The priority task will be gathering photographs and documentation for all existing SMC project sites.

The successful candidate will spend time in the office and field under the guidance of SMC staff. It is anticipated a large portion of this internship will be in the field photographing and documenting SMC projects sites. The successful candidate may also be involved in several other phases of SMC’s programs in support of GIS tasks, watershed workgroups, grant inspection coordination, education and outreach, site inspections, and MS4 coordinator support.

Office time will be spent updating the SMC project database and creating an inventory of project photos. Other office activities may include but will not be limited to 1) coordination with other Lake County departments/divisions for educational videos and outreach opportunities, 2) education and outreach support by creating project factsheets, coordinating stream clean-up requests, 3) Central Permit Facility maintenance support and 4) filling data gaps in the SMC GIS Permit database.

Field time will be spent photographing and documenting SMC project sites. Other field activities may include but will not be limited to 1) inspections on various construction projects under the guidance of the SMC Regulatory Staff, 2) inspections and investigating potentially illicit discharges under the guidance of the SMC Stormwater Coordinator and 3) other assigned field tasks as needed under the guidance of SMC Planning and Regulatory staff.

To be successful in this position, candidates must possess a high level of attention to detail, strong written and verbal communication skills, and intermediate level knowledge of Microsoft Office products. The candidate will also possess the ability to work both inside and outside in variable conditions and be willing to engage in limited to moderately strenuous physical activity. Successful candidate must also be highly motivated, be willing to take initiative and coordinate with project managers to ensure assigned work items are completed on schedule.

We are looking for candidates who understand the basics of photography, who are a graduate of, or current student in, a 2- or 4-year higher education program with an emphasis on water resource engineering, environmental science, urban planning, biology, or related field. Basic to intermediate level experience with the ESRI ArcGIS Suite, specifically ArcGIS Pro, is desired. 

Every effort will be made to provide County vehicles for field use; however, candidates must have their own transportation for traveling to and from field sites, if needed. The candidate must have a valid driver’s license and satisfactory driving record.

This is an office/field position with regular Monday through Friday work hours (for example 8:00am – 4:30pm). Alternative work schedules are available including varying start times with the possibility for remote work opportunities depending on assignment. Candidate will work approximately 40 hours per week for up to 13 weeks. The desired start date is flexible. 

Class credit may be available for these internships; please check with your academic advisor. Questions should be directed to

Jeff Laramy at jlaramy@lakecountyil.gov or 847-377-7709.

Visit our Prospective Employee page to get additional information on why you should work for Lake County! To learn more about the department you will be working for, visit the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission Website. To learn more about other services Lake County provides and to see some of our employees in action visit our website to view videos. If you need assistance writing your resume, we have some tools to help you at our Human Resources website.

Any offer of employment is conditioned on the successful completion of a background screening, drug and alcohol testing, and may include a pre-employment medical exam at a County-approved medical facility, at no cost to the applicant. Lake County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply for this internship, visit https://tinyurl.com/5yvwjjwh

Job Location Libertyville, Illinois, United States 

Position Type Intern 

Salary $18.00 USD 

Applications will be accepted until March 27, 2026

Join Xerces and help protect fireflies!

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BADvxdP4a/

Join Xerces and help protect fireflies!

Job Title: Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Firefly Specialist

Location: Remote within central USA. Preferred IA, IL, or MO. Will consider AR, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, OK, SD, WI.

Compensation: approx. $65,998 per year

Application deadline: March 5, 2026

This role focuses on expanding firefly conservation initiatives and Firefly Atlas engagement across the central USA and Canada. The specialist will engage with land managers, biologists, researchers, and community scientists on firefly conservation issues,; and help develop evidence-based management guidance.

Key responsibilities include coordinating with partners and land managers, recruiting and training Firefly Atlas participants, conducting firefly surveys, assisting with species identification, and providing technical expertise and support to staff, partners, and the public.

The position will also use Firefly Atlas data in addition to the other data sources and the scientific literature to inform best management practices, species assessments, and conservation recommendations for imperiled and data-deficient firefly species nationwide.

Learn more and apply at https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Rec.../Jobs/Details/3919017

To be the first to learn about new job opportunities and other Xerces news, sign up for our newsletter at xerces.org/newsletter

Please note that we are unable to answer questions about this position via social media.