EPA Fellowship in Protection and Restoration of Great Lakes Ecosystem Health

 

• Application deadline: May 29, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET
• Apply here: https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/EPA-REG5-GLNPO-2026-0002

Applications are open now for 2026 Biota Award Postdoctoral Fellowships

 Applications are now open for the 2026 Biota Awards, a program to fund early-career researchers based in Illinois who seek to restore, protect, and conserve biodiversity locally and around the world. 

Applications are due October 21, 2025.
 

2026 Biota Award Application

Award Eligibility
For the second year running, the 2026 Biota Awards are exclusively focused on providing support for postdoctoral scientists. We intend to return to supporting independent investigators in the 2027 Biota Awards. 

Postdoctoral fellows must be employed by and have a primary adviser at an institution in Illinois by the start of the grant. Researchers that are currently based outside of Illinois (either completing a Ph.D. or working as a postdoc) are encouraged to apply by developing a proposal with an adviser at an institution in Illinois. 

For researchers proposing projects at Chicago-region* institutions, the geographic focus of the research is not restricted, and projects may focus on biodiversity and conservation topics relevant to the Chicago region or elsewhere, for example biodiversity hotspots and/or the Global South.  

For researchers proposing projects at Illinois institutions outside of the Chicago region* (e.g. University of Illinois Urbana Champaign or Illinois State University), the geographic focus of the research and intended outcomes must be the Chicago region.

If successful, the researcher would need to move to the region to take up employment at a local grantee organization.

*The Chicago region is broadly defined as the Metropolitan Statistical Areaaccording to the United States Census Bureau.

Award Program Aims
We aim to:

·         Attract and retain exceptional postdoctoral scientists in Illinois

·         Encourage postdoctoral scientists to think creatively and independently about how their research can be applied to deliver on-the-ground results

·         Develop a more inclusive and equitable biodiversity research community by supporting fellows from a wide range of backgrounds

Award Support
Selected Biota Award recipients will receive:

·         Annual salary of $70,000 in Year 1 and $73,500 in Year 2

·         Fringe benefits at the host institution’s rate for postdocs 

·         Annual research and travel allowance of $20,000

·         Relocation allowance of up to $3,000 for those moving from outside of Illinois

·         Indirect costs of 15% to the host institution

Further Award Details
Full program and application details and requirements are available on the Biota Awards website. In addition, interested applicants may register for an informational webinar about the opportunity that will take place on July 29, 2025 at 12 p.m. Central.

Come Help Restore Campus w/ a Relaxing Activity

 

lagoon restoration

Come help restore the East Lagoon May 4th, and let the force be with you in restoring it!

 

Summer opportunities

There is an internship and 2 Americorps positions this coming summer with the DeKalb County Forest Preserve District. We would love to have NIU students fill these positions. We currently have 2 NIU alum on staff, Damon Lubkeman and Cole Heyden, who were summer interns for us and are now full time employees. Feel free to share the attached job description and have any interested students e-mail me. We will be setting up interviews for April.

 

The Americorps positions are coordinated by Ann at Severson Dells. At this point the positions haven't been posted but students in that program receive a stipend and student loan waivers for 500 hours of work starting in May and going into August. We have also arranged for our Americorps volunteers to be housed at New Hall if needed. Housing would be a benefit the Forest Preserve would pay for. The duties for this position are essentially the same as the internship. 

2023 Student Intern Opportunities in Restoration Ecology 

DeKalb County Forest Preserve District 

The DeKalb County Forest Preserve District carries out a broad range of ecological restoration activities related to our core mission:  “preserve, protect and restore the flora, fauna and natural beauties of our lands, as near as may be, in their natural state and condition, for the education and recreation of our citizens”.  This position will be from approx. mid-May to mid-August.  Wage rate is $14.00/hour. 

Primary duties and activities: 

1. Invasive species control, including spraying (back-pack or vehicle mounted) or wicking herbicides, weed-eater operation, mowing, and hand-pulling.   

2. Native plant community restoration and reconstruction, including propagation, planting, seeding, watering, weeding, barrier construction and predation control. 

3. Seed collection, and assisting volunteers during seed collection activities. 

4. Inventory and assessment activities including plant and animal identification, data collection, mapping and report preparation. 

5. Assist with monitoring and inventory of rare or endangered species.  This may include the use of telemetry and GIS equipment, and frequent wading in steams, marshes or ponds. 

6. Maintain a daily log, including activities and, as directed by the supervisor, species lists.  The log will be reviewed periodically by the Natural Resources Manager. 

7. Other tasks.  Occasionally, interns will assist staff with other related tasks.   

Requirements: 

1.  College student or recent graduate with education or background in biological sciences, forestry, ecology, botany, horticulture, environmental sciences or similar disciplines. 

2. Ability to carry out physically demanding tasks on a routine basis, while tolerating exposure to heat, humidity, insects, poison plants, and allergens.  In other words, working outdoors in native plant communities in Northern Illinois during the summer, all day long.  

3. Obtain an Illinois Pesticide Operator’s License through the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture.  This must be obtained as soon as possible after work begins, preferably before.  

4. Valid Driver’s license. 

Applicants should submit a resume and contact information for two references by May 5th, 2022 to: 

DeKalb County Forest Preserve District 

200 N. Main Street 

Sycamore IL 6017                     thannan@dekalbcounty.org                  (815) 895-7191 

                                            https://dekalbcounty.org/departments/forest-preserve/