Protecting biodiversity is a big job, and not one that our tiny organization can do alone. We are actively building a diverse community to help us make our vision a reality, and as part of that effort, we try to offer internships and mentorships to people who are interested in doing this work.
What’s the difference between an internship and a mentorship program at Rocky Mountain Wild?
In short, a mentorship is where one of our professionals shares their knowledge about their career with a mentee, guiding them through the ins and outs of that career and providing resources. If the mentee has a specific task they’re working on and need advice or support, the mentee can provide that! Mentorships are unpaid.
In contrast, an internship is a mentorship where the intern works for a short time within our organization, gaining first-hand, real-world experience working on a project that Rocky Mountain Wild manages. Internships can be paid or unpaid. Please check the specific listing you are interested in for details.
Gender Advancement and Parity in STEM (GAPS) Internship
Colorado Bat Watch Summer 2025 Intern
Time Commitment: 32 hr/week for 10 weeks (negotiable)
Compensation: $20/hour with paid time off benefits (vacation, health and wellness)
Classification: Short-term, full-time, hourly employee
Work location: Remote with travel around Colorado
About Colorado Bat Watch:
Colorado Bat Watch (CBW) is a collaborative initiative dedicated to addressing critical gaps in bat research and conservation across Colorado (coloradobatwatch.org). Our mission is to identify bat roost sites, monitor bat colonies, inform bat conservation efforts, and inspire people to conserve bats.
Colorado’s bats face significant threats from white-nose syndrome (WNS), habitat loss, wind energy development, pesticides, and climate change. To contribute to efforts to address these threats, CBW gathers crowdsourced data from the public to find bat roost sites and bat colonies, and monitors bat colonies by conducting summer colony counts with the help of community scientists.
CBW is a partnership between Rocky Mountain Wild, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), and the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat).
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
The intern will work under the supervision of Rocky Mountain Wild’s Conservation Biologist and Conservation Ecologist. The duties and responsibilities are somewhat flexible depending on the intern’s interests, and may include the following:
- Field Work – Scout bat colonies to determine suitability for colony counts, conduct summer bat colony counts (emergence counts), pilot White Nose Syndrome surveillance methods.
- Data Management – Compile and organize existing data on locations and characteristics of bat roost sites, enter and manage data from colony counts and White Nose Syndrome surveillance.
- Community Science Project Management – Develop training materials and resources for volunteers (e.g. bat colony site descriptions, volunteer manual, and maps)
- Equipment Management – Create, distribute and maintain equipment kits for volunteers.
- Events & Outreach – Assist with planning volunteer training sessions and bat walks. Co-lead volunteer training sessions, bat walks, and bat colony counts with RMW staff and bat experts. Represent Colorado Bat Watch at educational events (e.g. tabling, giving presentations).
- Research & Writing – Option to assist with reviewing literature, interviewing experts, and writing white papers on either of the following topics: 1) feasibility of doing acoustic monitoring of bats through community science, or 2) recommended methods for White Nose Syndrome surveillance.
Qualifications:
This internship is intended to provide entry-level experience. We encourage all interested applicants to apply, regardless of prior experience.
- Interest in pursuing a career in wildlife biology, ecology, conservation, or a related field
- Interest in learning about Colorado’s bat species, love of bats
- Experience or interest in wildlife biology field work
- Experience or interest engaging the public at community events
- Willingness to help lead bat walks and volunteer training sessions
- Experience or interest in data entry and management
- Experience or interest in coordinating and training volunteers
- Good writing, research, and organizational skills
- Ability to work autonomously with regular check-ins with Rocky Mountain Wild staff
- Willingness to travel throughout Colorado, potentially including overnight trips
- Willingness to hike up to 2 miles to potential roost sites to conduct bat emergence counts at sunset
- Valid driver’s license
Other Information:
This position is a full-time, temporary position. The position start date is flexible but will ideally start in late May or early June. It will run from the date of hire for at least ten weeks, depending on hours per week worked. Travel is required and access to a reliable vehicle is ideal (mileage will be covered at the IRS standard mileage rate). The intern will be paid $20/hour with one week of paid vacation time and up to 12 hours of paid health and wellness leave.
How to Apply:
Interested applicants should submit a letter explaining why they are interested in this position and any professional or personal experience they feel is relevant to the job. This position will remain open until filled, with a priority application date of April 14, 2025. Please email application materials to Megan Mueller and Paige Singer at bats@rockymountainwild.org with the subject line ‘2025 Colorado Bat Watch Intern’.
Conservation Biology & Community Science Internships
Current Opening: Colorado Bat Watch Summer 2025 Intern. See above, under GAPS internship.
Internship with Paige Singer (she/her) and Megan Mueller (she/her).
Individuals who are interested in wildlife research or community science are welcome to contact Megan or Paige for internship opportunities when there is a current opening. Examples of potential projects that interns might work on include the Colorado Pika Project, Colorado Corridors Project, Colorado Bat Watch, Central Colorado Bighorn Sheep Survey, research on the effectiveness of trail closures in critical habitat for big game, and research on conservation opportunities for Gunnison sage-grouse. Internship opportunities will be focused on these current Rocky Mountain Wild projects, but can be tailored to your interests.
Within each project there are a variety of options to contribute to the project while learning skills that can include research design, data management and analysis, field work, GIS, and community science project management. We can also tailor the internship to match your current skill level, so we accept beginners and interns with advanced skills.
Most internships are conducted virtually through video conferences and email. Some internships require travel to field sites. We will work with you to provide resources that you need to successfully complete the internship (e.g. transportation, field equipment, etc.).
Depending on current funding, these internships can be paid or unpaid. If you are a student, we can work with you to set up internships for credit. We can help you develop a project and apply for any funds available (e.g. student research grants from schools, other grants).
Conservation GIS Internship
Internship with Alison Gallensky (she/her). No current openings.
We offer an internship program once a year, typically corresponding to an academic term. We will work with the participant to define a conservation mapping and analysis project that is relevant to our work and corresponds with their interests and career goals. The internship program is primarily virtual. Our Conservation GIS Internship program at this time is unpaid.
More information about this program will be shared when there is a current opening.
Legal Internship, Externship, or Fellowship
Internship with Matt Sandler (he/him). No current openings.
This postion is open to those obtaining a law degree. Applicants will gain experience through participating in Federal administrative processes and litigating final agency actions that will detrimentally impact wildlife and wild lands. This position can be conducted remotely, but may require some in-person meetings or court appearances.
This position is unpaid, but we will be happy to work with your school if they offer a stipend program.
Diversifying Communications Mentorship
Mentorship with Chris Talbot (they/them). No current openings.
Too often, while in conferences with other environmental nonprofit communications professionals, Chris is the only out queer, trans, and person of color in the room. Chris would like to help diversify the communications field by offering this mentorship to people from marginalized identities. This position, when available, is open to Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color (BIPOC), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Asexual, Aromantic, Two Spirit, plus (LGBTIQA2+) individuals, and/or disabled individuals who are interested in communications. It will be self-directed and can include orientations to social media management, sensitivity reading, graphics creation, project roll-out development, and/or Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) principles in communications. Specific projects can be developed to add to your skills, or we can just be in community with each other and talk. This opportunity will be conducted virtually through video conferences and email. No travel required.
When open for applications, please send an email Chris at chris@rockymountainwild.org with your specific interests and concerns about communications. If you are not selected for the mentorship(s), Chris will do their best to direct you to a resource to address your interests and concerns.