Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Conservation Science and Engagement Internship
Host: The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) is one of 14 special marine protected areas designated and administered by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). CINMS manages diverse and productive marine ecosystems through a combination of regulatory and non-regulatory programs. CINMS programs focus on conducting and coordinating research and monitoring, organizing and carrying out education and outreach within local communities to reach more diverse audiences, and, most importantly, ensuring natural and cultural resources are protected while allowing uses that are sustainable.
Location: Based in Santa Barbara (map) with occasional travel to coastal communities in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Format: In-person
Internship Dates: June 3 - August 16, 2024
Stipend: $8,000
Time Commitment: The internship is a full time, 11-week commitment. Over the 11 weeks, the intern may take up to five days off for personal reasons, vacation, or illness. If participation is less than 100%, the stipend will be prorated.
Internship Focus: One (1) internship is offered with the CINMS to assist in education and outreach related to ongoing research and monitoring efforts that support the sanctuary; this includes supporting white abalone restoration efforts and could include work related to projects taking place aboard the sanctuary’s research vessels (R/V Shearwater and R/V Minke) in Channel Islands. The specific details of the 2024 field season will be shaped prior to the start of the internship and by CINMS priorities, such as assisting with endangered white abalone restoration efforts; a white abalone recreational dive charter and dive club outreach; post cruise data processing of habitat characterization surveys; connecting with white abalone captive breeding programs in the region; creating website content for sanctuarysimon.org and FindingHal.org; assisting with the coordination of the sanctuary’s Get Into Your Sanctuary annual outreach events, and assisting with a Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting.
Internship Responsibilities:
- Assist the CINMS Team Lead for Education and Outreach and Program Specialist with dive club outreach and coordinating a recreational dive charter to search for white abalone within the sanctuary. Duties include assisting with “Wanted Alive” white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) presentations to 1-2 local dive clubs to increase awareness about the white abalone restoration initiative and highlight resources available on the FindingHal.org web portal.
Assist Research Ecologists and the Program Specialist with post processing of abalone habitat characterization survey data and creation of different data visualization products.
Work with the Research team to visit different captive breeding programs in southern California to learn more about the white abalone captive breeding/release program. Network with other COAST interns and researchers involved in white abalone restoration. The CINMS COAST intern will also become familiar with the UCSB REEF captive breeding program and meet key UCSB Staff involved.
- Work with CINMS Outreach coordinator to plan and implement events associated with Get Into Your Sanctuary. Duties may include hosting a public webinar and supporting outreach activities, and public field trips to highlight different sanctuary initiatives including a focus on best practices for recreational diving and fishing, marine debris prevention and community science.
Assist CINMS Research Ecologists and Team Lead for Education and Outreach with implementation of a variety of fieldwork coordination and education programming activities that will occur during research cruises in June or July 2024.
Work as an effective member of the sanctuary research and education teams through participation in regular meetings, and contributing to various reporting requirements (e.g., weekly accomplishment reports). The intern will also help support the July
Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting.
Work with the Program Support Specialist and Research teams at CINMS and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to develop and publish web content for the
Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network, including species profiles, research project updates, and featured news stories.
Preferred Experience and Capabilities: Experience or academic training in resource management, environmental sciences, or biological sciences. Some experience working with scientific instrumentation is desirable. The successful candidate must be highly organized with the ability to work independently as well as within a team setting, and able to effectively communicate orally and in writing with researchers and sanctuary colleagues. Ideal candidates should be self-motivated, creative, innovative, and comfortable working with a diverse team in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Also important is the ability to effectively manage multiple projects, and enthusiasm about marine science, stewardship and conservation. Proficiency in using computers is essential. The COAST Intern will be invited (but not required) to participate in boat-based fieldwork opportunities. If they are comfortable with this, they must be a proficient swimmer, able to lift equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, and able to handle a variety of sea conditions.
Skills Gained: The intern will learn about current research and monitoring efforts underway at CINMS, develop best practices for communication and outreach, and gain an understanding of the importance of marine science to support sound conservation science and resource management. The intern will gain experience working with a small team to plan vessel-based marine research, community-based stakeholder meetings (through our sanctuary advisory council), and outreach programs. The intern will learn how to operate within a small professional federal agency office and interact with research and education colleagues remotely.
Eligibility/Requirements: The internship is intended for an upper-class undergraduate student (juniors/seniors) or graduate student, in good academic standing with their university. The intern must be 18 years or older. A Federal background security check will be conducted, requiring the intern to provide fingerprints and two forms of valid identification. The intern will be required to provide their own laptop for daily use. Applicants are also subject to general eligibility requirements.
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