Looking for an office with a view? Sleeping Bear seeking winter interns

EMPIRE, MI - If you catch yourself staring out the window at your day job wishing you could be out in the woods, then Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has an opportunity for you.

The national park is seeking winter interns to work alongside park service staff on forest health projects.

The internship will last nearly four months and begin in early January.

This primarily outdoor internship lists duties such as meandering surveys and delimitation of treatment areas for hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive species found throughout the park.

This internship is meant for the outdoorsy type.

Expect long periods of standing and walking outdoors over rough terrain and exposure to winter weather. Working hours are typically 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Compensation includes a stipend of $40 per day and free government housing.

Interns are not required to be students, but academic credit may be arranged with the intern's school if applicable.

Research topics or independent study projects will be agreed upon by the intern, the college advisor, and the National Parks Service supervisor.

Interns are required to provide their own coats, snow and rain pants, and other cold weather gear. A stipend for purchasing boots is available.

Snowshoes and shoe traction devices will also be available for interns to use when needed.

Sleeping Bear Dunes has been surveying the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid in the park since 2018.

This pest can kill hemlock trees in as little as four years, according to NPS.

Last January and February found a large infestation was found on the southern boundary of the National Lakeshore, along and around the area of the Old Indian Trail. This forced the trail to be closed this summer.

Michigan is home to an estimated 170 million eastern hemlock trees which provide important habitat and protect against erosion along rivers and streams.

The invasive insect is known to be present in seven Michigan counties: Allegan, Benzie, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa, and Washtenaw.

The insect coats itself in cottony masses and sucks sap from hemlock needles, killing needles, shoots and branches, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Sleeping Bear's winter interns will be provided training on accurately identifying forest pests, Great Lakes tree species identification, navigating to sites on and off trail in forested areas, interpreting maps and using mapping software, operating a 4-wheel drive government vehicle to travel to survey sites, communication with park visitors, and maintenance of equipment.

The deadline to apply for the winter internship is Monday, Nov. 11. For more details on how to apply visit nps.gov/slbe/getinvolved/winter-internships.htm .