Beaver Ecology Internship Program - Paused
Together for Nature offers interns the opportunity to partake and conduct beaver ecology and sustainability research in collaboration with several partner organizations.
About.
Working alongside partner organizations — Illinois Beaver Association and Midwest Beaver Management, LLC, and the Manitou Creek Drainage District — students learn about preserving and restoring ecosystems and nature's ecosystem engineers, the beavers.
Through this paid internship, interns learn how to mitigate human-beaver conflicts in order to reap the many ecosystem benefits beavers provide.
Projects.
Interns work alongside professionals in and out of the field to complete several different monitoring and installation projects. The opportunity for research projects and the chance to attend the national BeaverCON in Boulder, CO Oct 20-23 all expenses paid is open to all interns!
Trail Cam Monitoring
Device Installations
Tree Inventories
Footage monitoring for wildlife spotted on of 24/7 trail cams near beaver dams
Water-level gauge, flow device, and beaver deceiver installations to monitor and manage dams
Assist in related field projects like oak tree-inventories to protect trees of interest from beaver damage
Habitat Restoration
Work on invasive plant removal, and planting native trees and bushes.
Grant Writing
Interested interns can assist professional grant writing
2024 Interns.
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Team in Action.
Impact.
Chantel Jenrette
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Connor Freeney
Working with the Manitou Creek Drainage District and Together for Nature IL on their beaver monitoring project has been a career-shifting experience for me. I’ve really enjoyed being able to apply my passions for ecology to a project where I can help make a difference in my community. It’s been very gratifying to see how our work has allowed for various wetlands to thrive, and that it is possible to find solutions where both the ecosystem and residents are happy. I’ve gotten to be a part of a team of talented, knowledgeable individuals who share a devotion to understanding beavers and their interactions with our waterways. I can’t thank my colleagues enough for all the hard work they have put into coordinating and organizing this project to make it successful. This community has fueled my desire to continue working in the environmental field beyond high school.
Chantel Jenrette
I was brought on the Beaver Monitoring Project last September and continue to love the mission that Together For Nature and Manitou Creek Drainge District are persuing! After learning that a local state park actively removes beavers, I sought out a way get involved with helping people and beavers coexist. Beavers are both keystone species and an ecosystem engineer, which means beaver activities have far reaching positive impacts for people and natural areas. Working together with the Manitou Creek Drainage District team, beavers, and property owners to find solutions that allow us to gain the rewards of having beavers has been inspiring and enlightening. I am grateful and amazed that this passionate beaver-believer organization was right outside my doorstep, creating positive change in our local community for both people and beavers!
Chantel Jenrette
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David Fermin
David's testimonial coming soon!