Cheyenne, Lander, or Sheridan, WY

Position Title: Land Quality Division Summer Internship

Organization: Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

Location: Cheyenne, Lander, or Sheridan, WY

Organization Overview: Since 1973, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has served as the state’s regulatory agency charged with protecting, conserving and enhancing Wyoming’s land, air and water for the benefit of current and future generations.

Their scientists and professional staff contribute to the quality of life in Wyoming through a combination of monitoring, permitting, inspection, enforcement, restoration and remediation activities that support responsible stewardship of the state’s natural resources.

Position Overview: This internship position is located with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Land Quality Division (LQD). The LQD regulates all mining operations in the State of Wyoming. This includes the core functions of issuing permits, inspecting mine operations to assess compliance, setting reclamation bonds, and issuing enforcement actions where necessary. The LQD ensures that environmental impacts resulting from mining are minimized, and the affected areas are properly reclaimed once mining is complete.

This internship position is available to a junior or senior student enrolled at the University of Wyoming (UW). The summer, temporary position will provide an opportunity for a student to work on real world projects in land management, work with professionals in their field of study, and apply knowledge they have gained within their first two to four years of university education.

The hired student would work on projects identified by the LQD, including support of mine permitting, environmental compliance and analysis, and land reclamation. The ideal candidate is a UW junior or senior in good standing with interests in land stewardship and reclamation with excellent analytical skills and proficiency in using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The duration of employment will be full time (up to but not exceeding 40 hours per week) for approximately three months. Employment would begin within one week after the spring semester ends, and conclude by the end of the summer break prior to the fall semester.

Duties: 

• Compile, manipulate, enter, and analyze various natural resources data related to mine permitting and environmental compliance.
• Assist in the scanning and conversion of paper permit documents to an e permit.
• Assist in the online testing of modifications made to an electronic permitting and inspection database system.
• Compile and edit spatial data in GIS related to mine permitting and environmental compliance.
• Assist in the evaluation of bond release applications and the evaluation of reclamation success.
• Accompany and assist the LQD staff in field inspections.
• Participate in periodic meetings with LQD staff and the UW advisors to review project status, discuss any questions or problems, and receive feedback.
• Submit a report along with other deliverables to the LQD at the end of the summer program. Give a presentation to UW faculty advisors and LQD staff using industry standard software such as MS PowerPoint.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be junior or senior level student at the University of Wyoming and in good standing.
• Experience: 0-1 years of progressive work (typically in The Sciences).

PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Must be able to sit or stand in an office environment for long periods of time.
• Must be able to walk on uneven or rough terrain.
• Must be able to deal with all types of inclement weather.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferences will be given to those students pursuing a degree in natural resources,
environmental, physical or natural science, or closely related fields. The applicant should have interests in land stewardship and reclamation with excellent analytical skills and proficiency in using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
KNOWLEDGE:

• Knowledge of natural resources management.
• Computer skills, particularly with data entry, scanning, creating and manipulating spreadsheets and creating graphs using MS Excel.
• Ability to organize complex records and data, documents, and electronic/paper files.
• Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including familiarity with cartographic principles and ESRI ArcGIS software.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to be assertive but polite and capable of working with diverse internal and external personalities.
• Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously, and knowledge of standard office work procedures and practices.

Start/End Dates: Negotiable, within May 1 – September 1, 2024

Pay: $23 per hour

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.