San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Wetland Monitoring and Environmental Equity Internship
Host: San Francisco Estuary Partnership
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (Partnership) is part of the National Estuary Program, a non-regulatory program of the EPA created through the Clean Water Act. Their planning area encompasses the San Francisco Estuary and its watersheds, from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the San Francisco Bay. The Partnership leads a regional strategy, the Estuary Blueprint, to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity of the Estuary from the Golden Gate to the Sacramento Delta. They convene agencies and organizations in the region and catalyze regional work towards a collective vision of a health Estuary, working hand-in-hand with communities, funders, and other interested groups to collaborate, innovate, and adapt to the dynamic needs of the estuary and its watershed communities against a backdrop of global climate change.
Internship Dates: June 2 - August 15, 2025
Stipend: $8,000
Time Commitment: The internship is a full-time (40hr/week), 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 percent, the stipend will be prorated.
Format: Hybrid
Location: San Francisco, CA (map)
Position Description and Responsibilities: The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (Partnership) is looking to fill one (1) internship position. The Partnership was established in 1988 as part of the National Estuary Program (NEP) under the Clean Water Act as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program. The Partnership is a collaboration of local, state, and federal agencies, NGOs, academia and business leaders working to protect and restore the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.
The San Francisco Estuary restoration community is working rapidly to protect and restore the region’s wetlands to reduce flood risk, provide wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and provide recreational opportunities. Coordinated regional information about the status and trends of wetland indicators, including human dimensions of how people benefit from and use wetlands,, is critical for informing effective restoration and adaptive management of these important spaces in the face of climate change. To meet this need, the Partnership co-leads the Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program (WRMP), which delivers coordinated regional monitoring of the San Francisco Estuary’s wetlands to 1) Inform science-based decision-making for wetland restoration and adaptive management, and 2) Increase the cost-effectiveness of permit-driven monitoring associated with wetland restoration projects.
The intern will be an integral member of the WRMP team. They will work on advancing projects related to environmental justice in and around Bay Area wetlands during their internship. The intern will have the opportunity to lead a distinct project on one or both of the following topics, with support from WRMP team members, and with flexibility to work on additional projects related to environmental justice and human dimensions of wetlands depending on time and interest:
- Equity in environmental quality in and around wetlands:
- Helping compile existing data on wetland/nearshore environmental quality, such as sediment contaminant levels, and discussing limitations with the data managers;
- Co-developing an ArcGIS StoryMap that communicates scientific information about wetland environmental quality and how it varies around the region (especially in relation to vulnerable communities) to a public, non-scientific audience;
- Creating maps for the ArcGIS StoryMap that visualize wetland environmental quality and vulnerable community data.
- Shoreline park amenities and features for diverse visitors:
- Creating a standardized method to assess the quality of shoreline parks and their amenities/features based on ideas from the WRMP’s People & Wetlands Workgroup (a group of experts and community leaders in environmental justice, social science, wetland restoration/management, and other topics);
- Presenting to and refining the proposed method with the People & Wetlands Workgroup, resulting in a clear data collection protocol that can be used by community members to evaluate their own shoreline parks;
- Piloting the assessment method in the field at different wetland sites around the San Francisco Bay (optional).
Preferred Experience and Capabilities:
- Interest in San Francisco Bay Area wetlands and environmental justice;
- Experience (including academic, volunteer, or work experience) in estuaries, wetlands, scientific research, and/or water quality is desirable;
- Excellent communication skills (verbal and written);
- Introductory GIS experience; ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online experience is desirable;
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a tight-knit team;
- Excellent organizational and time-management skills;
- Interest or experience in leading projects.
Skills Gained: The intern will work on a collaborative team with Estuary Partnership environmental scientists and fellows, and will gain an understanding of the diverse partners (government, academic, community, nonprofit, and others) involved in developing and implementing the Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program. The intern will have opportunities to meet directly with these partners and build their professional network, primarily in virtual meetings. Specific projects will enable the intern to further develop skills in science communication, GIS data visualization, and designing data collection protocols for community-based science. Estuary Partnership staff will mentor the intern to support their professional development and tailor projects to meet their goals.
Eligibility/Requirements: Ability to be in-person at the SFEP office in San Francisco 2 days per week, including Tuesdays and one other day to be agreed upon by the intern and the host mentor. Ability to drive and access to a car (if interested in wetland site visits). Mileage and gas costs will be reimbursed. Applicants are also subject to general eligibility requirements.
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