Environmental Internship - Unpaid/Volunteer

Job Description

Job Description

Position: Environmental Intern

Reports to: Environmental Project Manager

Department: Community Development

Emergency Classification: Non-Essential

Location: On-Site - Town of Fort Myers Beach

Position Type: Unpaid Internship (For Academic Credit and/or Volunteer Hours Only), Temporary

Duration: 12-16 Weeks (Semester-Based) - Flexible dependent on the students' academic and volunteer hour needs

Position Summary

The Town of Fort Myers Beach offers a structured, educational internship designed to provide university students with hands-on learning in local environmental planning, permitting, and conservation management. This program is intended to be enriching and educational, giving students the opportunity to apply academic knowledge to real-world environmental challenges while contributing fresh perspectives to the Town's initiatives.

This internship is available only to students receiving academic credit or completing a degree-required experiential learning component through an accredited institution. Interns will work closely with the Town's Environmental Project Manager, gaining exposure to municipal environmental programs, permitting processes, resiliency planning, and conservation projects.

Learning Objectives

By the conclusion of the internship, the student will:

• Understand how local, state, and federal environmental regulations apply to building permits, development plans, and municipal projects
• Develop technical and analytical skills in environmental data collection, GIS mapping, and habitat monitoring.
• Gain experience in grant writing, ordinance review, and environmental education initiatives.
• Strengthen communication, teamwork, and public presentation skills within a professional local-government setting.
• Demonstrate the ability to connect academic coursework to practical field and administrative tasks that support community sustainability.

Responsibilities

Interns will engage in authentic, meaningful tasks aligned with their academic and professional goals, including:

• Learning about and participating in building permit and development plan reviews for environmental compliance.
• Supporting shorebird, listed species, and beach management monitoring efforts.
• Participating in water quality testing, landscape management, and habitat conservation projects.
• Aiding in environmental policy research, ordinance drafting, and grant applications. • Preparing educational materials and outreach content that promote environmental awareness and resiliency.
• Attending staff meetings and site visits to observe environmental permitting and compliance processes.

All tasks will be supervised, guided, and directly connected to the intern's learning plan established with their university.

Eligibility and Areas of Study

To qualify for this internship, applicants must be currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, an accredited high school or university program in one of the following or closely related fields:

• Environmental Science or Environmental Studies
• Environmental Planning or Urban & Regional Planning
• Marine Biology or Coastal Ecology
• Civil or Coastal Engineering
• Environmental Policy, Law, or Public Administration
• Sustainability, Natural Resources, or Geography

We are looking for students whose coursework or research includes:

• Environmental Planning and Resiliency
• Building Permit & Development Plan Review
• Grant Writing and Administration
• Ordinance Review and Drafting
• Listed Species & Habitat Conservation
• Shorebird Monitoring, Beach Management, and Water Quality
• Landscape and Habitat Management
• Environmental Project Management

Physical Requirements:

• Significant standing, walking, moving, climbing, carrying, bending, and kneeling. Ability to walk and patrol the beach for extended periods, including on sandy terrain.
• Some crawling, reaching, handling, sitting, pushing, and pulling, bending, stooping, and digging.
• Capable of lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds of equipment or beach debris.
• Physical capability to effectively use and operate various related vehicles and machinery associated with job requirements.
• Mobility to navigate beach areas, including uneven surfaces and sand dunes.

Environmental Requirements:

• Ability to perform strenuous work in varying and adverse weather conditions including heat, cold, rain and potentially dangerous environments.

Sensory Requirements:

• Task requires sound perception and discrimination.
• Task requires visual perception and discrimination.
• Task requires oral communications ability.

The Town of Fort Myers Beach is an EOE and DFW