Biological Consulting InternshipAt — ELMT Consulting, Inc.

ELMT Consulting, Inc. is seeking applicants for a paid internship position who are passionate about the environment and interested in balancing the needs of industry with the protection of our natural resources. We work with landowners, developers, private and governmental agencies, and a host of other stakeholders such as engineering and architectural firms, attorneys, and other environmental consulting firms.

Tasks:

*Perform preliminary research relevant to job sites. Will utilize various databases such as National Wetlands Inventory, USGS Web Soil Survey, CDFW BIOS and Critical Habitat websites along with others.
*Record site conditions, species present, abiotic factors relevant to site and scope of work.
*Identify various plant and animal species present on and in the vicinity of the site.
*Complete biological assessment reports pertaining to site visits. These reports contain a written summary of the investigation, photos of the project site, and a table containing rare or listed species and their potential to occur within the site.
*By the end of this internship, the intern should be able to perform a site assessment and complete a report independently.

Training:

The student will join a qualified biologist on field investigations to various job sites every week and will be assigned weekly reports that will supplement these field visits. Field assignments will vary in scope. The intern will meet with a mentor every other week to discuss internship progress, go through the applications of any relevant online databases used, and to ask questions on weekly assignments. An internship handbook will be followed loosely throughout the program.

Learning Outcome:

• Research existing data sources to anticipate baseline conditions of project sites prior to field investigations
• Conduct a variety of field investigations including biological resource analysis, regional conservation plan consistency analysis, due diligence/constraints analysis, focused species surveys, pre-construction clearance surveys, jurisdictional delineation surveys, and restoration/mitigation plans
• Document existing conditions within a site, summarize findings, and provide necessary recommendations
• Identify and catalogue local plant and wildlife species
• Map and classify vegetation communities present in a given area
• Determine the potential occurrence of protected species based on biotic and abiotic factors