2012 Minnesota DNR Wildlife Student Internships

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Section of Wildlife utilizes qualified students to assist with projects. Relationships between students and the agency vary with the needs and available budget for each project and the desires of the student. DNR has occasional paid student internships, some seasonal and others lasting as long as 12 months. Summer intern positions are often times filled during winter. Students that are required to complete an internship as part of an undergraduate degree or seeking experience to strengthen their resumes may consider an internship on a volunteer basis.

  • All students interested in an internship with the DNR will be required to apply to the appropriate Internship posting with their resume and submit an Internship Application.
  • All internships will be posted on the State of Minnesota jobs website (https://statejobs.doer.state.mn.us/JobPosting). Under “Department,” highlight “Natural Resources Dept”, then click the search button at the bottom of the page. Complete instructions will be outlined in each internship posting.

PURPOSE: Internships provide students with a work experience that fulfills an academic requirement and/or results in academic credit from an accredited educational institution. The intent of an Internship is to provide a learning experience that is directly related to the student’s academic program.

ELIGIBILITY: Students must receive academic credit or their academic program must require an internship. Students enrolled in minimal courses or those who enroll in a class for the sole purpose of becoming eligible for an Internship that are not part of an ongoing academic program are not eligible to be employed as Interns.

Interested students may contact each of the DNR Wildlife Research Groups for internships involving research and survey projects and the Regional Wildlife Offices for internships involving wildlife management projects.

Minnesota DNR Wildlife Research Groups

Farmland Wildlife Populations and Research Group; Madelia, MN
Marrett Grund, Acting Group Leader, marrett.grund@state.mn.us

Depending on project needs, the Farmland Group hires student interns during different times of the year paying $11-12/hr. Other internships are available on a volunteer basis. No paid internships are available during summer 2012.

Forest Wildlife Populations and Research Group; Grand Rapids, MN
Mark Lenarz, Group Leader, mark.lenarz@state.mn.us

Internships in the Forest Group are relatively infrequent.

Wetlands Wildlife Populations and Research Group; Bemidji, MN
Jeff Lawrence, Group Leader, jeff.lawrence@state.mn.us

The Wetland Group has summer internships paying $11-12/hour. Applications must be received in the winter. Applications will be due in February for summer 2012 internships. We expect to have waterfowl banding and wetland/waterfowl research internships available in 2012. 

Minnesota DNR Wildlife Management Offices

State of Minnesota DNR jobs website and fisheries intern information

For Minnesota DNR employment opportunities

  1. Go to www.careers.state.mn.us.
  2. Click “Search for a job” in the center of the opening page.
  3. Under “Department,” highlight “Natural Resources Dept.
  4. Click on search at the bottom of the page.

Also, visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/jobs/index.html

Other wildlife internship opportunities

There are other opportunities for students to get experience in the wildlife field. For example, The Minnesota Chapter of the Wildlife Society (MNTWS) has a student mentor program to help guide students interested in a career in wildlife and natural resources. This program matches a student with a wildlife professional mentor, who would then provide the student with job shadow opportunities, resume and cover letter advice, and ideas on how to gain experience. Check out the MNTWS website: http://www.mntws.org/mn/mentoring.html for more information.