Do you love working in the woods? NMFWRI is looking for members for the summer student field monitoring crew!
As a summer student field crew member you will gain experience in the following areas (current experience a plus!):
- Backcountry experience, including navigation, cooking, campskills, first aid, etc
- Tree, shrub, and other plant identification abilities
- Data entry & quality control
- Familiarity with ecological monitoring protocols, projects, and equipment (e.g. Brown’s transects, GPS units, densiometers)
A monitoring crew member practices gathering tree data. 
NMFWRI monitoring staff took a chainsaw safety class in collaboration with the Wildfire Resiliency Training Center.
Requirements
- Have an interest in forestry, natural resource management, and/or ecological restoration
- Be a team player with a strong work ethic, attention to detail, a positive attitude, and good self-care
- Be willing to hike, camp, and travel 4 days per week during the summer (sometimes out of cell range, in remote areas of New Mexico)
- Be willing to work early mornings and long days; be willing to work in an office; be willing to work on a flexible schedule as needed to meet deadlines
- Be a currently enrolled student
- Undergraduate pay: $12.50-$14.50/hour, plus per diem
- Graduate pay: $15.75/hour plus per diem
- Season runs May-August. Vehicle provided
Ecological monitoring staff took part in a Wilderness First Aid class on the campus of New Mexico Highlands University. 
Field crew compares data notes.
For questions and how to apply, contact:
Carmen Melendez, Ecological Monitoring Ecological Logistics and Assistant Program Manager, NM Forest & Watershed Restoration Institute
**If interested in staying with the Institute during the school term, please also indicate level of familiarity with Microsoft Office products, and include a writing sample**
Call 505.426.2279 Email Carmen Melendez: carmen@nmhu.edu
What a former intern has to say about the experience:
“A mere two years ago I was working for NMFWRI making less money than I had the summer before. But I had been told I needed to gain some experience in my field if I wanted to work in my field post-graduation, so I took a pay cut. That summer I learned a multitude of skills that apply to natural resources and forestry. I learned how to identify species using dichotomous keys outside of the classroom and I practiced field mensuration techniques that I continue to use. I could go on and on about the value of what I learned at the Institute, but the bottom line is it opened so many doors, I got to choose which one I wanted to walk through. I now work as a forester, cruising and marking timber on national forests all over the country. I make $25/hour with bonus. My time with NMFWRI laid the groundwork necessary to excel in my field and achieve my goals – all while having a good time.
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.”
Zane Jones,
Former ditch digger, current forester
