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Stream Crew Intern

alling all college students and recent college graduates with a passion for outdoor environmental work to apply for our Summer Stream Crew Intern position.

Make an impact:

The annual Summer Stream Crew Interns play an essential role in the management of Salem’s local streams. Throughout the season, the Interns walk roughly 60 miles of Salem’s approximately 90 miles of streams inspecting, surveying, and cleaning them to inform how the streams are managed for habitat, flooding, and water quality.

Learn and grow:

This position is an excellent opportunity for current and recently graduated (within last 6 months) college students in the natural resources and related sciences to gain on-the-ground field experience walking urban streams in Salem to remove trash, debris, and invasive weeds; to hone your GIS/GPS knowledge documenting various environmental conditions of the urban waterways; and to develop valuable teamwork skills. The internship provides an opportunity to apply your academic knowledge to real-world situations. This is a rewarding and physically challenging internship that has helped prepare many former Stream Crew members for careers in environmental and natural resource management!

Additional background information about the Salem Stream Crew Internship Program and Recent Accomplishments may be found online at:

What you will do

Stream Crew Interns will receive extensive training in preparation for the season working in streams. Once trained, you will work in small groups to walk roughly 60 miles of Salem’s nearly 90 miles of urban waterways (streams, ditches and occasionally, wetlands) to remove trash, debris, and invasive plants that restrict stream flow and impact water quality. You will also use the ArcGIS Field Maps application as well as other ESRI GIS software to record stream inspections, document environmental conditions, and review data to make in-field determinations on debris removal. This is physically demanding work performed outdoors in hot, sunny, humid, and wet conditions. To carry out your duties, you will be required to use machetes, chain saws, loppers, and power tools to cut and remove brush, invasive plants, and trash from streams as well as drive trailered work vehicles. At the end of the internship, you may have the opportunity to present to the community on the highlights and accomplishments of your summer.

What can we offer you for all your hard work?

Paid sick time in accordance with City policies.
A great team environment and an opportunity to help your community.
Opportunity to learn and develop skills to help with your future career.
Salary: $19.47/hour

What are the minimum qualifications?

Must be 18 years of age
Must pass the pre-employment background check and drug test (including marijuana), depending on area of assignment.
Must be a current or recently graduated (within last 6 months) college student in the natural resources and related sciences with two years of major course work in environmental science, natural resources, geography, geology, or a related natural resources field (proof of enrollment will be requested)

Preferred Qualifications (not required to apply):

A valid Driver License and a driving record that meets the City of Salem's driving standards.

Preferred skills:

Ability to traverse and perform work in and around water in hip waders and personal flotation devices, on uneven/steep slopes, and during inclement weather.
Ability to work safely amongst environmental hazards such as poison oak, stinging nettles, blackberry briars, stinging insects, and pollen, and to follow safety precautions.
Ability to swim and work safely in and around water.
After training, be able to work diligently to document on a wide variety of stream features, such as locations of beaver dams and debris jams, inspections of culverts and bridges, illicit discharge detection and code compliance observations, and surveying for priority invasive plants.
After training, assess stream conditions and communicate to make decisions in the field about habitat needs and flood concerns, such as woody debris and native vegetation, to balance the needs of community safety and flood mitigation.
Knowledge of stream dynamics and water quality.
Skill in the use of personal computers, handheld GPS devices, and mobile data devices (smart phones and tablets) to collect and document field data; enter biological and field data into equipment or devices.
Ability to plan, organize, provide status updates on assigned projects, and document daily work activities.
Ability to read and interpret maps, including GIS maps.
Ability to work as part of a team, communicate professionally with city staff and the general public, and establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, officials, and the public.
Communicate technical information with City employees and the community.

Physical Requirements

Medium work: Exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects
Climb: Ascend or descend uneven terrain, stream banks, ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized
Balance: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery or erratically moving surfaces
Stoop: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist
Kneel: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees
Crouch: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine
Reach: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction
Stand: Particularly for sustained periods of time
Walk: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving within a stream
Push: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward
Pull: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion
Lift: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position
Grasp: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm
Express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word
Receive detailed information through oral communication
Visual acuity necessary to operate motor vehicles or equipment
Work involves considerable direct contact with the public
Work is performed where employees are subject to both internal and external environmental conditions

Communication:

Express or exchange ideas verbally
Receive detailed information through oral and written communication.
Communicate courteously and respectfully with all individuals.

About us:
The City of Salem is the second largest City in the State of Oregon. Located in the lush Willamette Valley, Salem is the capital city of Oregon with a population over 170,000. Centrally located, Salem is 47 miles south of Portland and an hour from the Cascade Mountains to the east and an hour from the ocean beaches to the west. Salem is an exceptional community for living and working with exciting new and comfortable well-established neighborhoods and carefully preserved historic buildings.

A full-service City, Salem has eight primary departments:
Community Services, Finance, Fire, Enterprise Services, Legal, Police, Public Works, and Community Planning and Development. Several departments also have functional divisions within their department. The City has five labor unions and employs roughly 1,350 talented and dedicated staff members.

The Public Works Department values employees and their professional development. If you are someone that takes pride in collaborating on innovative ideas, proactively responding to community needs, and being a good environmental and financial steward, we look forward to meeting you! The Public Works Department promotes a healthy work life balance, while maintaining the utmost dedication to the health, safety, and welfare of our community, including our team!

The Urban Renewal Agency and the Salem Housing Authority are separate municipal corporations. The Agency contracts with the City for services and the Authority is led by the Housing Administrator within the Urban Development department.

Where can I find out more about the position?
Go to the menu option for class specifications and search for Intern or view the entire classification by clicking here.

How can I apply?
The City of Salem invites individuals of all diverse communities and backgrounds to apply for our available job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to everyone. The City of Salem is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and has a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas and views, listening to and learning from each other, we are better able to serve the community.

To apply, click on the green “Apply” button to complete your application. Hiring managers do not have access to view resumes as part of the application review process, please make sure to include how you meet the qualifications outlined in the class specification in your application.

Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications as outlined above but not selected for this position may be placed on an eligibility list, and candidates may be hired from the list. Eligibility lists are valid for six months. The City will send email notifications to eligible candidates about potential hiring opportunities so please ensure your email settings accept our system generated email notifications.

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If you would like more information about employment at the City of Salem, please visit our website at www.cityofsalem.net/jobs.