Watershed Planning Wildfire Intern

Summer Position: 

Full Time - 40 hours per week 

Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Hybrid) 

This internship is with Denver Water’s Watershed Planning program within the Water Resource Strategy division. The Watershed Planning Program is Denver Water’s source water protection program working to protect and improve Denver Water’s 2.5 million acres of collection system watersheds.  Given the collection system’s location within fire-adapted landscapes, forest health and wildfire resilience is a top priority for the program. This internship will focus on wildfire risk reduction, post-fire recovery, forest health partnerships, and watershed inventories and assessments. 

Internship Project Description: 

Under guidance, advance the implementation and outreach of wildfire risk reduction, forest health, post-fire recovery, and wildfire preparedness projects in Denver Water’s priority watersheds. Participate, facilitate, and engage in watershed and forest health collaboratives that are a priority for Denver Water.  

Examples include: 

• Support the implementation of the From Forests to Faucets Partnership and other forest and wildfire management programs through project-level coordination.  

• Collaborate with Denver Water GIS Staff to develop and maintain spatially based wildfire resilience project and wildfire ignition tracking tools and applications. 

• Engage with internal and external stakeholders. Participate in groups such as the Watershed Steering Committee, Watershed Wildfire Protection Group, and county wildfire/forest health councils. 

• Organize and participate in field visits with forest management partners to facilitate knowledge sharing. 

• Support the development and implementation of facility-specific wildfire risk assessments. 

• Review GIS data and forest project tracking information for accuracy and for input. 

• Assemble documents, data, and spatial information for watershed project specific needs. 

• Review and synthesize new and relevant climate, forest management, and wildfire research. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities to perform this intern project: 

• Strong organizational skills 

• Facilitation skills 

• Interest and basic understanding of ESRI ArcGIS products 

• Analytical thinking 

• Data analysis and interpretation  

• Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint  

• Oral and written communication 

• Technical writing 

• Technical document synthesis 

• Quality control and quality assurance 

During the Summer Intern Program, there are three(3) mandatory events.  

Intern positions do not come with any benefits other than holiday pay and Accrued Paid Sick Leave. Interns and Denver Water Temps accrue one hour of Accrued Paid Sick Leave per 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year per the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act. 

Hiring Criteria: 

The position may be a paid position and/or for school credit. However, the candidate must currently be a student attending college/university or must have graduated in the last six (6) months. 

Education Requirements:  

• Graduate level student majoring in Forestry, Ecology, Watershed Science, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Policy, or a related field. 

Experience Requirements: 

• Preferred knowledge of ESRI ArcGIS Products 

License Requirements: 

• Current Colorado driver’s license class “R”, with a satisfactory driving record required. 

Pre-Employment Requirements:  

• A background check including education and criminal history. 

• Driving is required, we'll also request: 

• A motor vehicle background check. 

• A pre-placement clinic appointment which may include a physical, drug and alcohol test, strength test, and worker’s compensation background test. 

An offer of employment may be contingent upon satisfactory results of a post-offer drug test and alcohol. Denver Water tests for the following: amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana (THC), opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP). A strength test may also be conducted due to the physical requirements of the position. This strength test may include lifting, pushing, and pulling various amounts of weight as well as crouching, squatting, and lifting one’s own body weight from various positions. If the position is deemed safety-sensitive or requires a CDL, you will be placed on the random drug and alcohol testing list, which means you may be tested if your name is selected while employed at Denver Water. 

Applicants for employment at Denver Water must be authorized to work in the U.S.  Denver Water will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa.