Desolation Wilderness Monitoring Intern

Intern would assist the Forest Service in the monitoring of Desolation Wilderness.  The goal would be to complete our campsite inventory and group encounter monitoring in support of the 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge.  The intern would work with wilderness staff and volunteers to schedule the remaining site visits based on established protocols, complete the needed monitoring, and input the new information into an existing database. The intern would then work with wilderness staff to analyze the existing data and develop recommendations based on the Desolation Wilderness Management Plan.  We are looking for a candidate that is skilled in Microsoft Office Access database application but is also comfortable backpacking into the Wilderness.  This would be an excellent opportunity for a student with a project/internship requirement. The monitoring efforts are critical to maintaining wilderness character within Desolation Wilderness.Desolation Wilderness is located in the central Sierra Nevada range on the west slope of Lake Tahoe.  Desolation covers nearly 64,000 acres on the Eldorado National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and is one of the most heavily visited wilderness areas for its size.  The Pacific Crest Trail traverses Desolation for 17 miles from Echo Lakes in the south to Richardson Lake in the north.  Desolation is known for its many lakes and open granite landscape.