Region 7: Anchorage, AK (States Served: Alaska)

Location: Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Box 346, Bethel, Alaska 99559.

Housing: Provided by the Refuge.

The fellow will spend the majority of the internship period in Bethel, Alaska, and can stay at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge bunkhouse. The fellow will spend up to two weeks total at the Office of Subsistence Management in Anchorage, Alaska, at the beginning and end of the internship, and will be reimbursed for lodging and meals.

Title: Fellow (Social Sciences, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources)/ DFP16R7OSM01

Project Description: subsistence fishing, salmon fishery, social science, public communications, anthropology;

The Fellow will provide a critical link between multiple partners involved in the subsistence salmon fisheries on the Kuskokwim River. The subsistence fisheries on this river are complex and communications between multiple stakeholders are required to ensure that concerns are shared widely and solutions sought that address a variety of disparate goals. The Fellow will work closely with the manager and staff of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Bethel, Alaska, to communicate Federal and State management actions to the general public, tribes, communities, and rural organizations. The Fellow will assist in this process by attending public meetings concerning the management of the Kuskokwim subsistence salmon fishery and providing regular updates to all partners. They will write summaries of discussions, document decisions and justifications, and report to their supervisor at Office of Subsistence Management (OSM). Public meetings will occur at least several times a week including those of the Kuskokwim River Salmon Fishery Management Working Group and the Kuskokwim Intertribal Fisheries Commission. The Fellow may also provide status updates or deliver other information on behalf of the Office of Subsistence Management. Finally, the Fellow will provide on- the-ground assistance in the event that a subsistence community harvest for Chinook Salmon occurs during the 2016 season. The Fellow will write a final report summarizing the management of the subsistence salmon fishery. They will present the results at a public meeting in Bethel, Alaska, and a meeting of OSM and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff in Anchorage, Alaska. The Office of Subsistence Management is a multi-agency effort to provide the opportunity for a subsistence way of life by rural Alaskans on Federal public lands and waters while maintaining healthy populations of fish and wildlife. Communicating the need to better conserve Chinook Salmon while also facilitating subsistence fishing opportunities for other species is essential for effective federal management decisions and strong partnerships.

Minimum Education Level and Major Requirement Required:

Undergraduate rising senior completing a degree in Fisheries Science/Biology, Anthropology, or Social Sciences.

Key Requirements:

Presentation experience; proficiency with Microsoft Office products

Desired Skills/Experience:

Experience with fish and wildlife management

Knowledge of rural Alaska and Native Alaska cultures; knowledge of Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)

Familiarity with computer databases

Experience operating a small boat and in small boat motor maintenance