Paid Education Internship for River Journey (Recorrido por el Rio) Program

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Click here for a full position description!

Are you a bilingual student that enjoys working with kids and being outside? Join our team and be part of a new education program at Skagit Fisheries, the River Journey (Recorrido Por el Rio). This program will take a group of multilingual students on a journey through the Skagit watershed, from the high mountains to the sea. Through this internship you will help teach these students, in Spanish and English, about the native fish and plants & ecology. You will participate in a series of field trips, including rafting the Skagit River, an overnight adventure with the North Cascades Institute, and stream exploration close to home at Little Mountain Park. 

Qualifications:

Must be a current college student with a background and interest in education, environmental science/studies, and/or biology. Applicant must be fluent in Spanish, and comfortable teaching students in Spanish and English. This position requires work outside in all types of weather and uneven terrain. 

Time Commitment

This is a paid internship that requires a time commitment of 1-2 days a week between 7-8 hours a day, Monday-Friday. There are two overnight field trips, and each intern will be required to attend at least one of these. There may occasional events on weekends (optional). Interns will participate in two field trips per month (Sept, Oct, Nov) and also spend time at the Skagit Fisheries office in Mount Vernon preparing for field trips. The intern will also participate in other education program events. Positions term will be Sept 15-Dec 15, 2025. Total commitment: 150 hours.

To Apply:

Email resume and cover letter to sfeg@skagitfisheries.org as one PDF with the subject line “River Journey Internship”.

The Backbone of Our Region, AKA Internship Introspective by Education Intern Kaia Olson

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Kaia planting a tree at Upper Day Slough with kids from Cap Sante High School

Salmon and kids and schools, oh my! My time as an educational intern with Skagit Fisheries has been a blast. From classroom art projects to fry release field trips, I think I’ve learned as much as (if not more than) the kids I’ve been working with these past six months.

 

There’s something about Pacific salmon that makes them captivating. Maybe it’s their elusive anadromous life cycle or their identity as the foundation of ecology and society in our region. Whatever it is, they’ve got me hooked. After the Oyster Creek Salmon Sightings event in early November, I couldn’t stay away–I returned to the creek several times to watch and photograph the chum salmon. But as much as my own awe took me by surprise, seeing the joy on the faces of the community was even more unexpected. Older individuals bombarded me with questions I didn’t know half the answers to. And kids who’d never seen salmon before exclaimed excitedly as they peered through polarized glasses. In this moment, I realized that this shared desire to protect salmon unifies generations. 

 

When I was growing up, both of my grandfathers were involved in conservation, and I think that influenced me on my path to activism. Studying environmental science in college has been an integral step, of course. But I feel that my internship at Skagit Fisheries has been invaluable as well. Through the Salmon in the Schools field trips, I’ve discovered the importance of place-based learning for kids. Through Salmon Sightings events and tree planting work parties I’ve discovered the importance of community involvement. And through small experiences along the way that pushed the boundaries of my comfort zone, I’ve discovered the importance of applied leadership for myself. 

 

Sadly, my time with Skagit Fisheries has come to a close. But reflecting over the last half year, this opportunity has made my path forward in the field clearer. Salmon are the backbone of our region, and also the backbone of my relationship with environmentalism—a passion that was fueled during my internship, but doesn’t end here. I think one of our Salish Sea Deaf School students summed up my experience perfectly as he signed “I love you” to his salmon fry.

 

Releasing salmon fry into Hansen Creek with students from the Salish Sea Deaf School

Monitoring Spawning Salmon on Mud Creek by Sophia Schafer

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These past few months, I got the opportunity to participate in weekly creek walks to measure numbers of spawning salmon. We identified species and recorded the individuals and their redds from each species in our assigned creek. We also were collecting data on the effect of the tire runoff pollutant 6PPD-quinone on pre-spawn mortality (PSM) in salmon. The excitement of seeing the first salmon of the season was indescribable.

Sophia’s survey partner Rebecca’s reaction to seeing her first salmon

 

 

On Mud Creek, we primarily saw kokanee and coho salmon. I highly recommend this program to anyone who has an extra hour or two a week to spare in the fall/winter. This experience taught me the beauty of salmon, there is something special about contributing to the knowledge of spawning salmon in the PNW and knowing that the data collected will be used to restore salmon habitat and populations.

Sophia measuring water temperature on a survey

Overall, we identified over 60 salmon individuals this 2024 spawning season on Mudd Creek alone. Most were kokanee, although some coho were present. It was interesting to see how some fish were physically very impacted by their journey from sea to spawning in the creek. As seen in the third photo, female salmon’s tails may be destroyed after making their redds. For anyone hoping to get some experience collecting data in the field or just want to see some salmon and contribute to their restoration, this program is excellent, and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

 

 

A lone Kokanee spotted in Mud Creek

A female kokanee carcass on Mud Creek