Great Sand Dunes offers 2023 spring and summer internships
GREAT Sand Dunes is actively recruiting energetic, committed young adults for this year’s spring and summer internships. This year, the park is recruiting to fill positions for the park’s Conservation Internship Program and the Scientist in Parks internship.
These internship opportunities are a great way for young adults from San Luis Valley communities to work at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to learn skills, contribute to meaningful park projects, and create experiences that will make them competitive in a career with a public land agency.
The Scientist in Parks intern will help collect, organize, analyze, and report on visitor use data related to the visitor use management planning at Great Sand Dunes.
Applicants should be advanced undergraduate or graduate students with an education background and career objectives related to visitor use management, human dimensions of natural resources, and/or transportation planning and applied statistical analysis in park and protected area management. The intern will receive a stipend of $640 per week with park housing. Reliable transportation is required and travel costs to the site and back home are covered by the program.
Since the Conservation Internship Program was piloted in summer 2019, the park has hired 15 interns to support resource management, infrastructure, and visitor services projects. The program is administered in partnership with Conservation Legacy, an organization committed to fostering conservation service in support of communities and ecosystems.
This year, the park is recruiting 4 interns to support education and youth engagement projects, work alongside rangers in the visitor center, present ranger talks, and participate in community and park events. The park will select two candidates for each of the following opportunities:
- 12-week (three-month) internships, starting mid-May and ending in mid-August receiving a weekly stipend of $620. The park will cover uniform and training costs. This internship is ideal for a recent high school graduate or degree-seeking college student. Intern(s) will provide customer service at the visitor center, present ranger talks, make connections with visitors on park trails, and assist with event planning and social media posts.
- 17-week (4.5 months) internships, starting mid-April and ending early-August receiving a weekly stipend of $705. The park will cover uniform and training costs. This internship is ideal for college students or recent college graduates looking to apply their coursework in a professional work environment. Interns will work with the park’s seasonal education technician to offer virtual educational programs, outdoor education during school field trips, and plan and implement the park’s Youth Archeology Summer Camp in June and July. Internsalso will have opportunities to work at the visitor center and present ranger programs.
Upon completion of the program, interns will receive an educational award based on the length of their term. Individuals who complete an internship that is 17 weeks or more will also qualify for Direct Hire Authority. Direct Hire Authority allows students who excel in their internships and meet any other job-specific education or training requirements to be hired without competition into permanent positions within the National Park Service and other select bureaus of the Department of the Interior for which they are qualified.
The park will train and mentor interns to prepare them for a career in public lands management and offer them professional development to put on their résumés. Training will cover résumé-building, federal government job application process, interviewing tips and techniques, and public speaking. Opportunities to learn more about jobs at Great Sand Dunes and within other federal agencies in the San Luis Valley will be covered during field trips, job shadowing or presentations. Networking and mentoring opportunities with National Park Service and other public lands management staff will be made available to further inspire a career interest with a federal land agency.
Applicants for the Conservation Internships must meet the requirements outlined in each job description. However, all applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen, 18 to 30 years of age (or a veteran up to age 35)
- Have reliable transportation
- Live within the commuting area and reside in the San Luis Valley
- Be willing to complete a state and federal background investigation
Apply for these internship positions HERE. Applicants must have an updated résumé and complete the online application process to qualify. The application period for each internship varies and can be extended to ensure a good sampling of candidates. For more information, contact
