Colorado Bat Watch Summer 2025 Intern

About Colorado Bat Watch:

Colorado Bat Watch (CBW) is a collaborative initiative dedicated to addressing critical gaps in bat research and conservation across Colorado (coloradobatwatch.org). Our mission is to identify bat roost sites, monitor bat colonies, inform bat conservation efforts, and inspire people to conserve bats. 

Colorado’s bats face significant threats from white-nose syndrome (WNS), habitat loss, wind energy development, pesticides, and climate change.  To contribute to efforts to address these threats, CBW gathers crowdsourced data from the public to find bat roost sites and bat colonies, and monitors bat colonies by conducting summer colony counts with the help of community scientists.  

CBW is a partnership between Rocky Mountain Wild, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), and the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat). 

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

The intern will work under the supervision of Rocky Mountain Wild’s Conservation Biologist and Conservation Ecologist.  The duties and responsibilities are somewhat flexible depending on the intern’s interests, and may include the following: 

• Field Work  – Scout bat colonies to determine suitability for colony counts, conduct summer bat colony counts (emergence counts), pilot White Nose Syndrome surveillance methods.
• Data Management – Compile and organize existing data on locations and characteristics of bat roost sites, enter and manage data from colony counts and White Nose Syndrome surveillance.
• Community Science Project Management – Develop training materials and resources for volunteers (e.g. bat colony site descriptions, volunteer manual, and maps)
• Equipment Management – Create, distribute and maintain equipment kits for volunteers.
• Events & Outreach – Assist with planning volunteer training sessions and bat walks.  Co-lead volunteer training sessions, bat walks, and bat colony counts with RMW staff and bat experts.  Represent Colorado Bat Watch at educational events (e.g. tabling, giving presentations).
• Research & Writing – Option to assist with reviewing literature, interviewing experts, and writing white papers on either of the following topics:  1) feasibility of doing acoustic monitoring of bats through community science, or 2) recommended methods for White Nose Syndrome surveillance.

Qualifications:

This internship is intended to provide entry-level experience. We encourage all interested applicants to apply, regardless of prior experience. 

• Interest in pursuing a career in wildlife biology, ecology, conservation, or a related field
• Interest in learning about Colorado’s bat species, love of bats
• Experience or interest in wildlife biology field work
• Experience or interest engaging the public at community events
• Willingness to help lead bat walks and volunteer training sessions
• Experience or interest in data entry and management
• Experience or interest in coordinating and training volunteers
• Good writing, research, and organizational skills
• Ability to work autonomously with regular check-ins with Rocky Mountain Wild staff
• Willingness to travel throughout Colorado, potentially including overnight trips
• Willingness to hike up to 2 miles to potential roost sites to conduct bat emergence counts at sunset
• Valid driver’s license

Other Information:

This position is a full-time, temporary position. The position start date is flexible but will ideally start in late May or early June. It will run from the date of hire for at least ten weeks, depending on hours per week worked. Travel is required and access to a reliable vehicle is ideal (mileage will be covered at the IRS standard mileage rate).  The intern will be paid $20/hour with one week of paid vacation time and up to 12 hours of paid health and wellness leave.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should submit a letter explaining why they are interested in this position and any professional or personal experience they feel is relevant to the job. This position will remain open until filled, with a priority application date of April 14, 2025. Please email application materials to Megan Mueller and Paige Singer at bats@rockymountainwild.org with the subject line ‘2025 Colorado Bat Watch Intern’.