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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Center for Aquatic Mollusk Programs (CAMP) has a very exciting summer internship opportunity-
Our program, CAMP, specializes in native freshwater mussel conservation. We propagate native freshwater mussels at our lab in Lake City, MN, with the goal of reintroducing them into streams and rivers in Minnesota and restoring their populations in their historic range. We also use scuba and snorkeling to monitor existing populations of mussels across the state of Minnesota. Both our propagation and field teams have internship positions available for college students pursuing a degree in biology or other fields related to the environment (ecology, GIS, etc.).
For those who don’t know, native freshwater mussels are essential in maintaining the health and resilience of our freshwater ecosystems. We often call them the “livers of the river” because they filter feed particles like algae, E.coli, and even fungi out of the water column and clean our water. They also provide habitat for other invertebrates and fish, and they deposit nutrients into the benthic layer for other animals to eat. Unfortunately, native freshwater mussel populations are declining due to a multitude of anthropogenic threats including poor water quality, stream fragmentation, and the colonization of invasive species. Freshwater mussels have only been studied for ~20 years and there are many things unknown about them, making malacology (the study of freshwater mussels) a great research and career opportunity!
This internship has the potential to be an independent study for your students and it is incredibly fun and educational! Interns will learn about native freshwater mussels and their importance in our freshwater ecosystems. They will also learn about mussel propagation and monitoring strategies, mussel identification, threats that are impacting mussel populations, and practicing safe scuba diving in unique diving conditions*. Our lab often works with other state and federal agencies, and there are many opportunities for interns to network and dip their toes in the world of conservation. Many of our past interns have pursued higher education related to mussels or go on to work in natural resource conservation.
This is a paid internship. Interns receive $19/hr (40 hours a week). Unfortunately, we cannot provide housing for interns. Most interns rent apartments with short-term leases for the summer or live with host families. However, I do run a carpool from my residence in Hastings, MN, so if interns live north of Lake City I can help reduce their gas consumption. We can also recommend cities that generally have cheaper rentals.
The start date for the internship will be June 1, 2026, and the end date will be August 28, 2026. However, these dates can be flexible to accommodate class schedules. Students graduating in spring 2026, or students who are able to work in September, are highly encouraged to apply for this position since we expect to extend the position end date for up to 2 interns to October 2, 2026.
The application for the internship opens January 2nd and closes February 2nd. Interested candidates can apply by searching the word “mussel” on the Minnesota State Jobs website:
https://mn.gov/mmb/careers/
(Please note: the application will not show up on this website until it gets posted January 2nd)
*Any students applying for an internship do not have to be scuba certified before they apply, but they do need to become certified before the start date of their internship (we are available to guide students in this process).
To learn more about mussels and our program, visit mndnr.gov/mussels
If you have any question about the internship, application, or our program feel free to email Zoe Schroeder at zoe.schroeder@state.mn.us