Integrated Resources Stewardship 2023 Intern Program

Lewis and Clark Trail Intern Cassidy Wood.

NPS Photo

About this article: This article was originally published in the Lewis & Clark Trail Annual Report 2023.

Meet our intern Cassidy Wood

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Intern, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

School attended: University of California, Los Angeles
Program: GIS and Geospatial Technology Certification Program
Major: Environmental Science
Minor: Conservation Biology

In 2023, Cassidy Wood used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create light pollution data and map dark skies information that is being incorporated into the Natural Resources modeling project and the Natural Resources Strategy. Cassidy learned new raster analysis skills to perform analysis using light pollution datasets. She also gained experience with editing vector features and editing attributes as part of a land cover reclassification project. Her duties also included compiling climate and air quality data for use in our Natural Resources modeling. After completing her program and receiving her graduate certificate, she traveled along the Lewis and Clark Trail, visiting Fort Clatsop in Oregon. Most recently, Cassidy received a job offer to be a GIS Analyst with the Oregon State Fire Marshal.

“I enjoyed the internship and gained practical experience that I feel has prepared me for a job in GIS. I thought the tasks were interesting and both of my mentors were very kind. I’m interested in seeing the future of the Natural Resources model that we worked on!”

-Cassidy Wood

NPS Photo

2023 Intern Program Updates

The Integrated Resources Stewardship team continued the success of the Virtual Student Federal Service Intern Program with a second year of student interns. The work produced by each of the interns was exceptional and helped further many goals of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. The program also provided invaluable experience to help launch the careers of the interns into the workforce, creating the next generation of civil servants.

A total of 49 interns participated in the program during the 2022-2023 academic year committing to 10 hours per week for more than 36 weeks, with many extending their internships through the summer. For the year, a total of 18,290 hours were worked, representing an annual value of $547,785.50.

The work accomplished by the interns covered all aspects of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Integrated Resources Stewardship team. Interns had the opportunity to contribute to the Geotourism program, visit www.LewisAndClark.Travel to learn more about the program. Interns also had the opportunity to assist staff with the Tent of Many Voices video editing project, which seeks to provide access to Tribal perspectives of the 1803-1806 Expedition from the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration. Additionally, interns used geographic information systems to support future mapping endeavors of the 4,900-mile corridor from Pittsburgh, PA to the Pacific Ocean.