Bear Interns Offer Major Benefits: Public Service Announcement Contest Case Study

摘要

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's(FWC)Bear Management Program(BMP)accepts 6 to 8 upperclassman and graduate students each semester from Florida universities as part of an internship program. Since 2008, 77 students from 23 majors have assisted with bear management activities. Students earn 3 to 6 credit hours for working 10 to 20 hours a week. Interns apply to the program to gain project management experience in government, public relations, or wildlife conservation. Tasks and projects are highly varied but have included GIS mapping, reviewing and summarizing bear-related data, surveying the public, and data entry and analysis. At the end of each semester, interns give individual presentations on their projects that are open to the entire agency via video-conference.