Here’s a great internship opportunity where you can learn while making a lasting difference in Virginia’s largest Bluebird Monitoring Program!

The Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Bluebird Monitoring Program is seeking one or more volunteer (unpaid) interns to collect data on our trails and nestboxes. The interns would commit to perform the following tasks:

• Visit some or all of our 65 trails in Loudoun County to create an inventory of all our boxes so that we can have a record of each box’s location and condition. This will allow us to plan and budget for repairs and replacements, and will aid us in locating all the boxes on the trails.
• Specifically, the intern will create a document for each trail which lists:
  • the GPS coordinates for each box
  • the direction the box opening faces (ideally, it should face southeast)
  • the type and condition of the label on each box
  • the type and condition of each box, with an estimate of its remaining useful life (photographs would be helpful in this regard)
  • the type and condition of predator guards — Noel guards, snake guards (size and model — cone, stovepipe, etc.)
  • the condition of the trail (not our responsibility, but sometimes we have spoken with the trail’s owner to improve conditions)
  • the habitat near the box (meadow, forest, pond, etc.)
• The volunteer interns could be any age — this is not restricted to students — although this could be a good summer internship position for a high school student
• The project could start any time the volunteers are ready, with completion by the end of August, 2026.
• The volunteer interns may decide when to visit each trail, with the understanding that a progress report should be completed and sent to the Bluebird Team project leader periodically.
• A member of the LWC Bluebird Program Leadership team will provide guidance and trail information to the volunteer interns.
• Other responsibilities related to the project as may be mutually agreed to.
• The volunteer interns must complete the LWC volunteer application and volunteer waiver forms.

Questions about this opportunity should be emailed to bluebird@loudounwildlife.org.