Love the piping plovers? This internship might be for you
Piping plover Monty walks near the area sectioned off for the endangered species at Montrose Beach in April 2021.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file
Were you part of the crowd that was enamored by the love story of piping plovers, Monty and Rose? Want to get paid to spend time at Montrose Beach?
The Chicago Bird Alliance is accepting applications for an internship.
The intern will teach park users the importance of conservation, share information about piping plovers and other wildlife, and work alongside plover watch volunteers from May to July, said Matt Igleski, executive director of the Chicago Bird Alliance.
“I think a lot of people are just unaware of how many things use that area as a stopover for migration," Igleski said. "I think just giving some more people perspective about how to be good neighbors with wildlife, especially in the city and on beaches."
Anyone interested in the topic and comfortable talking to people would be a good fit for the role, Igleski said. Speaking another language, like Spanish, and being interested in conservation are pluses. Qualifications and more details about the role can be found on the Chicago Bird Alliance’s website.
The position pays $20 an hour and up to $6,000 for the season. The intern will work between 30 and 40 hours, typically from 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The Alliance is trying to secure funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and will apply for other grants to help fund the position.
Monty and Rose were the first piping plovers to fledge in Chicago and Cook County in 71 years. Between 2019 and 2021 they successfully fledged seven chicks. Monty died in 2022 and Rose is feared dead, but their presence at Montrose introduced many to birding and the importance of conservation.