Land Resource Technician Intern

Purpose of Position:

The focus of the Land Resource Technician Intern includes technical support for nonmetallic mine site reclamation and small watershed engineering. This is a limited term internship position not to exceed 975 hours in a calendar year.

Responsibilities:

• Review individual annual Reclamation Reports and Activities Plan for industrial sand mines. Develop a standardized format to summarize the extent of mine and reclamation activities for use in County-wide program reporting, workload analysis, and service scheduling.
• Assist in the compilation and management of information reported in annual Reclamation Reports and Activities Plans, including environmental monitoring data filed by permitted industrial sand mine operations. Develop, update, and monitor databases of groundwater elevations, groundwater chemistry, and chemical use for industrial sand mines subject to reporting requirements.
• Assist in the management of Chippewa County Solid Waste Recycling & Mine Registration Program as it applies to permitted sand and gravel operations and industrial sand mines.  Develop, update, and maintain spreadsheets and databases of transportation and solid waste stockpiling, management, and use in registered mines.
• Conduct pre-mine soil inventory analysis to assist in industrial sand mine permit  application reviews and scheduled reclamation efforts. Develop a soil management and stockpile GIS layer to record available soil reserves and to track volumes of topsoil and subsoil for all mines.
• Arrange and conduct scheduled site inspections of sand and gravel operations to record physical site conditions to be considered during formal evaluations of mine reclamation. Perform follow-up inspections to assure compliance.
• Develop, update, and maintain financial assurance commitments and databases for all permitted mine operations.
• Assist in the management of non-metallic mine GIS management and map creation for use in program reporting. Develop a proposed post-mining land use GIS layer for all mines. 
• Convert existing non-metallic mine maps and plan narratives from paper to digital formats.
• Complete other duties as assigned by the Department Director/County Conservation.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must have completed a minimum of two years post-secondary education with major field of coursework in one of the following: Soil Science, Conservation Science, Geology, Engineering, Reclamation Science, Agricultural or Plant Science, Water Resources, Geography, or other closely related course of study, OR
• Must have graduated with a degree in one of the above fields within the last year.
• Knowledge of cartography with exposure to mapping software (ArcGIS preferred) or CAD software required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) required.
• A valid Wisconsin Driver’s license required.
• Knowledge of the fundamentals of soil science, geology, and plant science preferred.
• Knowledge of construction excavation techniques and materials, and/or agricultural field operations (tillage, planting, etc.) preferred.