The Glenville State College Department of Land Resources, the GSC Foundation, and the United States Forest Service have partnered to offer internship opportunities for students within the Natural Resource Management program.
An agreement was signed between the institutions to formalize this year’s initiative, according to Dr. Rico Gazal, professor of forestry and chair of the school's Department of Land Resources.
Through the partnership, students will gain experience in surveying, forestry, wildlife, botany, watershed, recreation, and other natural resource projects.
They will work closely with the forest service to address the urgent challenges that the Monongahela National Forest currently faces, such as wildfires, invasive species, and epidemics of forest insects and disease, Gazal said.
“I am grateful to the USFS for initiating this partnership,” he said.
“This is the first time that our department is collaborating with the forest service in providing internship opportunities to our students, and I hope this will continue in the future.
"This internship will satisfy students’ summer work experience requirement that is a part of all our academic programs and will provide our students with hands-on experience in land surveying and the opportunity to work with the scientists and technicians of USFS at the Monongahela National Forest."
John Cooke, a Glenville graduate and forest-service technician, lauded the new internship program.
“As a graduate of the Glenville State College surveying program, I am very pleased to have been a part of establishing this agreement between GSC and the Monongahela National Forest,” Cooke said.
“This is a great way to get students real-world experience while accomplishing priority work on the national forest—a win for everyone involved.”
For more information on the USFS internships available to GSC students, contact the Department of Land Resources at Land.Resources@glenville.edu or 304-462-6370.
