American Rivers, River Restoration Internship, Summer 2026

Every summer, The Bill Lane Center for the American West offers many opportunities for Stanford undergraduates (including graduating seniors and co-terms) to work with organizations throughout the West. Through these internships, students can explore careers in natural history, conservation, land use, museum curation, resource management, energy and more.

All internships are full-time for nine to ten weeks during the summer. They are fully funded by the Lane Center with stipends ranging from $7,500 to $10,000.

The Lane Center has placed hundreds of interns in positions across the West since 2005. It has developed strong relationships with host organizations and works hard to ensure interns have successful and enriching experiences.

For more information about the internship program, please visit the FAQs page, or email Education Manager Corinne Thomas.

Details about previous summer student interns and their placements can be found here.

Student reflections about the internship experience can be found by visiting the Out West student blog and the Lane Center Instagram channel.

Stipend Information:

The Bill Lane Center will provide a base stipend of $7,500 with additional funding for student financial aid and location, if applicable, up to $10,000. The stipend is provided to cover living expenses and, if applicable, part of the summer earnings expectation of the Office of Financial Aid.

The stipend is not intended to be, and is not, a paid, hourly wage. An internship is an educational and experiential learning opportunity intended for the student to apply their academics and gain real-world experience.

Description of the Organization: 

American Rivers’ mission is to protect wild rivers, restore degraded rivers, and conserve clean water for people and nature.

The California Region’s Central Valley Program works with conservation and community-based organizations throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Sacramento Valley, and San Joaquin Valley to reconnect rivers to their floodplains. Our floodplain restoration work gives rivers room to spread naturally on their floodplain and away from communities during high flood events, which recharges groundwater aquifers, restoring habitat for native fish, wildlife and plants, and increasing public access to rivers for disadvantaged communities. 

Internship Overview:

The Great Valley Grasslands Floodplain Reconnection Project is a floodplain restoration and reconnection project at Great Valley Grasslands State Park (GVGSP), approximately 45 minutes west of Merced, CA. At this under-resourced state park, the ecological resilience of a 1,083-acre floodplain containing the Central Valley’s largest remaining grassland area is threatened by poor connectivity between the San Joaquin River and its historic floodplain, invasive vegetation, and a legacy of damaging land use practices, such as levee construction. Additionally, few public access opportunities exist at this park, and American Rivers continues to coordinate with State Parks staff to improve park accessibility while planning future phases of ecological restoration work.

American Rivers is leading the first phase of restoration work at Great Valley Grasslands State Park, which is expected to be completed in December 2025. American Rivers will work with a project team of engineers, biologists, archaeologists, and park managers to conduct post-construction effectiveness monitoring. The River Restoration Intern will assist American Rivers and the project team with completing effectiveness monitoring requirements, assisting with data collection, analysis, and reporting, assisting with the development of a Long-Term Management Plan, and assisting with the creation of a Story Map using ArcGIS. The intern may also assist with other ongoing outreach and project planning work at Great Valley Grasslands State Park.

Internship Work Environment:

This internship will be hybrid: 80% indoor/remote work; 20% outdoor/in-person work. The in-person field work approximately 1-2 days per week; virtual work from home office approximately 4-5 days per week. 

This will change according to staff and project needs.

Work location is at Great Valley Grasslands State Park in Merced County. Student should be located within driving distance of the park. All staff in the Central Valley program maintain home offices within driving distance of their projects.

The intern will primarily work from home on a daily basis, with several one-on-one and small, in-person meetings. The intern will work directly with the associate director, who will supervise and mentor the intern, and will also have the opportunity to join weekly team coordination calls with American Rivers’ Central Valley team and key California staff. Additionally, the intern will have the opportunity to observe and participate in virtual staff meetings with the California Headwaters and Dam Removal programs, and engage in virtual national staff meetings, communities of practice, and intern gatherings.

Interns will primarily work remotely from a home office. Remote work would typically include participating in project team calls, joining internal staff calls, and participating in webinars/ seminars of interest (as intern interest and schedule allows). During in-person meetings, intern may interact with staff, members of the
public, and the project team at Great Valley Grasslands State Park to visit the site and participate in surveys (as intern interest and staff schedules allow). As time and interest allow, intern may assist American Rivers and State Parks staff in completing monitoring activities at the park. This schedule will change according to project needs and staff/intern/project team availability.

Daily tasks will vary depending on the needs of the project and Central Valley program team. Field days will include driving and hiking over rugged terrain to install and/or maintain scientific equipment or assisting staff with conducting surveys or maintaining data at the site. In-office days will include, but not be limited to, writing and reviewing reports, analyzing data, virtual attendance at meetings, and developing a StoryMap in ArcGIS Online.

Housing: On-site housing is not available. While this is a primarily -remote internship and relocation to the project site is not necessary, intern supervisor is able to assist with housing search if needed.

Please note: Car Needed. The student intern will need access to a car in order to conduct monitoring and attend field visits and in-person meetings.

Location: Great Valley Grasslands State Park in Merced County. The intern needs to be located within driving distance of the park. All staff in the Central Valley program maintain home offices within driving distance of their projects.