Environmental Progress - Fall 1997

39 Interns Complete Governor's Environmental Corps Program

Nine-week paid internships let students get the feel of environmental careers.

For the last six years, the Illinois EPA has partnered with the private sector to support the Governor's Environmental Corps (GEC) Summer Internship Program. This summer, 13 corporate sponsors supported 39 college students and graduating high school seniors who were placed throughout Illinois EPA programs including all seven regional offices.

GEC interns check out water treatment during a field trip to the Jacksonville plant.

Hands-on summer activities for the interns included collecting and identifying macro invertebrates in Illinois' rivers and streams, entering data into the Geographical Information System, and aiding with collection of air monitoring data. The nine week paid internships allow students to learn first-hand about environmental issues and careers and improve professional skills. As part of their experience, interns are given the opportunity to participate in the Junior Governor's Environmental Corps (Jr. GEC), an extension of the broader GEC program.

Interns find not all jobs are work.

Thirteen interns in the GEC program ignored the heat by helping at several youth camps in Central Illinois. The interns gave hands-on environmental demonstrations for approximately 650 youngsters at Girl Scout and Boy Scout camps, Nelson Center Summer Camp, theYMCA Outreach program and Lincoln Memorial Garden Ecology Camp, all in the vicinity of the Illinois EPA's Springfield headquarters.

The Jr. GEC activities focus on protecting Illinois air, water, and land resources. Not surprisingly, some of the most popular activities involved water.

Students enthusiastically seined for crawdads and mayflies, hauled buckets of water, made a city park "safari," met an earthworm up close and personal, and demonstrated the water treatment process. The goal of the Jr. GEC is two-fold: 1) to instill a sense of wonder and stewardship for the earth by involving students with their local environment; and 2) to have fun.

Information on the 1998 GEC program can be obtained from Kurt Neibergall at 217/785-1620.