Forestry Fellow
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Tennessee Aquarium
Chattanooga, TN, US
Summary
The Forestry Fellow will perform essential animal husbandry duties, including exhibit cleaning, feeding, and monitoring animal behavior. They will also provide educational interpretation for guests and maintain accurate logs and records.
Job Description
Thank you for your interest in a Forestry fellowship at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee! The Aquarium hopes this experience helps guide and empower conservation-minded students to develop solutions to complex conservation challenges in our communities and gain valuable hands-on work experience. Our history of giving high-potential students the opportunity to work at our Aquarium has shown that such professional experience opens new career options for students from all walks of life.
Forestry Fellows are exposed to several biology-related positions working within the Tennessee Aquarium's Husbandry Department Forest section. This hands-on opportunity offers an understanding of our reptile and amphibian collection specializing in our turtle environments, and also keeping our Delta Country exhibit clean, interesting, and engaging for our visiting guests.
Key Responsibilities
- Performs animal husbandry duties which may include cleaning exhibits, preparing food, feeding animals, maintaining exhibits, monitoring animal behavior, and learning appropriate quarantine and disease prevention protocols
- Provides exemplary interpretation and assistance in programs
- Maintains appropriate logs and records
- Interacts with staff, volunteers, and public in a professional and ethical manner
Qualifications
- Current college student or recent graduate) with science or animal-related major
- Able to commit to the full internship of 120 hours during the designated semester; hour requirements per week may vary based on fellowship activities
- Able to climb ladders, lift and carry 50 lbs.; work in hot/cold, wet, and/or slippery conditions
- Provide a letter of reference from an advisor, faculty member or previous employer
- Provide a college transcript with a minimum GPA of 2.5
- Preferences given to students seeking internships for college credit or that are affiliated with an active research project
Seasonal, hourly ($16/hour); Fall semester fellowship (Runs through end of semester, September – December 31), weekends required.
To apply, candidates are asked to submit an online application, resume, cover letter, references, and unofficial transcript at https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/TEN1003TNAQ/JobBoard/12ee8ae7-931c-4fa4-a24a-ff683f36b8c3/?q=&o=postedDateDesc
All submissions must be received by September 30, 2025.
Located on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga and surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains, the Tennessee Aquarium tells the story of the river – following the path of a raindrop from the streams of an Appalachian Forest to the Gulf of Mexico – from the mountains to the sea. Although the Aquarium has grown in size and in animal population since it’s opening in 1992, its story and its mission as a private, non-profit institution have remained the same; ‘to inspire wonder, appreciation and protection of water and all life that it sustains.’
Founded
1992
Company size
51-200 employees
Industry
Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
Org type
Nonprofit
Headquarters
Chattanooga, TN
Located on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga and surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains, the Tennessee Aquarium tells the story of the river – following the path of a raindrop from the streams of an Appalachian Forest to the Gulf of Mexico – from the mountains to the sea. Although the Aquarium has grown in size and in animal population since it’s opening in 1992, its story and its mission as a private, non-profit institution have remained the same; ‘to inspire wonder, appreciation and protection of water and all life that it sustains.’
Founded
1992
Company size
51-200 employees
Industry
Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
Org type
Nonprofit
Headquarters
Chattanooga, TN
