Paid internship opportunity at Newberry National Monument, 12 miles south of Bend, Oregon. 

For students currently a student at OSU-Cascades in Hospitality, Tourism, Recreation, Adventure, Leadership or related Natural Sciences including Natural Resources, Liberal Arts, Sustainability, Biology, etc.(students may choose to earn academic credits for their internship, but it is not required).

• Title: Visitor Engagement Specialist & Partner in Service
• Duration: May 11 – September 30, 2026 (approx.) including weekends and holidays.

Typical work schedule is Friday through Tuesday

• Hours: 40 hours per week
• Compensation range: $21.00 per hour

This internship involves engaging visitors as a frontline hospitality professional at Lava River Cave and Lava Lands Visitor Center.

The position is based in Central Oregon and is offered in partnership with Visit Bend, Visit Central Oregon, and the United States Forest Service. This is a Partner in Service internship that provides interns with training and support across multiple sites, allowing them to gain hands-on experience in interpretation and public engagement.

Interns will primarily be stationed at Newberry National Volcanic Monument four days per week, with one day spent with either Visit Bend or Visit Central Oregon, learning more about the work of Destination Management Organizations and experiencing various aspects of the tourism and recreation industry.

Lava Lands Visitor Center (LLVC) Duties

• Opening and closing of the facility: raising and lowering the flag, turning on lights and exhibits, vacuuming public areas, cleaning exhibits as needed, and other light maintenance.
• Greet visitors when staffing the ranger desks, both inside and outside, as needed.
• Provide site orientation, answer questions about the Monument, and suggest activities to do.
• Provide guidance to the public on rules and regulations aimed at safety and resource conservation.
• Use a computer tablet, printed information, and maps to assist visitors in finding information.
• Answering the phone and engaging with callers.
• Coordinate with the Lead Ranger and Discover Your Northwest staff regarding visitor needs and questions.
• Gather and record visitor statistics.
• Perform litter sweeps outside along trails and parking areas.

Interns will have the opportunity to learn and practice interpretation

• Roving trails, providing informal interpretation to visitors.
• Drop-in programs— engaging the visiting public at tables set up outside LLVC with animal pelts and pictures, bird information and binoculars, volcanic rocks and geology information, etc.
• Junior Ranger Programs—providing resources and activities for younger visitors, including the NNVM Junior Ranger booklet and swearing in new Junior Rangers.
• Patio talks—PIS Interns may choose to develop their own 15 to 20-minute formal talk on Monument subjects (geology, flora and fauna, wildfire, etc.).

Lava River Cave (LRC) Duties
Interns perform regular daily tasks at LRC including:

• Opening and closing of the facility—setting up tables and canopies, turning on computer tablets, unlocking and locking the gate.
• Greet cars and check-in reservations, provide information for making a reservation.
• Give cave safety orientations to all visitors, primarily to screen for White Nose Syndrome, a disease fatal to bats.
• Assist DYNW staff with flashlight check-out and check-in.
• Litter mitigation sweeps outside along trails and parking areas.
• Occasional end-of-day cave sweep to ensure visitors are out by the end of day, litter pick-up.

Visit Bend and Visit Central Oregon Duties
Partners in service will spend one day per work week at either Visit Bend or Visit Central Oregon,learning more about the work of Destination Management Organizations.

• Assist at the front desk as a Visitor Information Specialist, answering visitor questions, helping to provide directions, and supporting staff in the Visitor Center.
• Learn and engage with various roles within the Destination Management Space, including marketing + communications, destination stewardship, and operations.
• Attend key industry partner meetings and events.

This position reports directly to Discover Your Northwest’s Director of Programs.