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Cool With Snakes And 'Abundant Biting Insects'? This Internship's For You!

By Ted Cox | March 29, 2017 12:12pm | Updated on March 31, 2017 10:29am
 Garter snake at LaBagh Woods
Garter snake at LaBagh Woods
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Facebook/My Year Birding at LaBagh Woods

LINCOLN PARK — The Notebaert Nature Museum is looking for an avid snake handler.

The museum has posted a position for a field intern to work on a "regional snake conservation project," primarily in north-suburban Lake County.

Tasks will include "handling, catching, identifying, measuring and marking small non-venomous snakes," as well as "swabbing" snakes and amphibians for disease surveillance.

The main focus will be on "smooth green snakes and their nests," in Lake and neighboring counties, although "some amphibian disease sampling work may also be assigned."

Applicants must be able to carry at least 35-pound objects through the area habitat, and should have a personal car to visit various sites.

"The ideal candidates will be comfortable working in the outdoors with little shade, and with abundant biting insects, ticks and poison ivy," according to the job posting, while warning that "because of its toxicity, DEET-based repellents cannot be used when working with reptiles and amphibians." Data collection will also be essential.

The museum is looking for someone with a bachelor's degree in biology, ecology or a field related to natural resources, although it will consider those working toward a degree "with relevant course work."

The paid, weekday position is planned for 15 weeks from early May through early September, "allowing some flexibility of start and end dates."

Applicants should email a resume and cover letter to fieldinternship@naturemuseum.org.

"Must be comfortable with snakes," warns the post, adding, "a strong work ethic and a good sense of humor are ideal."

Applicants might want to warm up with a clip from the movie "The Lady Eve," starring Henry Fonda as a rich snake expert and Barbara Stanwyck as a woman wooing him.

"Snakes are my life, in a way," Fonda says.

"What a life," Stanwyck says.