Volunteer & Internship Opportunities

The Department of Environmental Protection offers volunteer and internship opportunities throughout the year.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer to Protect Our Local Waters

Become a Stream Steward! We offer the following watershed volunteer opportunities:

  • Organize a Community Cleanup
  • Join our Plogging program
  • Participate in Storm Drain Marking
  • Make Storm Drain Art

Learn more about the Stream Stewards Volunteer Program 

Recycling Volunteer Program

Montgomery County has a goal to reduce waste and recycle more, aiming for Zero Waste. To extend the reach of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Recycling & Resource Management Division’s (RRMD) resources, the Recycling Volunteer Program in was created in 1991 to educate neighbors, friends, and co-workers about the County’s waste reduction, reuse, and recycling programs.

Learn more about the Recycling Volunteer Program

Internships

Department areas of focus:

  • Water, Watershed Restoration and RainScapes
  • Biological Monitoring Internships (available over the summer season)
  • Outreach, Education and Communications
  • Energy
  • Trees and Air Quality
  • Sustainability and Climate Change
  • Compliance and Community Concerns

Submit your resume and cover letter by email to [email protected]. You will hear from DEP if there is an interest in your application. We are unable to respond to everyone.

Summer Biological Monitoring Internship (Unpaid)

Location: Throughout Montgomery County, MD. Meet daily in Laytonsville, MD. Secondary location in Wheaton, MD.

Compensation: Unpaid

Duration: Approximately May 18 to August 28, 2026

Description: Under the supervision of MCDEP stream monitoring staff, you will gain hands-on field experience in assessing conditions of wadable, non-tidal streams:

  • Assist in the completion of fish surveys using dual-pass electrofishing methods and Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) based protocols.
  • Calibrate, inspect & prepare equipment dependent on daily needs.
  • Complete collection of water quality data & perform herpetofauna presence/absent surveys at all biological sampling sites.
  • Assist in developing draft content for social media posts.
  • Additional office activities may include entry of collected data into the Department’s database and completion of independent projects based on the needs of the Department and intern’s interests.
  • Potential opportunities to gain exposure to other MCDEP teams if field visits, shadowing days, or other experiences arise. 

Minimum Requirements:

  • Demonstrated interest in environmental science, ecology or aquatic biology.
  • Ability to operate with minimal supervision.
  • A current undergraduate or graduate student.
  • Ability to work in hot, humid & rainy summer conditions. Biting insects, thorns and steep inclines are common.
  • Ability to carry 40lbs on long hikes over unstable & uneven terrain through overgrown forests, fields & stream banks.
  • Minimum availability of two full business days (7:30 am to 4:00 pm) per week. Schedule is flexible.

Application Deadline: March 5, 2026

Please submit a resume, a cover letter, one letter of recommendation, and the online application on or before March 5, 2026. All application information must be submitted by the closing date. Any information submitted after the closing date will not be considered.

Apply for the Biomonitoring Internship

Send any questions to [email protected].