American Samoa Department of Commerce (ASDOC) – Coastal Zone Management (CZM)Program
Mentor: Grace Felise, Environmental Planner Program Manager
STEM Fields:
Biology; Environmental Studies; Marine Science; Restoration Ecology; Oceanography; Biogeography
Internship Research Goal: Discover creative ways to and assist in implementing the territory wetlands management plan and engage in coordination of awareness programs and education activities to enhance and improve wetlands management and protection in American Samoa.
About the Internship Site:
ASDOC-CZM program office is on the second floor of the A.P Lutali Executive Office Building in Utulei, AS. The Wetlands Management team conducts research and administrative work within the office, but often conducts field site visits at our wetlands and special management areas throughout the islands of American Samoa – Tutuila, Aunuu, Ofu, Olosega, Ta’u. Also, our wetlands team also works closely with our valued partners in our Wetlands Council out in the field and at their respective research facilities – American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), American Samoa Community College (ASCC)-Agriculture, Community, and Natural Resources (ACNR), National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (NMSAS), Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), National Park of American Samoa (NPSAS), Governor’s Resilience Office (GRO).
Meet Our Internship Mentor: Grace Felise
Grace Felise, Environmental Planner Program Manager
Coastal Zone Management Program
American Samoa Department of Commerce
Grace L. Felise is the Environmental Planner and Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program Manager under the administration of the Department of Commerce. She manages land use permitting, and monitoring and preserving coastal resources and special management areas within the American Samoa islands. Some of her fundamental responsibilities are overseeing programmatic development and administration of federally approved programs and grants
including proposal preparations or management with required reporting and evaluation reviews on performance. She along with the great work of the CZM Team continue to advocate for American Samoa’s interests on local, regional, national resource management issues and grant opportunities as they greatly affect our environment, our people, and the FaaSamoa way of life.
Internship duties and responsibilities:
This internship will introduce students to the depths of our coastal resources, emphasizing our wetlands in American Samoa. They will engage in field research and site visits, delineation projects, and developing and implementing new and current restoration projects. They will also be youth leads to conduct and spearhead outreaches and community projects with the village youths. Students will:
- Conduct site visits for monitoring and enforcement of developments within the wetlands.
- Monitoring and conducting wetland clean ups with faith-based groups and nonprofit organizations in wetland villages.
- Assist in wetland delineation with our wetlands specialist and Maui Environmental Consulting team.
- Students will prepare outreach materials for all outreaches and booths.
- Students will pack and load equipment for clean ups, monitoring projects, and delineation projects.
Interns should be comfortable and able to:
- Lift 25lbs (to carry equipment from parking area to the shoreline)
- Walk in mangrove swamps
- Work outdoors on the beach and in the ocean
- Work in a laboratory setting and comply with all safety procedures indoors and outdoors.
- Adhere to wearing safety gears for field visits
Tentative 2026 Internship Schedule
- 2026 Spring: March 2026 (Specific dates and times will be determined after meeting with intern)
- 2026 Summer: July 2026 (Specific dates and times will be determined after meeting with intern)
*Schedules are tentative and are subject to change. Interns will be required to work 8 hours in the Spring 2026. Interns will be required to work 40 hours in the Summer 2026.
Internship Meeting Location:
Pago Pago Plaza, Pago Pago