Office of Public Affairs
4401 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
Phone 703/358 2220 Fax: 703/358 1930
March 16, 2011
Contacts:
Claire Cassel
703-358-2357
claire_cassel@fws.gov
Martha Nudel
703-358-1858
martha_nudel@fws.gov
Summer Jobs in America’s Great Outdoors
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the country’s 553 national wildlife refuges, hopes to hire more than 2,000 young people this year, as it did in 2010. Apply now for a job this summer on a national wildlife refuge or other public land. A commitment to youth hiring is part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative.
Go to the Refuge System web site to find 2011 youth job opportunities in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Scroll down and click on “Student Employment Opportunities” to learn about jobs through program partners such as the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and AmeriCorps. You can apply directly for some openings on partner web sites. For other opportunities on refuges, such as those through the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), contact your local refuge (use the “Find Your Refuge” feature on the Refuge System homepage).
Learn about other 2011 conservation job opportunities with the Department of the Interior (DOI) at a new web site, http://www.youthgo.gov/ and explore the Department of the Interior's Youth in the Great Outdoors program. Listings are for both permanent and temporary jobs. DOI manages the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and several other technical bureaus.
Youth jobs on national wildlife refuges can change lives and career pathways. They also stimulate learning and personal growth, say those with firsthand experience:
- Tylar Greene, from the Bronx, felt “culture shock” on arriving for an internship in summer 2010 at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge in New Hampshire, she recounts in a video. But she loved the work and the moral support she got from refuge staff.
- Lexxs Sutton, a 2010 YCCer who helped build a boardwalk, maintain trails and pull invasive plants at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, called the work hard. Even so, she says, “I learned a lot, and it was probably the most fun job I will ever have.”
- For further evidence of challenging and fun youth jobs on refuges, see a video made by a 2010 YCC crew at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
See photos of young people at work on national wildlife refuges. Read about youth hiring in the Northeast.
Youth job candidates are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Most internships include a stipend, and others are volunteer positions.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
Connect with our Facebook page at facebook.com/usfwsmidwest, follow our tweets at twitter.com/usfwsmidwest, watch our YouTube Channel at youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at flickr.com/photos/usfwsmidwest.
