Ways to Get Involved

Volunteers at a spotting scope survey seabirds from a rocky beach
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Whether you want to further conservation, learn more about nature or share your love of the outdoors, you’ve come to the right place. National Wildlife Refuges provide many opportunities for you to help your community and fish and wildlife by doing what you love. 
 
National Wildlife Refuges partner with volunteers, youth groups, landowners, neighbors and residents of urban and coastal communities to make a lasting difference. 
 
Find out how you can help make American lands healthier and communities stronger while doing something personally satisfying. 

Volunteers: Gain new experiences and meet new people while helping to advance wildlife conservation. 
 
Friends: Join neighbors in helping Refuges restore habitat and expand access to green space. 

Landowners: Learn how you can partner with the Fish and Wildlife Service to voluntarily restore land.

Local Groups: Find out how communities can work with Refuges better for wildlife and people.  
 
Youth: Explore paid and unpaid opportunities to learn and develop leadership skills.

Volunteering

Discover for yourself what tens of thousands of volunteers have learned: Volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fun and rewarding in many ways. Master new skills. Meet new friends. Enjoy a sense of accomplishment from doing your part to further wildlife conservation for the pleasure of generations to follow. Check out our station's latest volunteer opportunities on volunteer.gov.

Contact the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex at oregoncoast@fws.gov to learn about our volunteer opportunities. 

Our Partners

Nature does not recognize human-made boundaries. To conserve our natural and cultural resources effectively, we must work with others to bridge these boundaries. Partnerships foster creative solutions to challenging situations and often the results are greater than the sum of the parts.  Learn more about our partners.

Partners: The OCNWRC works with numerous partners at our six refuges. Partners include state and federal organizations, watersheds councils, hunting and angling groups, conservation and research organizations, and more. Each of these partners support the Complex through various projects to accomplish shared goals.

Friends: More than 200 nonprofit Refuge Friends organizations support National Wildlife Refuges, whether they work with a single refuge, a Refuge complex or an entire state. Friends members are crucial to conserving and protecting our nation’s wildlife and teaching millions of Americans that their actions today determine the conservation legacy of tomorrow. Friends of this Refuge include:

  • Shoreline Education for Awareness (SEA) - An all-volunteer non-profit organization based in Bandon, SEA was founded in 1990 to increase public awareness and knowledge of the shoreline habitats and wildlife along the southern Oregon coast. SEA trains and recruits volunteer wildlife interpreters to serve at a variety of locations along the south coast, as well as offering numerous internships within the Refuge system. Learn more about SEA here.
  • Friends of Haystack Rock (FOHR) - Friends of Haystack Rock (FOHR) is a non-profit organization that promotes the preservation and protection of the intertidal life and birds that inhabit the Marine Garden and Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge at Haystack Rock. We do this in cooperation with Haystack Rock Awareness Program and other partnerships. Friends of Haystack Rock is guided by a volunteer board of directors and advisors consisting of committed community members. Learn more about FOHR here.
  • Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP) - Founded in 1985, HRAP is a stewardship and environmental education program dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural resources and environs of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. Friends of Haystack Rock, formed in 2005, supports HRAP in its mission to inform the public of the fragile ecosystems within the Haystack Rock Marine Garden and adjacent Oregon Islands NWR. Learn more about HRAP here.

Education Programs

Open the door to a potentially life-changing experience. If you land a student internship, a fellowship or a volunteer opportunity at a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Learn more about national wildlife refuge , fish hatchery or other Fish and Wildlife Service site, you’re bound to come away with new insights and excitement about conservation.

The Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex employs a small number of seasonal interns most years. The Refuge generally has between 1–3 full-time interns on staff who fill roles like Biological Sciences Intern, Rocky Shores Interpretive Specialist, Volunteer Coordinator, Refuge Operations Specialist and more. If you are interested in learning about internship opportunities, contact OregonCoast@FWS.gov.