Ways to Get Involved
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 these volunteer opportunities:
Montezuma Alliance for the Restoration of Species & Habitats (MARSH)
Contact: cassidy.attanasio@audubon.org
Position: MARSH Volunteer
The MARSH volunteer program supports the habitat restoration efforts of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex—a partnership between the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS), Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area (NYSDEC), Montezuma Audubon Center, Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, and other partners at Montezuma.
Through MARSH, you will work side by side with refuge, state, and Audubon biologists to control invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species in grassland, shrubland, forest, marsh and river. The work is hands-on as we monitor, cut and pull invasive species, and replant and monitor natives that will be more beneficial to wildlife & less harmful to Montezuma habitats overall!
To see the scheduled workdays and to sign up, go to Discover Audubon Events | Audubon
Contact: andrea_vanbeusichem@fws.gov
Position: Visitor Center/Nature Store Attendant
If you enjoy interacting with people, you’ll love volunteering at the Visitor Center and/or the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex Nature Store. Volunteers greet visitors, help orient them to the refuge, and share information about what the refuge has to offer. Training is provided by refuge and/or store staff, along with on-the-job support from experienced volunteers. Some knowledge of birds and wildlife is helpful but not required.
Volunteers may serve as little as once per month or as often as once or twice per week. Sunday availability is especially needed, though some weekday shifts may be available. Visitor Center and Nature Store shifts run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., April 1 through November 30, weather-depending.
Contact: andrea_vanbeusichem@fws.gov
Position: Wildlife Drive Host
Serve as a friendly ambassador at the entrance to and along the Wildlife Drive by welcoming visitors, answering questions, offering orientation, and reminding visitors of Drive rules. Wildlife Drive Hosts help create a safe, enjoyable experience for visitors while protecting wildlife and refuge resources. Shifts are flexible during Wildlife Drive open hours but morning, evening, and weekend hours preferred. Training provided by refuge staff.
Contact: andrea_vanbeusichem@fws.gov
Position: Photographer
Volunteer to take photographs at refuge events or programs, and of staff and other volunteers at work in the field. Share your photos with us for use in our publications, website and social media, and exhibits (credit always given to the photographer).
Contact: andrea_vanbeusichem@fws.gov
Position: Social Media Content Creator
Help maintain the refuge's Facebook page and keep it engaging by providing content to the refuge’s Visitor Services Manager for posting. Content should include at least one photo (used only with permission from the photographer) and a write-up. Refuge-specific training provided. New content is needed once or twice per week year-round.
Contact: andrea_vanbeusichem@fws.gov
Position: Hunter Check Station Volunteer
Greet hunters, orient them to the refuge, and issue doe tags at the Hunter Check Station during the deer season. We are particularly looking for weekend volunteers, but weekday options are available. Some knowledge of the refuge and hunting is helpful.
Contact: Linda_Ziemba@fws.gov
Position: Breeding Marsh Bird Surveyor
Work with an experienced surveyor to paddle or walk to set points in the marsh then listen and look for marsh birds. Do one survey during each of these three two-week periods for three total (half) days of surveying beginning at dawn or dusk.
Contact: Linda_Ziemba@fws.gov
Position: Invasive Plant Mapper
Traverse set locations on the refuge and use ArcGIS Field Maps on a phone or iPad to record the abundance of certain invasive plant species. Work is in the early summer, and the schedule is flexible. Training in plant identification and the survey protocol will be provided.
Contact: Linda_Ziemba@fws.gov
Position: Grassland Breeding Bird Surveyor
Survey refuge grasslands for breeding birds in July and August.
Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex
Contact: president@friendsofmontezuma.org
Position: Native Plant Festival & Sale Volunteer
(3rd Saturday of September | 9 am–3 pm)
Support the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex Native Plant Festival & Sale by helping with event setup and takedown, parking coordination, restroom upkeep, and day-of logistics. Volunteers may also assist behind the scenes as part of the event planning committee (planning time commitment varies; planning meetings begin in January).
Our Partners
Nature does not recognize human-made boundaries. In order 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 local partners.
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation https://www.dec.ny.gov/
- Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex https://friendsofmontezuma.org/
- Montezuma Audubon Center https://ny.audubon.org/montezuma
- Ducks Unlimited https://www.ducks.org/
- The Nature Conservancy https://www.nature.org/en-us/
- Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway https://cayugalake.com/
- Booker T. Washington Community Center https://btwcc.org/
- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccecayuga/
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry https://www.esf.edu/
- Cornell University https://www.cornell.edu/
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.
Internships
Montezuma NWR occasionally offers internship opportunities. You may apply for an internship in order to gain college credit; we will work with your professor to design you work accordingly. Paid internships may be obtained through the Service’s partnership with the Student Conservation Association (https://www.thesca.org/). Internships at Montezuma offer well-rounded experiences, giving you the opportunity to work on projects related to our biological program, visitor services, and refuge maintenance.
While we may be unable to offer an internship every year, we do offer volunteer opportunities that will build experience in conservation, nature education, and customer service (see above).