Our mission begins with the words, "Working with others." We invite you to join us in conserving wildlife and wild places for today and for generations to come.

You can get involved by volunteering, partnering, sampling learning opportunities, taking part in education programs, and attending events. You can also comment on proposed rules and notices. Here’s how.

Volunteering

FedEx employees, wearing matching blue shirts, reach to pass each other supplies while planting native flowers at the entrance of a new multi-use trail extension at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in Philadelphia.
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To search for volunteer jobs, type a position, location or other term.

Common Volunteer Opportunities

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, Resident Volunteers
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in Hyde County, North Carolina. Established in 1934, the 50,180-acre Refuge consists of open water, marsh, forest and croplands. The centerpiece of the Refuge is the shallow Lake Mattamuskeet. At 40,100 acres, it is...
Volunteer Opportunity
Administrative/Support/IRM, Ecosystem, Forest, and NR Management, Maintenance, Visitor Services Recreation Management
Difficulty level
Average
Seedling Planting Community Volunteer Event
The Pollinator Garden is located just north of the Visitor Center and can be accessed by walking to the Visitor Center back patio. No prior experience is necessary, instruction will be provided. Materials to bring are closed-toed shoes, long pants, gloves if you have your own, protection against...
Volunteer Opportunity
Maintenance, Visitor Services Recreation Management
Difficulty level
Not Difficult
Plant Management Crew
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge is seeking volunteers to help maintain the landscaping around our new visitor center building and generally assist with managing the growth of invasive species at the refuge. The landscaping maintenance volunteers will primarily work during the spring, summer...
Volunteer Opportunity
Maintenance, Visitor Services Recreation Management
Difficulty level
Average

Volunteer Opportunities

Careers and Internships

USFWS Worker Recording Sounds
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Are you passionate about conservation, science, nature, plants and wildlife? A career with us might be just what you’re looking for. It might also be the ticket if you’re into law enforcement, information technology, maintenance, real estate, engineering, communication, cartography, finance, budgeting and more. 

Join us in advancing our mission of working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance, fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. 

Careers & Internships

Partnering With FWS

Partners for Fish and Wildlife Biologist Meeting with North Coast Land Conservancy Executive Director Katie Voelke in Seaside, Oregon
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Partners are valuable allies to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and play a vital role in meeting the Service's conservation goals.

Featured Partners

Here are just a few of our nationals partners. You can view the full list of FWS partners, along with the regions and areas of focus our work together entails.

Our Partners

Learning Opportunities

Six boaters in personal flotation devices navigate a body of water with bare trees emerging from open water
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We offer many types of learning opportunities including formal and informal training. Some of the education we offer includes job training, career enhancement training, and education for environmental or technical professionals and students.

Learning Opportunities

Education Programs

an intern and a group of kids outdoors searching for bugs during an educational lesson
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The Fish and Wildlife Service offers many great education programs.

Beautiful orange and black monarch butterflies roosting on salt bush at the St. Marks NWR. One male and several females.
Virtual Education Programs
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Virtual Outdoor Adventure Programs Two asynchronous videos that can be used by anyone. 1.) What is a National Wildlife Refuge 2.) Mammals: Predators & Prey. Fun exciting educational virtual field trips that meets the needs of both the FWS sites as well as...
Education Program
A drawn summer scene of a sandhill crane and butterfly flying over an elk, bird, and ground squirrel.
National Elk Refuge Junior Naturalist Program
Do you love exploring in nature? Become a Junior Naturalist today! This program is free and open to anyone who wants to participate. Once completed with the booklet, send us an email and we will send you a patch!
Education Program
Junior Duck Stamp Logo
Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program
The Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest is the culmination of the Junior Duck Stamp educational program. After studying waterfowl anatomy and habitat, students may express their newfound knowledge by drawing, painting or sketching a picture of an eligible North American waterfowl species.
Education Program
View all education programs

Proposed Rules and Notices Open for Comment

Green and White Waterfowl Production Area sign with a wetland and prairie in the background
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Rulemaking is the policy-making process for agencies of the federal government. Each rule goes through a structured reviewing timeline, including a period for public comments. View policy open for public comment on regulations.gov.

Regulations.gov

Events

A volunteer at the annual Winter Wildlife Field Day event welcomes guests
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The Fish and Wildlife Service hosts many public events at sites across the country.

Outdoor Activity
2023 D-Line Day and Refuge B-Earth-Day

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is turning 95, and Saturday, April 22nd is also Earth Day! So, come and celebrate our B-Earth-Day with us!

 On the Auto Tour

Drive Behind the Gates along D-Line (9:00 am—1:00 pm) *Drive as normal on the Auto Tour (counter-...

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Wildlife Education Center and Auto Tour Route
Outdoor Activity
Volunteer Restoration Workday

We had a great week last week seeding the entire .8 mile stretch of road from the entrance to the Refuge Buildings.  Hopefully we will see some nice native plants coming up where we removed the invasive multi-flora rose, bush honeysuckle and others.

...
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Middle Island, St. Mary's WV
Outdoor Activity
Story Book Trail Featuring: Salamander Dance

Join us at the Fort River Birding and Nature Trail for our Storybook event.  Read Salamander Dance in the kiosks as you hike around the trail! Stop at the pavilion for fun, interactive activities while you learn about what types of critters...

Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
Fort River Birding and Nature Trail

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Get Involved Stories

Photo of kids fishing at a lake
Get Involved
Eliminating Barriers, Improving Access, and Promoting Conservation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is announcing a new cooperative agreement with the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) in the amount of $70 million dollars over a 5-year period to implement the National Outreach and Communication Program (NOCP).
Service intern, Suzena Arias, and employee rafting through wetland to check minnow traps
Get Involved
Pathways Student Internships
Go Wild! Jump start your career with a Pathways Student Internship with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Small turtle stands among short grass and clovers.
Get Involved
Celebrating 50 Years of the Endangered Species Act 
We’re all smiles, and we can bear-ly contain our excitement over the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This historic law was signed in 1973 and is considered one of the world’s most important conservation laws. 
Pronghorn graze in golden light at sunrise at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge.
Get Involved
Happy Birthday, Refuge System
The National Wildlife Refuge System marks its birthday on March 14. President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national wildlife refuge on March 14, 1903 at Pelican Island, Florida, to protect brown pelicans there from slaughter by market hunters.
YCC staff sitting on hillside smiling at camera
Get Involved
Looking for a Job This Summer?
The Winona District of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) will be hiring upto four students this summer to work on a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew.
YCC staff
Get Involved
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge seeking Youth Conservation Corps crew members
Port Louis National Wildlife Refuge near Wapello, Iowa is hiring Youth Conservation Corps crew members for the summer of 2023! Applicants must be 15-18 years of age and apply between March 1 and April 15, 2023.

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