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/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.
Volunteer Opportunities
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.
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!
Join the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)!
Rappahannock River Valley NWR is sponsoring a summer Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Program. The refuge is responsible for conservation, management, and restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats. We also provide opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation and wildlife research as well as promoting public education in the field of conservation. YCC work projects on the Refuge include the building and improving of trails, removing invasive plants, and contributing to wildlife management programs. Enrollees also participate in conservation-themed educational activities. Most work is outdoors.
The Youth Conservation Corps, first created in 1970, is a federally funded work-learn-earn program designed for young men and women ages 15-18 and aimed at developing an appreciation and understanding of the Nation's environmental and natural heritage. The program is eight weeks long. Enrollees work 40 hours per week (Monday through Friday, 8:00a.m- 4:30 p.m.) and earn $7.25/hr. The program will run from June 20th- August 12th. Enrollees are expected to be available for the entire eight-week program.
Applicants must be between 15 and 18 years old (must be 15 by June 20th and not age 19 before the end of the program). They must be a permanent resident of the United States, it territories or possessions. A strong interest in outdoor work and natural resources management is recommended.
Applicants will need a Social Security card prior to the first day of work. (Applicants for a Social Security card may be obtained from the nearest office of the Federal Social Security Administration. Processing takes approximately four weeks).
YCC enrollees must be able to provide their own transportation to and from work. The work day begins at the address of the Refuge HQ, 336 Wilna Rd, Warsaw, VA.
Interested persons should submit the following application materials to Bill Crouch, william_crouch@fws.gov by 25 May 2022: