Youth Opportunities | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Youth Opportunities

Student Internships and Career Learning

A woman standing in a lake or pond measures something with a gauge. — Alicia Thomas, 2017-18 Wilderness Fellow

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers numerous career learning opportunities to students. These include internships through the Pathways Program. Paid student internships on national wildlife refuges are also available through the Student Conservation Association, the Corps Network and Youth Engaged 4 Change.

Internships also exist through the Youth Conservation Corps, American Conservation Experience, Greening Youth Foundation, Hispanic Access Foundation and Career Discovery Internship Program.

Some wildlife refuges recruit their own interns with funding from nonprofit Friends groups or educational institutions. Refuge internships are usually unpaid but often include housing and a food stipend.

Refuges that in recent years have hosted interns include Alligator River, Chincoteague, J.N. “Ding” Darling, Rachel Carson, Seney and Neal Smith Refuges. Some summer placements are arranged through the Youth Conservation Corps. For more information, contact your local refuge.

A man in a Fish and Wildlife Service uniform holds a red cardinal in his hand. — Louie Ocaranza, 2014 participant in the Directorate Resource Assistant Fellows Program

Fellowships

The Directorate Resource Assistant Fellows Program funds summer posts in biology, natural resources and other conservation-related fields for undergraduate students who have completed their junior year. The program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Student Conservation Association.

Fellows may be eligible for permanent Service jobs after successfully completing their fellowship and/or degree requirements.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a great way for students and young people to learn firsthand about conservation and explore possible careers. Opportunities are posted at volunteer.gov. To find opportunities aimed at young people, enter “student” or “teen” in the site’s search field.

Another idea: Ask your school counselor or local youth group, Scout group or service organization about opportunities for teens and students on national wildlife refuges. Wildlife refuges are favorite sites for these groups to earn badges and complete community service projects.