Moapa Valley NWR Visitor Host / Maintenance Volunteer (2024 - 2025)

Facility

A bright sunset of orange, pink, and purple over countless plam trees
The Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established on September 10, 1979, to secure habitat for the endangered Moapa dace, a small fish endemic to the headwaters of the Muddy River system.

Location

Address

C/O Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89130
United States

Volunteer Position Overview

Volunteers Needed
-
Recruitment Start Date
Recruitment End Date
Days
Sunday, Friday, Saturday
Training Required
No
Security Clearance Needed
Yes
Virtual
No

About This Position

Volunteers needed for the following 3 or 4 month commitments: September - November 2024, December – February 2025, and March - May 2025.


Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1979 to protect the endangered Moapa Dace. This small desert fish was present on the very first Endangered Species list and Moapa Valley was the first refuge ever set aside specifically for a fish. The refuge features a viewing window built right into the stream so that visitors can see the Moapa dace in its natural habitat. Since there is no visitor center on site, the Moapa volunteer is the main point-of-contact for visitors. To learn more about the refuge go to www.fws.gov/refuge/moapavalley. There is also a film about the refuge https://vimeo.com/86786561.


Moapa Valley NWR seeks volunteers available to open a small National Wildlife Refuge to the public on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and an occasional weekday. As the resident host you provide orientation and interpretation and answer visitor questions. You would cover topics regarding the refuge, local natural and cultural resources, safety precautions, rules and regulations, recreational opportunities, and area services. You would also assist staff with operations and maintenance of facilities, including cleaning bathrooms, emptying trash containers, ensuring refuge is free of litter, invasive species removal, and other more complex maintenance projects within your abilities. You may also be asked to help with special events both on- and off-site. Moapa Valley refuge staff and volunteers work closely with staff and volunteers from the nearby Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.


RV or motor home utility hook-ups for electric, water, propane, and sewage are provided. The commitment requires a minimum 28 hours/week of volunteering per resident. We are currently accepting applications for March-May 2024.


The refuge is located about an hour north of Las Vegas, NV. Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Great Basin, and Death Valley National Parks are all about a half day's drive away.

Duties/Activities

Conservation Education
Fish/Wildlife
General Assistance
Tour Guide/Interpretation
Trail/Campground Maintenance
Visitor Information
Weed/Invasive Species Control

Stories About Volunteering

Little River at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
Our Partners
A deepening friendship
The Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge have secured millions of dollars in federal funds to add land to the refuge. With a new refuge visitor center on the horizon, they're expanding their role to support onsite interpretation and recreation.
an aerial view of an eroding coastal bluff on a national wildlife refuge property. Buildings, a parking lot and trees can be seen surrounding the property
Climate Change
On Cape Cod refuge, coastal change and conservation are constants
Rapid coastal erosion at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge has taken a toll on the refuge headquarters property, forcing the Service to make difficult decisions to adapt. But even as the forces of nature change the landscape under their feet, they remain steady and agile, showing up each day for...
Malheur NWR_American Avocets_Peter Pearsall.jpg
Our Partners
Two Volunteers Log More than 20,000 Hours Volunteering at National Wildlife Refuges
Mark Ackerman and Joyce Atkinson have logged 20,000 hours volunteering at three national wildlife refuges across the country. They were helping the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service achieve its mission – ensuring that future Americans will benefit from the natural resources that define our nation –...
Photo of marbled godwits at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Get Involved
Wild Wings
A selection of stories that highlight wildlife, conservation, education, and community activities at Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
A Laysan albatross lies dead on the sand, its stomach filled with plastic debris that it swallowed.
Get Involved
Oceans of Trash
Nearly every seabird on the planet now eats plastic. Fish are eating microplastics — tiny beads found in cosmetics, lotions and toothpaste. Toxic chemicals bind to microplastics, and fish swallow these, too. When we eat the fish, we also swallow the microplastics and the toxins.
Ankeny Hill Nature Center sign in the foreground, the nature center in the background, in a meadow.
Motus: Revolutionizing Data Collection, One Bird at a Time
Some migratory shorebirds fly long distances. We mean really, really long distances. Shorebirds can fly from as far away as South America to the northern end of Alaska in the summer and back again during the winter on a pathway known as the Pacific Flyway. But where do birds fly? How do we know...

Other Ways to Work with Us

Are you looking for something different than a volunteer opportunity? The Fish and Wildlife Service employs around 9,000 people nationwide and offers great internship opportunities every year.