Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Resident Volunteers

Facility

A flock of black-and-white shorebirds with upturned beaks rest in perfectly still water
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 to provide nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including the greater snow geese and other migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and neotropical migrants; to provide habitat and protection for...

Location

Address

NC 12 south for shipping: 708 N Hwy 64, Manteo, NC 27954;
Rodanthe, NC 27968
United States

Volunteer Position Overview

Volunteers Needed
-
Recruitment Start Date
Recruitment End Date
Days
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Training Required
No
Security Clearance Needed
No
Virtual
No
Suitability
Groups, Families, 55+

About This Position

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge hosts resident volunteers year round. Our RV site is located on Bodie Island, about 20 miles north of our visitor center on Pea Island . Each site has electric (30/50amp), water and sewer hook-up, and a laundry facility in a nearby bunkhouse. There is cell coverage with fair strength depending on the service carrier but no internet service. Most RV’s use their “hotspot” or the nearby bunkhouse. This position is primarily for Visitor Center assistance, but light maintenance and program assistance may also be needed. Alligator River and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges have diverse programs which utilize volunteers of all ages and abilities. There are many areas in which workcampers can be of great use to the refuges. In addition to the visitor center staffing, Resident Volunteers can provide, general maintenance; assist with Interpretation, education and outreach, and assist in the Pea Island and “Gateway” Visitor Centers and gift shops which are usually open seven days a week. In return for above listed service, a couple must commit to 24 hours of service per week. A single person must commit to 32 hours of service per week. A three month minimum commitment is preferred, and we will accept longer if available and the need exists. This opportunity is open for a 4 month commitment as we have had a cancelation.

Duties/Activities

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

Stories About Volunteering

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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.
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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...
Brenda Williams, volunteer at Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, smiles as she holds a tray and stands near a grill where food is being cooked.
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Count On Me
In the heart of the Lowcountry in South Carolina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has five houses, more than 36,000 acres, an historic rice-growing plantation, two major rivers, and a 7,500-square foot facility, which is open to the public.
Volunteer Tom Ress holds radio telemetry equipment as he tracks cranes in Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.
Our People
Count on Me
After a long career with the Department of Defense, working on multi-million-dollar security programs and weapons systems for the U.S. Armed Forces and with partner nations, serving all over the Southeast and abroad, Tom Ress took refuge. “I love the outdoors and nature and found myself spending an...

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.