RV Volunteer: General Helper

Facility

sunset landscape with brown tall grasses
Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge
Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge provides a unique opportunity to view wildlife in a variety of habitats. Located in northeastern New Mexico at an elevation of 6050', the refuge encompasses 3,700 acres of short grass prairie, playa lakes, wetlands, woodlots, and agricultural lands. It is...
National Wildlife Refuge
Maxwell,NM

Location

Address

168 Lake 13 Road
Maxwell, NM 87728
United States

Volunteer Position Overview

Volunteers Needed
-
Recruitment Start Date
Recruitment End Date
Training Required
No
Security Clearance Needed
Yes
Virtual
No
Apply Now

About This Position

Volunteer with us at Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge!


Background

Located in northeastern New Mexico at an elevation of 6050’, Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) encompasses 3,699 acres of short-grass prairie, playa lakes, woodlots, wetlands, and crop fields. The refuge sits in an open basin surrounded by high mesas to the northeast and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west. Since 1965 this landscape has been managed for the benefit of wildlife and has provided feeding and resting habitat for migratory birds. 


Maxwell NWR is part of the Northern New Mexico NWR Complex, which also includes Las Vegas and Rio Mora NWRs.


Volunteer Position

The Northern New Mexico NWR Complex strives to maintain a Queer/LGBTQA+ and BIPOC-friendly space and work environment. Working and living at this station requires the ability to work with, take direction from, and live near people of all ages, backgrounds, and personality types. Positive outlooks and flexibility are key to success at this refuge complex. We welcome RV volunteers of all backgrounds to apply!


We are seeking individuals or a couple to serve as general volunteers for the FY 2024. We are flexible on exact volunteer dates. We will consider couples if we can find an appropriate position for your partner. RV pads are the only available housing.


The General Volunteer Position requires that you work 24 hours per week (typically three 8-hour days) for the agreed upon volunteer duration. Your lunch break will be one hour off duty near the midpoint of the day. Duties will vary throughout the year, but common duties may include; maintaining facilities (visitor center, tour loop, parking areas, trails and the year round campground), landscaping, staffing the visitor center, outreach and education, assisting with wildlife surveys (waterfowl, elk, prairie dog, etc.), assisting with farming and water delivery, and assisting the other refuges within in the complex (Las Vegas and Rio Mora NWRs).


Please list at least two volunteer or professional work references on your application.


Important Information to Know:


We currently only have RV pads available for the season, all volunteers must have a self-contained RV. There is currently 1 RV pad at Maxwell NWR. There is no community building, the Maintenance Shop is near the RV campground and there is a laundry facility, refrigerator and bathroom (no shower) that volunteers have access to.  Due to the nature of our site, we require that all individuals using shared amenities be full-time RV volunteers (24 hours/week).


The nearest city is Raton (30 minutes drive). The station is considered connected but cell service and internet are weak and can fluctuate. Power outages can be frequent (especially during the monsoon season) and this can result in periods of limited cell coverage and wi-fi. As you may be the only residents on-site, it can feel very remote living on the beautiful Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge.

Duties/Activities

Campground Maintenance
Conservation Education
Construction/Maintenance
Fish/Wildlife
General Assistance
Pest/Disease Control
Science
Soil/Watershed
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.
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...
Brenda Williams, volunteer at Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, smiles as she holds a tray and stands near a grill where food is being cooked.
Our People
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.

View All Stories

Other Ways to Work with Us

Refuge volunteers hard at work and trying to take a good selfie
Image Details

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.

Careers and Internships