Summer Jobs in America’s Great Outdoors

Image via WikipediaThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the country’s 553
national wildlife refuges, hopes to hire more than 2,000 young people this
year, as it did in 2010. Apply now for a job this summer on a national
wildlife refuge or other public land. A commitment to youth hiring is part
of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative.

Go to the Refuge System web site to find 2011 youth job opportunities in
the National Wildlife Refuge System. Scroll down and click on “Student
Employment Opportunities” to learn about jobs through program partners
such as the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and AmeriCorps. You can
apply directly for some openings on partner web sites. For other
opportunities on refuges, such as those through the Youth Conservation
Corps (YCC), contact your local refuge (use the “Find Your Refuge” feature
on the Refuge System homepage).

Learn about other 2011 conservation job opportunities with the Department
of the Interior (DOI) at a new web site, http://www.youthgo.gov/ and e
xplore the Department of the Interior's Youth in the Great Outdoors
program. Listings are for both permanent and temporary jobs. DOI manages
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and several
other technical bureaus.

Youth jobs on national wildlife refuges can change lives and career
pathways. They also stimulate learning and personal growth, say those with
firsthand experience:

       Tylar Greene, from the Bronx, felt “culture shock” on arriving for
an internship in summer 2010 at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge in
New Hampshire, she recounts in a video. But she loved the work and the
moral support she got from refuge staff.


       Lexxs Sutton, a 2010 YCCer who helped build a boardwalk, maintain
trails and pull invasive plants at William L. Finley National Wildlife
Refuge in Oregon, called the work hard. Even so, she says, “I learned a
lot, and it was probably the most fun job I will ever have.”
       
       For further evidence of challenging and fun youth jobs on refuges,
see a video made by a 2010 YCC crew at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in
Alaska.

      See photos of young people at work on national wildlife refuges. Read
about youth hiring in the Northeast.

      Youth job candidates are considered without regard to race, color,
religion, sex or national origin. Most internships include a stipend, and
others are volunteer positions.

      The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others
to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader
and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our
scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources,
dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more
information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit
www.fws.gov.












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