Environment for the Americas seeks Fish and Feathers Intern at Big Thicket

Fish and Feathers is a program funded by the National Park Service (NPS) and administered by Environment for the Americas. Our goal is to provide our national park partners with talented interns who are eager to learn and to engage with local communities.  The intern will focus on supporting, implementing, and leading community outreach programs that focus on fishing and birding activities. The overall goal is to increase diverse community engagement with NPS partners during the program and in years to come.

The fishing intern at Big Thicket will be involved in opportunities to directly and indirectly engage with visitors in shared environmental stewardship. They will be assisting the park with 2 public fishing days, 3 to 4 pop-up fishing programs, and 3 to 4 paddle programs that teach about fishing. This will help visitors learn more about the fish and what makes a healthy habitat for fishing. Modeling positive interactions with the environment will help motivate youth participants to become more involved in natural resource protection and education. This intern will be working alongside the other staff and interns at Big Thicket and will be a valued member of the interpretation division. Big Thicket during the summer is hot and humid. There will be time in the office for time to work on social media postings, but the programming will take place outdoors.

Duties:

• Reach out to local communities through outreach and educational activities to increase engagement in fishing and birdwatching
• Create new materials (i.e., social media, educational games/activities, signage, etc.) to provide visitors with information about fish and birds at the NPS site
• Understand regulations regarding fishing and ethical birding and communicate this information to participants
• Establish or build upon fishing and birding programs at the NPS site
• Manage and maintain program equipment
• Meet deadlines for Environment for the Americas program requirements 

Qualifications:

• Ability to hike long distances and conduct field operations as part of a team and/or independently in an outdoor setting.
• Experience giving presentations and ability to learn new skills and transfer the knowledge to participants.
• Interest in learning fishing regulations and bird identification for program development and implementation.
• Ability to learn methods employed in fish and wildlife management.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, listening, and written communication skills.
• Interest in learning new skills such as rafting, canoeing, and kayaking.

Education:

Successful candidates will have a background and/or coursework in the following areas or a strong interest in the outdoors with experience fishing and/or birdwatching.

• Biology
• Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
• Ecology
• Aquaculture
• Communications/Marketing
• Environmental Science
• Recreation
• Interpretation/Education

Start Date: May 15, 2023

End Date: August 4, 2023

All Fish & Feathers interns must attend the mandatory pre-internship workshop from May 15 – 19, 2023

Compensation: $600/week + housing

Application Due: February 6th, 2023

The Fish & Feathers Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers.

Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

All interns must be fully vaccinated for covid-19 prior to the start of their internship.

Please Apply HERE