Fish and Feathers Internship - ONSITE - Gulf Islands National Seashore 

Start/End Dates: May 12, 2024 - August 2, 2024
Compensation: $600 per week + housing
Application Due: February 6, 2024

Fish and Feathers Internship Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers.
You must be (additional requirement):

• a U.S. citizen or legal resident

* Applicants must have a valid driver's license and a good driving record. 

 * No personal vehicle is required for this position.

Position Description: 

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.

Responsibilities:

• 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 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.

Major studies relevant to this position: 

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

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About this Site:

As a member of Gulf Islands National Seashore’s (GUIS) Resource Education team, interns will have opportunities to work with National Park Service (NPS) professionals in the fields of interpretation and education, customer service, and environmental stewardship. Interns will learn transferable skills like leadership, teamwork, verbal and non-verbal communication, organization, and time management.

Interns will receive training and coaching in developing and delivering on-site, pre-scheduled formal interpretation presentations to diverse audiences in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Interns will support formal programs like the park’s kayak program and nature walks. Interns will work to create a new program using lessons and techniques they acquire through training and hands-on experience. Finally, interns will engage visitors through informal “roving” interpretation and connect visitors to the park’s natural resources and recreational opportunities.

In coordination with their supervisor and partners, interns will plan, schedule, and host events centered on fishing, birding, and recreation. The intern will partner with organizations like Santa Rosa Island Authority, Gallery Night Pensacola, Pensacola Parks and Recreation, Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program, Florida Public Archaeology Network, Francis M. Weston Audubon Society, and Camp Happy Sands to host or staff events like the Sea Turtle Baby Shower, Sustainable Summer (Gallery Night), Camp Happy Sands Day Camp, Naval Live Oaks Kayak Tours, Beginning Fishing Camp, and Bird Walks.

With training and guidance from a supervisor, interns will research, write, edit, and review content for the park website, the NPS App, and/or social media. Content will help expand non-personal services through digital platforms and increase public awareness, knowledge, and support for fishing, birding, outdoor recreation, and the natural environment. 

Interns will receive opportunities for professional development. Interns will interact with NPS professionals who specialize in different disciplines and receive coaching to pursue careers in public service, environmental education, and resource protection.

Interns in this program will receive 480 hours towards Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. See below on information about:

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s), the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal, term, or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on USAJobs.gov and selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information, see DOI Personnel Bulletins 11-02 , 12-13, and 17-03.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employmentand prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.