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):
*Applicants must have a valid driver’s license and good driving record
* A personal vehicle is not 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:
Qualifications:
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.
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About this Site:
National Capital Parks-East is requesting a Fish and Feather Intern. The candidate would work at two units: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Anacostia Park. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens has a protected marsh ecosystem and is a birding hotspot. Anacostia Park, which embraces both sides of the Anacostia River, is a recovering river ecosystem. Both parks are served by the same interpretive team. The Park Ranger staff has prioritized connecting the local urban community in Wards #7 and #8 to these parks. Rangers have worked closely with the Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the Friends of Anacostia Park to launch bird walks, fishing programs and new environmental education programs on the river.
At Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, the intern will be instrumental in connecting the local community to the park through bird programming. They will be trained by NPS staff and longstanding volunteers to lead bird walks with a primary focus on community outreach. They will form real relationships with park neighbors and build a strong neighborhood birding community. The intern will collaborate with local Black Birder groups and other organizations to recruit new birders. The candidate will utilize and hone their skills by developing new programming at the park, such as education programs focusing on birding and webpage development. They will collaborate closely with park staff to create lessons and articles. Interns will create opportunities to gauge the effectiveness of their programs.
The intern will also be expected to help lead the educational field trips focusing on the fish in the Anacostia River. The Anacostia Experience field trips brings students from the community into the park to learn how to fish, about the environmental history of the park, visit the park’s aquatic resource center, and experience the river firsthand with a boat tour. The intern will work directly with rangers and park partners to effectively deliver these programs and build on the provided materials to increase engagement and innovation. Their involvement will help to bridge the gap between ecology, youth, and fishing culture.
In late June, the intern will be expected to work closely with the Friends of Anacostia Park on their community fishing programs and help develop stronger interpretive and educational materials to engage the community on fish ecology and history in the park. The intern will help to connect NPS to community fishing efforts. Interns can build upon this in several ways, including creating Junior Ranger programming, working on developing future fishing instructors, and teaching community river access and fishing history.
The intern will collaborate closely with park rangers during the development of their projects. The intern will be provided with flexibility and space for creativity and ownership in these projects. Rangers will provide feedback and ideas as the projects move forward. Rangers and the intern will work with visitors and students to assess the success of the projects and how to adapt it to best serve the community. The intern will have an incredible opportunity to grow and to create important programs for the parks.
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.
This job is closed.