Outdoor Recreation and Community Access Intern - Onsite Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Start/End Dates: August 31st, 2026 - August 13th, 2027 (50 weeks)

Compensation: $600 per week + $450 per month in assistance for  housing, gear support, and commuting support (if needed)

Application Due: July 26th, 2026

Environment for the Americas internship programs seek to engage young professionals in natural resource and conservation careers. To participate, you must:

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  Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident

  
  


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  Be between the ages of 18–30 (35 for veterans).

  
  


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  Undergo a background check if selected

  
  


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  Have a valid driver’s license to operate a government vehicle

  
  


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  A personal vehicle is required for this position
  
  

  
  

Position Description: 

Environment for the Americas (EFTA), in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (Refuge), is seeking a motivated Visitor Services & Community Engagement Intern to expand connections between local communities and public lands agencies. This internship supports the Refuge’s efforts to strengthen public access, deepen community relationships, and broaden conservation engagement—particularly through fishing, birding, and other outdoor recreation opportunities.

The intern will play a key role in researching community needs, developing partnerships, and implementing culturally relevant and accessible programs that introduce target audiences to nearby public lands.

Responsibilities:

Visitor Services & Interagency Collaboration

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  Coordinate with the Visitor Services Manager and Refuge staff on visitor services–related projects and initiatives.

  
  


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  Regularly participate in joint community events to support access, outreach, and public engagement.

  
  

Community Outreach & Access Expansion

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  Increase community access to outdoor recreation and environmental education by bringing programs directly into surrounding communities through schools, parks, community centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, and similar venues.

  
  


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  Develop approaches to bring local community members onto public land sites through facilitated field trips, guided programs, and transportation-based access solutions.

  
  


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  Engage communities through fishing, hunting, birding, and other nature-based recreation.

  
  

Research & Program Development

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  Conduct community research to identify barriers, opportunities, and needs related to outdoor participation and engagement with public lands.

  
  


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  Create or strengthen coordination among state agencies, military base partners, and conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to build new outdoor recreation programs such as youth hunter education, mentored hunting and fishing experiences, Leave No Trace courses, and outdoor skills programs.

  
  

Education, Interpretation & Public Programming

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  Provide and assist with hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation-related programs at the Refuge, partner sites, and within local communities.

  
  


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  Support Visitor Services projects including public events, environmental education days, recreational access initiatives (e.g., expanded fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing), and special Refuge programming.

  
  


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  Create or assist with outreach materials, interpretive tools, social media content, and virtual presentations to broaden public engagement.

  
  

Community Relationship Building

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  Build an understanding of local cultural values, traditions, and community interests to ensure programming is relevant, welcoming, and inclusive.

  
  


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  Work with Refuge staff to deepen relationships with community leaders, educators, families, and organizations to sustain long-term engagement.

  
  


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  Train partners, peers, and volunteers to deliver established outdoor recreation and community access programming, as needed.
  
  

  
  

Qualifications:

Required

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  Ability to professionally represent EFTA, USFWS, and other partners.

  
  


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  Capacity to work independently while contributing effectively to a team.

  
  


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  Knowledge of natural resource conservation and cultural resource protections.

  
  


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  Strong desire to communicate and build partnerships with diverse community members.

  
  


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  Strong writing skills with solid understanding of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

  
  


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  Attention to detail and strong organizational skills.

  
  


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  Ability to communicate effectively with supervisors, staff, partners, and the public.

  
  


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  Ability to perform essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

  
  


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  Willingness to travel to off-site partner locations for official duties.

  
  

Preferred

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  Degree or current pursuit of a degree in wildlife management, wildlife conservation, conservation biology, public administration, or related field of study.

  
  


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  Previous work or volunteer experience in community outreach, youth programming, conservation education, or public interpretation.

  
  


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  Familiarity with federal and/or state land management agencies, their missions, and operations.

  
  


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  Experience with fishing, birding, hunting, or outdoor recreation skills is beneficial but not required.
  
  

  
  

About the site:

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge lies along the eastern edge of the Pacific Flyway and the western edge of the Central Flyway, making it an important resting, feeding, and nesting area for birds in both flyways. Birds visit the Refuge by the tens of thousands with more than 200 bird species stopping there throughout the year and 67 species nesting on the Refuge. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge contains nearly 80,000 acres of marsh, open water, uplands, and alkali mudflats. The marshes and open water are managed using a complex system of dikes and water control structures to provide a variety of water depths suitable for the needs of different waterbird species. The Refuge is an excellent place to observe wildlife along a 12-mile auto tour, as well as to enjoy hunting, fishing and wildlife photography. 

The Refuge is considered an urban refuge due to its proximity to Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah, and its location within the Wasatch Front. The Wasatch Front is an increasingly urban area. This position offers the opportunity to work with this growing community while creating new opportunities for residents as the region continues to grow. 

On the ancestral homelands of the Shoshone, Paiute, Bannock, and Ute people known as the Newe or Meme (the People), the Refuge lands and waters support diverse plant and animal species in a mosaic of mudflats, river deltas, brackish and freshwater marshes, temporary ponds, and uplands. 

For more information about the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, please visit: 

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear-river-migratory-bird

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)

This position qualifies to receive Public Land Corps Hiring Authority.

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 employment and 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.