Ways to Get Involved
Volunteering
Volunteers can do just about anything! Each volunteer experience is based on the abilities and interests of the volunteer. Common volunteer activities include staffing the visitor centers, helping with guided tours, developing outreach and informational materials, and maintaining trails and signs. At times, volunteers may be invited to help with biological surveys or fire management activities. Whether the jobs are labor intensive projects for scout or church groups, full-time internships, or regular weekly or monthly assistance, there are always needs in the various refuge program areas. If you can't come to one of the refuges in person, you might be able to help by being a Volunteer from a Distance. There may be web-related or non-internet related writing projects that need assistance.
If you'd like to contribute your skills to one of the Coastal North Carolina refuges, please reach out to Volunteer Coordinator Chrissea Rothrock.
RV Volunteers
Several refuges, including Alligator River NWR, Pocosin Lakes NWR, and Mattamuskeet NWR, have space for RVs (Resident Volunteers) who live in their own recreational vehicle on pads we provide on the refuge. We provide water, electric, sewage hook-up and laundry facilities. In return for these provisions, a couple must commit to 24 hours of service per week or a single person must commit to 32 hours of volunteer service per week. For more information, please reach out to Volunteer Coordinator Chrissea Rothrock.
Internships
Several refuges in the Coastal North Carolina NWRs Complex offer intern programs, which provide unique experiences for college students and graduates geared towards careers in the environmental sciences. Internships expose interns to many aspects of managing a refuge. For more information, please visit the Alligator River NWR, Pea Island NWR, Pocosin Lakes NWR, or Mattamuskeet NWR websites.
Our Partners
Nature does not recognize human-made boundaries. In order to conserve our natural and cultural resources effectively, we must work with others to bridge these boundaries. Partnerships foster creative solutions to challenging situations and often the results are greater than the sum of the parts.
The Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society, a nonprofit local organization, was established to provide support for continued maintenance of all refuges in the Coastal North Carolina NWRs Complex and their educational programs, and to recruit volunteers for continuation of this process. CWRS volunteers staff the Gateway Visitors Center and make many tours and programs possible.
