Volunteering
Discover for yourself what tens of thousands of volunteers have learned: Volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fun and rewarding in many ways. Master new skills. Meet new friends. Enjoy a sense of accomplishment from doing your part to further wildlife conservation for the pleasure of generations to follow. Volunteering could include (but is not limited to) assisting in visitor orientation; environmental education; maintenance of trails, roads, and wildlife resources; photography for the refuge; or any task that can aid wildlife or visitors or both. Check out our station's latest volunteer opportunities on volunteer.gov.
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is a large refuge, but much of the refuge is minimally managed to preserve it as wilderness. The town where the refuge center is located, Ajo, has a local grocery store and a health clinic, but other services are over an hour away by car or bus. If you’re looking for a small town and plenty of open space, this is the place.
For any further questions please reach out to alfredo_soto@fws.gov or call the refuge for more information on potential volunteer opportunities.
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 Arizona Game and Fish Department have personnel on the ground in the refuge at the pronghorn pen monitoring and assisting the populations, surveying bird, bat, and bighorn sheep populations, and bringing water to wildlife water sites on the refuge.
The Barry M. Goldwater Range works with our staff to make sure that flights over the refuge are safe and keep our shared access permit process up-to-date and available to everyone.
The National Park Service’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Bureau of Land Management’s Lower Sonoran Office work with our law enforcement on keeping visitors, wildlife, and refuge resources safe as well as coordinate on research, surveys, and shared issues in the area.
Customs and Border Protection work within the refuge to keep our visitors safe and keep refuge resources from degradation and destruction.
Education Programs
Open the door to a potentially life-changing experience. If you land a student internship, a fellowship or a volunteer opportunity at a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge , fish hatchery or other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site, you’re bound to come away with new insights and excitement about conservation.
If you're 15-18 years old and live in or near Ajo, Arizona, you are welcome to apply for the Youth Conservation Corps team at the refuge. In this 8-week program, you'll be paid to be part of a team of youth helping to fix and maintain refuge trails, infrastructure, and vital resources to wildlife and refuge visitors. It’s a great way to learn about the refuge, take part in the many areas of refuge management, and learn about exciting careers within the federal government. The next Youth Conservation Corps term will be Summer 2024, so keep an eye out for applications Spring 2024!
Keep an eye out on our website and Facebook page for more opportunities for college students and recent graduates through internships offered at the refuge in visitor services or biology.
