Ways to Get Involved
Whether you want to further conservation, learn more about nature or share your love of the outdoors, you’ve come to the right place. National wildlife refuges provide many opportunities for you to help your community by doing what you love. National wildlife refuges partner with volunteers, youth groups, landowners, neighbors and residents of urban and coastal communities to make a lasting difference. Find out how you can help make American lands healthier and communities stronger while doing something personally satisfying.
Be a part of conservation
Become a Friend: Support the refuge by becoming an active member of the Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.
The Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge were founded by a small group of dedicated volunteers in 1999, with the vision of connecting people with wildlife and nature today, tomorrow and forever. This group has grown to almost 300 members from around the world and are nationally recognized for innovations and initiatives in volunteerism.
Their mission is simple: They take a leadership role in promoting public use and enjoyment of the refuge by encouraging and facilitating environmental education and community outreach. Friends members give their time, talent, funds and spirit to support the work and conservation efforts of the refuge, while advocating for the broader mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, all contributions as tax-deductible to the full extent of current law. For more information contact the Friends at contact@friendsofnnwr.org or 608-565-4467.
Partners for Fish and Wildlife on Private Lands
Restore wildlife habitat on your property or partner with a community to bring nature back to your town.
Through this optional program, we can provide technical and financial assistance and may work in partnership with other conservation agencies to complete habitat projects. We work with residents in Juneau, Monroe, Jackson, Wood, Clark, Eau Claire, Chippewa, Taylor and Rusk counties. If you’re a landowner and want to restore habitat, provide for wildlife and reduce invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species on your working farms, forests, streams, stream corridors and recreation lands we’d love to work with you. We help landowners make their habitat projects a reality by developing and designing restoration plans, assisting with permits and providing project supervision.
Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program
More than an art contest, naturalists and artists connect students to the importance of wetlands and waterfowl. Program volunteers help connect kids to the outdoors through bird watching, science programs and journaling. Artist volunteers help students navigate new artistic techniques and the team works with visitors and groups to learn and create while participating in the Wisconsin Junior Duck Program. Art submitted from schools and programs are judged to send the best of show to the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest each year. Each year we accept new participants, new helpers and new host sites to display winning artwork and program information. Join us today!
Wisconsin contact: Katie Goodwin at Katie_goodwin@fws.gov
Master Gardeners
Juneau County Master Gardeners help our butterfly garden attract pollinators of all kinds, even human kind. Get your hands dirty in our wildlife friendly landscaping and rain gardens. Contact the refuge at Necedah@fws.gov or 608-565-2551 to help!
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. Learn new skills, meet new friends and enjoy a sense of accomplishment from doing your part to further wildlife conservation for the pleasure of generations to follow.
Give your time and talents or learn a new skill by spending time at the refuge helping out! Help collect prairie seeds, monitor birds, plant flowers, count butterflies, connect with people, interpret nature, fix equipment or rehab trails.
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. Opportunities for all ages at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge can include:
- Visitor Center Greeter
- Roving or Spot Interpreter
- Environmental Education Helper
- Office Support
- Planting - plant plugs or seeds
- Grounds Work: butterfly and rain garden helpers or landscaping in general
- Adopt a Trail - trail checks and upkeep
- Adopt a Fire Break - trail checks and reports
- Habitat Ground Truthing
Volunteers also support the refuge through the Friends of Necedah and volunteering for:
- Saturday Public Program Support
- Newsletters: content writers, graphics, editors, etc.
- Marketing: layout, contacting potential advertisers, distributing information, giving presentations, etc.
- Bookstore Clerk
- Committee members that work with the board: Grants, Scholarships, Finance, Outreach, Membership, Refuge Project Support, etc.
- Social Media Support: Facebook, webpage information
Federal Seasonal Positions and Federal Permanent Jobs
Positions that are available at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge are listed on the Federal Government employment website.
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. Learn more about our local partners.
- Aldo Leopold Foundation
- Buckhorn State Park
- Greater Tomah Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau
- International Crane Foundation
- Juneau County Economic Development Corporation
- Greater Mauston Tourism Association
- Magnum Radio Group
- Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area
- Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
- Necedah Area School District
- University of Wisconsin System
- Village of Necedah
- Volk Field / Camp Williams, U.S. Air Force
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Wisconsin Waterfowl Association
Outreach
Programs-to-Go
Friends Road Show
Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge deliver a dynamic wildlife and habitat filled overview of the refuge, onsite projects and contribute to conservation directly to your group. Request a visit from a Friends member at contact@friendsofnnwr.org or 608-565-4467
Naturalist Programs
Summer visits to your garden club, farmers market or group meeting are available on a limited basis. Naturalists bring a mixture of presentation techniques including visual projection, hands on activities and tactile wildlife items. Programs can last 45 to 90 minutes. Naturalists also have table and booth displays to attend your event for half or full days.
School and Youth Visits
Naturalists participate in organized environmental days at your site around our booked onsite field trips. Programs are grade, age and topic specific that range from wildlife themes, recreation themed to wildlife management.
“Migration INTO the Classroom” a Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program Partnership
A multiple visit project. Waterfowl migrate you’re your classroom though a visiting naturalist and artist. Learn about waterfowl and wetlands. Visit the refuge to learn more, observe in nature and journal. Follow-up programs in your classroom include artistic impression, to pull what has been learned into art. A final visit will help students finish up their artwork and submit it to the Wisconsin Junior Duck Stamp Contest.
Library Visits
Naturalists have a program to match the annual summer reading theme with a wildlife and nature twist! Families are invited to the refuge in August for a follow up activity!
Virtual Visits
Too far to travel? 2020 gave us a few new tools to visit with your group virtually, send you off into your nearby nature for a project and then reconnect virtually. Also an option for groups prior to visiting the refuge when naturalists are already booked!
Contact Us
Reservations are required in advance, on a first come first served basis and limited by staffing levels and on-site station schedules. To inquire email necedah@fws.gov or call 608-565-2551.
Education Programs
Paid Education Experiences
Youth Conservation Corps
People ages 15 to 18 years-old can apply to join our summer Youth Conservation Corps crew. Crew members spend eight weeks with a leader working and learning about on-the-ground wildlife conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Applications are available at the refuge in March. Crew members and alternates are selected through a blind drawing and contacted in May.
Scholarships and Stipends
People ages 18 to 25 years-old can also volunteer for a minimum of six weeks for refuge projects in biology, maintenance, management and visitor services. Housing is provided with a set work schedule and a minimum of a 24 hour work-week. Successful participants in college seeking a natural resource degrees can then apply for a scholarship through the Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge upon project completion.
Student Conservation Corps Internships
Seasonal positions in partnership with the Student Conservation Association offer experiences in biology, maintenance and visitor services. Refuge internships align with the organization’s mission to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.