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 and fish and wildlife 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.
Volunteers: Gain new experiences and meet new people while helping to advance wildlife conservation.
Friends: Join neighbors in helping refuges restore habitat and expand access to green space.
Landowners: Learn how you can partner with the Fish and Wildlife Service to voluntarily restore land.
Local Groups: Find out how communities can work with refuges better for wildlife and people.
Youth: Explore paid and unpaid opportunities to learn and develop leadership skills.
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.
Some volunteer activities at our refuge may involve tasks such as winter rabbit tracking, habitat restoration, plant propagation, and invasive plant removal. Share your knowledge of the natural world by performing surveys or lend a hand at our visitor center by helping orient visitors to the area. We also host several volunteer days throughout the year that will appeal to anyone who would like to get their hands dirty. This is a great opportunity to learn about the refuge, what we do to protect wildlife and their habitat, gain experience, meet new people, and have fun! Please contact us by email at Thomas_Wall@fws.gov, or phone at (207) 535-9145, to sign up for the volunteer email list and learn more about the refuge.
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.
The Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is a non-profit organization with the goal of supporting the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in its mission to preserve land for migratory birds and local wildlife.
The Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge are recruiting board members to serve as robust leadership for the organization. Going forward, the Friends group will support our favorite National Wildlife Refuge by pursuing land acquisitions for the refuge, increasing community awareness about the Refuge and wildlife conservation, and supplementing refuge operations through fundraising and volunteering.
If you would be interested in volunteering for the group or learning more about becoming a Board member, please e-mail friendsofrachelcarsonnwr@gmail.com or by mail at The Friends of Rachel Carson NWR, P.O. Box 1097, Kennebunk, ME 04043..
For the latest news about the activities of our group, visit the Friends at their website or go to the Friends Facebook page.
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 Fish and Wildlife Service site, you’re bound to come away with new insights and excitement about conservation.
Every summer Northwoods Stewardship Center partners with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to hire local youth for the Youth Conservation Corps. Our refuge hosts a team at our location in Wells, Maine.
The crew leader and members must be willing to meet the mental and physical challenges of working in the outdoors by demonstrating maturity, enthusiasm, and a strong work ethic. A commitment to the environment and to your local communities is essential. Members receive a weekly wage, hands-on education, and employment experience. Crew leaders must be 19 years of age and above, and members 15-18 years of age.
Contact NorthWoods Stewardship Center at (802) 723-6551 for more information.