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.
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. Check out our station's latest volunteer opportunities on volunteer.gov.
Volunteers are individuals who want to give back to their communities, parents who want to be good stewards of the land and set examples for their children, retired people willing to share their wealth of knowledge, concerned citizens of all ages who want to learn more about conservation, and passionate people who enjoy the outdoors and want to spread the word about America's greatest natural treasures. Volunteers are folks who value our national treasures and want to see them passed on to future generations.
Generally, no special skills are required to be a volunteer. Any on-the-job training is provided if needed. Individual talents and skills are matched with interests and work opportunities.
We especially need volunteers who will help with staffing the information desk and environmental education programs. The main requisite to being a volunteer at the information desk is to enjoy meeting and talking with people, be willing to assist visitors, and smile!
Volunteers have fun assisting people from all over the world while learning firsthand about Sevilleta’s numerous and fascinating wildlife and amazing geologic diversity. If you are interested in wildlife, like people, enjoy learning and helping others learn about wildlife; this is the job for you!!
Other types of activities the refuge needs help with include:
- Painting
- Fence building
- Sign posting
- Constructing display shelves
- Trail maintenance
- Janitorial cleaning
- Invasive species mapping and surveys
- Plant identification
- Planting trees
- Filing and answering phones
- Computer data base entry
- Trail walks
- Staffing table top exhibit at off-site events
- Taking photos
- Picking up litter
- Giving guided tours and Visitor Center tours
Though training will be provided when necessary, some of these positions require knowledge of the subject.
Sevilleta has two types of volunteers – local and residential. Local volunteers live in neighboring communities whereas resident volunteers commit to living on and volunteering for the refuge for an extended period.
Accommodations for Resident Volunteers:
The refuge has three full hook-up trailer pads. Each site has water and electric (50 amp, 220v hook-up). Laundry facilities are located on the site. The refuge also has two modular homes available for volunteers. Volunteers must commit to volunteering a minimum of 24 hours a week per person, for a minimum of three months.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the volunteer coordinator at (505) 864-4021.
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 primary partner of the refuge is the Amigos de la Sevilleta Friends Group. This non-profit organization is dedicated to supporting Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in the conservation of wildlife and habitats through environmental education and research. The organization envisions a rich and healthy future for the refuge's ecosystem. The Amigos and refuge staff have an outreach program in place to increase public awareness of Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge's research projects, conservation efforts, and its vast wild beauty.
Another partner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the refuge is the Bureau of Land Management. These two Department of the Interior Agencies jointly manage the scenic San Lorenzo Canyon.
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.
The value of educating young people about the environment is beyond measure and is a priority of the refuge. Wildlife conservation and nature depend upon the education of future generations. Because children learn about the environment by interacting with it, environmental instruction with hands-on experiences are available for children of all ages.
Such experiences play a crucial role in shaping lifelong attitudes toward wildlife and nature. The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge is committed to creating such educational experiences through environmental education programs that include on-site activities, outreach programs and classroom experiences for students.
For information about environmental education programs, please call the Visitor Services Manager at (505) 864-4021.