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 fish hatcheries provide many opportunities for you to help your community and fish and wildlife by doing what you love.



National fish hatcheries partner with volunteers, youth groups, landowners, neighbors and residents of both urban and rural communities to make a lasting difference. There are opportunities for everyone to get involved!



Volunteers: Gain new experiences and meet new people while helping to advance fish and aquatic conservation.



Friends: Join neighbors in helping hatcheries work effectively in our communities.



Local Groups: Find out how communities can work with hatcheries to conserve our shared natural resources.



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. Check out our station's latest volunteer opportunities on volunteer.gov

Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery accepts volunteers and interns to help with projects and daily operations. Our 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, retirees 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.

Anyone may apply to volunteer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by completing a Volunteer Services Agreement. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old or older. All minors (<18 years old) must have paperwork completed by a guardian prior to volunteering. Organized group participation is welcomed and encouraged.

Please keep in mind that we have a limited number of volunteer and/or internship positions and we cannot always accommodate all applications.

Past volunteers and interns have worked on a wide variety of projects including fish population surveys, oyster reef construction, saltmarsh habitat restoration, fish husbandry and facility maintenance.

Volunteer opportunities include:

  • General facility grounds upkeep and maintenance such as mowing, pruning, weeding, painting, plumbing, woodworking, etc.
  • Assisting with animal husbandry
  • Leading tours and providing information to school groups and visitors
  • Improving habitat such as re-establishing oyster reefs and native plants
  • Assisting with special projects
  • Photographing a variety of natural and cultural resources.

Generally, no special skills are required to be a volunteer. Any on-the-job training is provided as needed.

A man sits on a large green lawn mower with water and a dock in the background.
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Long time volunteer mows the hatchery grounds and helps keep it looking good

Our Partners

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strives to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Partnerships foster creative solutions to challenging situations and often the results are greater than the sum of the parts. Bears Bluff NFH has many partners including local and state governments (SCDNR), non-governmental organizations, non-profits, schools, and private citizens. Environmental conservation requires teamwork; many projects at Bears Bluff NFH would not be possible without help from our partners and passionate volunteers. Learn more about our local partners.

  1. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources,
  2. NOAA National Marine Fisheries,
  3. The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, 
  4. Charleston County Parks and Recreation,
  5. The Nature Conservancy, 
  6. Lowcountry Open Land Trust 

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.

 

Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery does offer internship opportunities through programs such as Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA).

YCC is a summer youth employment program that engages young people in work experience at wildlife refugees, national parks and forest, and fish hatcheries. The program is for youth ages 15 through 18 years of age. 

A youth conservation corps boy with his back to the viewer watching as an raptor platform attached to the top of a telephone pole is being anchored into the ground
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A YCC intern watches on as a bird of prey platform that he built is being raised.

The SCA is an internship program that offers hands on experience in a variety of environmental conservation opportunities across the United States. Most of the opportunities are for students 18 and older, but they do offer youth programs as well. If you are interested in working on the conservation and restoration of our parks, public lands and urban green spaces, more information can be found here.