The National Wildlife Refuge System is a network of habitats that benefits wildlife, provides unparalleled outdoor experiences for all Americans, and protects a healthy environment. Today, there are more than 560 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts, including one within an hour's drive of most major metropolitan areas. The National Wildlife Refuge Association (Refuge Association) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife conservation through programs that support and strengthen the National Wildlife Refuge System of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

 

Building diverse and active constituencies that can mobilize support for wildlife conservation is a fundamental function of the Refuge Association. The National Tigers for Tigers Coalition (T4T) is the founding program of the Refuge Association’s Spirit Campaign, an effort to mobilize college students at tiger mascot schools to support international conservation efforts of the USFWS. Whether it involves environmental education, outreach campaigns, managing a team, or conducting meaningful conservation work, wildlife refuges offer valuable internship opportunities for our dedicated and passionate students. An internship on a national wildlife refuge can be an entryway to a great career in conservation.

 

In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Tigers for Tigers program is offering internships for dedicated students interested in pursuing a career in wildlife conservation.

 

Internship Description:

 

Tigers for Tigers Refuge Interns will spend 10-12 weeks this summer on a national wildlife refuge and will be a part of the full range of tasks involved in managing a refuge and learning more about the work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Interns will be exposed to a variety of experiences including wildlife biology, environmental education and interpretation, conservation management, outreach and other refuge operations and maintenance. Interns will be active participants in implementing meaningful conservation projects on the ground. Interns will be placed on national wildlife refuges in the southeast or northeast regions of the United States. Interns will be registered as a national wildlife refuge volunteer. This internship is unpaid, however, housing will be provided. Funding for transportation to and from the refuge will be provided.

 

Benefits:

 

• Gain exposure to the USFWS, the National Wildlife Refuge System and Refuge Friends Group management.

• Gain real world experience in natural resource conservation and wildlife management.

• Learn valuable skills for future conservation careers.

• Be eligible for a minimal stipend of $1500 to support your continuing education after completing the internship.

 

Responsibilities:

 

The intern will report to the appropriate staff members of the designated National Wildlife Refuge and will complete duties as assigned. Their responsibilities will include two blog posts about their internship experiences to be used and distributed by the Refuge Association and the Tigers for Tigers program on associated social media platforms and websites. One blog post needs to be completed halfway through the internship program. The final blog post will be a reflection piece during the last week of the internship program. The intern must produce a 60-second video about their experiences on the national wildlife refuge.

 

Qualifications:

 

The applicant must be an undergraduate student, graduate student, or recent graduate (within 2 years of degree completion) from a tiger mascot university.

 

• Tigers for Tigers student club members are strongly encouraged to apply

 

Application Process:

 

The application and selection processes will be carried out in two stages. Interested applicants should submit their application and supporting documents to the National Wildlife Refuge Association by March 15, 2016 at 5pm EST.  

 

Staff at the Refuge Association will narrow down the number of applicants.

 

The top applications will be sent directly to Refuge Managers who are interested in hosting a Tigers for Tigers summer intern. Refuge Mangers will pick their top three applicants to intern at their national wildlife refuge. We will then work with the desired applicants and refuge staff to do our best to place you at your preferred refuge.

 

All applicants will be notified by April 15, 2016 about whether or not they received the internship.  

 

Application:

 

Please fill out the online application by clicking the link below.

 

Online Application

 

In addition to filling out the online application, please send the following documents to Sean Carnell at scarnell-t4t@refugeassociation.org.

 

• Unofficial copy of transcript

• Resume

• Letter of Recommendation from a professor or previous employer

 

Please use the following format for your email subject line “T4T Refuge Internship Application – NAME”

 

For More Information:

 

Please contact Sean Carnell, the Spirit Campaign Manager of the National Wildlife Refuge Association at scarnell-t4t@refugeassociation.org.