Fish and Feathers Internship Program - ONSITE - Big Cypress National Preserve

Start/End Dates: May 11, 2025 - September 6, 2025
Compensation: $640 per week housing
Application Due: February 9, 2025

Fish and Feathers Internship Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers.
You must be (additional requirement):

• A U.S. citizen or legal resident.

• Have a valid driver’s license and a good driving record.

* A personal vehicle is required for this position. 

Position Description: 

Fish and Feathers is a program funded by the National Park Service (NPS) and administered by Environment for the Americas. Our goal is to provide our national park partners with talented interns who are eager to learn and to engage with local communities. The intern will focus on supporting, implementing, and leading community outreach programs that focus on fishing and birding activities. The overall goal is to increase diverse community engagement with NPS partners during the program and in years to come.

Responsibilities:

• Reach out to local communities through outreach and educational activities to increase engagement in fishing and birdwatching
• Create new materials (i.e., social media, educational games/activities, signage, etc.) to provide visitors with information about fish and birds at the NPS site
• Understand regulations regarding fishing and ethical birding and communicate this information to participants
• Establish or build upon fishing and birding programs at the NPS site
• Manage and maintain program equipment
• Meet deadlines for Environment for the Americas program requirements 

Qualifications:

• Ability to hike and conduct field operations as part of a team and/or independently in an outdoor setting.
• Experience giving presentations and ability to learn new skills and transfer the knowledge to participants.
• Interest in learning fishing regulations and bird identification for program development and implementation.
• Ability to learn methods employed in fish and wildlife management.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, listening, and written communication skills.
• Interest in learning new skills such as rafting, canoeing, and kayaking.

Major studies relevant to this position: 

Successful candidates will have a background and/or coursework in the following areas or a strong interest in the outdoors with experience fishing and/or birdwatching.

• Biology
• Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
• Ecology
• Aquaculture
• Communications/Marketing
• Environmental Science
• Recreation
• Interpretation/Education

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About this Site: 

The history the National Park Service has with land rights, and access to land is something that sets Big Cypress apart, as being one of the first national preserves, we highlight access to the land. This access, which includes hunting and fishing in addition to the expected bird watching opportunities, is identified in our park significance and purpose. 

The summer months in south Florida can be very hot and humid with temperatures averaging in the 80-90's, and very high humidity in the range of 70-90%. Summer is considered the wet season where we get afternoon showers and thunderstorms that average on about 20-30 minutes long. 

While within the preserve is remote, the intern will be about 30 minutes away from major population centers including Naples and Marco Island where there are plenty of grocery stores, medical facilities, drug stores, as well as activities such as beaches, paddling, the movies, gyms, and many other options as well.  The intern will be about 90 minutes from Homestead and 2-hours from Miami. 

The intern must be able to withstand that heat, and be comfortable walking through the swamp, often waist deep in water, over uneven footing and terrain. The wildlife in the area is plentiful, including alligators, snakes, lots of bugs and mammals such as the Florida black bear and the Florida Panther. Though these animals are present, there is very little risk they pose to people recreating in the swamp. 

Park housing will be a private room in a shared house approximately a quarter mile from the intern's duty station. While the house does not have WiFi, an open WiFi connection is available at Park Headquarters. Additionally major cell phone carriers (Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile) all have good reception at housing that allows for streaming.

Interns in this program will receive 680 hours towards Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. See below on information about:

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s), the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal, term, or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on USAJobs.gov and selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information, see DOI Personnel Bulletins 11-02 , 12-13, and 17-03.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employmentand prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Salary : $640