Environment for the Americas

Start/End Dates: May 11, 2025 - August 1, 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 recommended 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: 

Missouri National Recreational River encompasses 98 miles of the Missouri River along the South Dakota and Nebraska borders. The park is divided into two districts: the 39-Mile District and the 59-Mile District. The 39-Mile District stretches from just below Fort Randall Dam near Pickstown, SD, to Running Water, SD, and includes the last 20 miles of the Niobrara River and the last 8 miles of Verdigre Creek. The 59-Mile District extends from just below Gavin’s Point Dam near Yankton, SD (elevation: 1,180 ft) to Ponca State Park in Nebraska. While the area was once surrounded by prairie, it is now primarily agricultural with minimal prairie ecosystem remaining.

Yankton is a thriving community with a population of around 15,000 people. Throughout the summer, the town offers numerous activities and events, such as live music, trivia, karaoke, sports leagues, river and lake recreation, summer band concerts, art expos, and large festivals. Yankton also has several grocery stores, including Walmart, Hy-Vee, Walgreens, and Dollar Tree, as well as a good variety of restaurants and retail stores. Additional entertainment options include a bowling alley, movie theater, and activities center. Vermillion, home of the University of South Dakota, is located just 20 miles away and offers more dining and shopping options. Larger cities, such as Sioux Falls and Sioux City, are about an hour's drive away and provide an even greater range of shopping, restaurants, and entertainment.

MNRR and its surroundings offer numerous outdoor recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, bird watching, fishing, hunting, biking, and water sports. Average summer daytime temperatures range from the 80s to 90s, with nighttime lows in the 60s. South Dakota summers can be windy, with thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes.

This position is located at Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR) and includes a shared office workspace in the park’s headquarters building. Work will be both indoors and outdoors. Indoor duties will be conducted at a designated workstation in the seasonal interpretive office alongside other temporary summer employees. Outdoor duties will mainly occur throughout the two districts of the park and at partner locations near the river, on the river, on a lake, at park overlooks, boat ramps, and at local and state parks. Hazards may include extreme heat, sun exposure, thunderstorms, insects (including ticks), and water-related risks. Safety is the top priority, with multiple measures in place to address potential hazards.

MNRR collaborates closely with park partners for programming, allowing for substantial interaction with agencies like South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks; Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; the City of Yankton; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Army Corps of Engineers; and more.

The role requires standing for long periods, walking long distances, bending, trailer work, sitting in watercraft, and lifting moderately heavy items. The intern may experience mental stress and physical fatigue during large, well-attended community events with high outdoor temperatures and humidity. Some work may be repetitive. There will be a Community Volunteer Ambassador Intern and potentially other interns (YCC and SIP) on site for support. The intern will also have regular access to the Chief of Interpretation and the Lead Park Ranger for daily guidance.

Interns in this program will receive 480 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.