Attn: Hispanic/Latino Students

PAID Summer Internships/Urban Wildlife Refuges

Apply by 1/20 for best consideration (later applications also considered).

Hispanic/Latino students living in the Northeastern US who are interested in urban environmental issues and community outreach should consider this paid Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF) summer internship opportunity.

HAF will place seven students in 12-week summer positions at US Fish and Wildlife urban refuges in the Northeast region, including sites in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.  Local students with strong ties to the Latino community are strongly preferred. Students will receive a weekly stipend of $400, and all housing and transportation costs will be covered. Highest priority will be given to applications received by January 20. 

Some positions that may be of particular interest are:

Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, which serves Baltimore and Washington, D.C.: The assignment will involve a variety of activities including field work and community engagement. Typical activities could include trail maintenance, invasive species removal, environmental education, and community outreach programs. The position is appropriate for students with a wide variety of backgrounds and interest in the fields of natural resources management, sciences, education and/or communication. The intern will be based at the Patuxent refuge site in Laurel, MD.

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, PA: The assignment will focus on educating, engaging and connecting the community with the urban refuge site. Typical activities could include developing environmental education and community programs on and off-site, working at the visitors’ services center, and similar community outreach. The position is appropriate for students with background or interest in the fields of urban development, environmental sciences and related topics. The assignment will be based at the refuge in Philadelphia, PA.

Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts, which serves the greater Boston area: The assignment will involve a combination of public outreach and field work, appropriate for students in the areas of education, sciences, and/or communication. Examples of typical activities include educational programs for children, bird surveys, horseshoe crab tagging, coordinating volunteers and other interaction with visitors. The assignment will be based at the Assabet Visitors’ Center in Sudbury, MA.

Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge in New England, which serves urban areas across four states including Springfield, Mass.: The assignment will include a variety of activities to support the refuge's biology, visitor services, and maintenance programs. Typical activities could include trail maintenance, environmental education and invasive species removal. The position is appropriate for students with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests in the fields of natural resources, sciences, education and/or communication. The intern will work primarily at refuge sites in Hadley and Springfield, MA.

Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Connecticut, which also serves The New Haven Harbor Watershed Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership in New Haven, Conn.: The assignment will involve a combination of environmental education and outreach, habitat improvement and other public engagement activities. The intern will divide his/her time between activities at the Peabody Museum and at New Haven parks. The position is appropriate for students with strong writing and communication skills, with background or interest in fields such as environmental sciences, education and/or communication. The work will be conducted at urban sites in New Haven, CT.

Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge Complex in New Jersey, which serves the greater New York City metropolitan area: The assignment will be heavily focused on biology, including species surveys and invasive control. Some trail maintenance, community outreach and environmental education activities will be included. The intern will be based and housed at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Basking Ridge, NJ.

Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which serves Providence, RI: The assignment will involve a variety of environmental education and outreach activities at urban parks in Providence. Typical activities could include children’s environmental education programs, creating educational materials and conducting outreach to engage the public in park activities. Past interns have worked with a variety of partners to connect families with nature through the arts. The position is appropriate for students with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests in the fields of environmental sciences, education, arts and communication. The work will be conducted at urban park sites in Providence, RI.