Housing Support: On-site housing available, at no cost to Fellow

Housing Description: Functional, clean, double-wide mobile home. Housing is on the Marinoff Tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, less than a 5-minute drive to the Santa Ana NWR Headquarters office on Military Highway. The Fellow would be able to utilize a government-furnished vehicle to drive to and from the office if needed. Groceries and other needs are within a 10-minute drive of the house.

Valid Driver’s License: Required

Transportation Support Description: Limited public transportation is available at this site location. A personal vehicle or alternate mode of transportation (such as ridesharing via Uber, Lyft, etc.) at the Fellow’s expense, is required for commuting to and from work and personal needs. Fellow may use a government-furnished vehicle to drive to and from the office from the bunkhouse. Public transportation near the refuge office and bunkhouse is limited, but U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff will assist the Fellow in obtaining any essential needs and services in town.

Position Description: The South Texas Refuge Complex (STRC)—made up of the Santa Ana and Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuges—is positioned along an east-west and north-south juncture of two major migratory routes for many species of birds. It is also at the northern-most point for many species whose range extends south into Central and South America. STRC is right in the middle of all this biological diversity, which is what has given Santa Ana NWR the name of the "jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System." The Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR protects the last 275 river miles of the Rio Grande, covering a wide range of habitats and offers visitors an opportunity to see birds, butterflies and many other species not found anywhere else in the United States beyond deep South Texas.

The importance of this position to conservation is to gain a deeper insight into the needs of our communities, especially those voices who have not been heard and those who have not historically been provided a seat at the table. The issues of conservation are ever evolving and becoming more complex, therefore requiring conservation agencies and professionals to understand how to best involve a larger public to support conservation for generations into the future. This position will help refuge staff take a more strategic approach for designing and implementing our outreach efforts.

To implement this position, the selected Fellow will be responsible for:

• Interviewing and interacting with many neighbors, community members, and partners;
• Analyzing existing research and data;
• Creating a written report that will guide outreach efforts and management at the STRC; and
• Creating a presentation that will be shared and presented to different programs and levels of the USFWS including STRC staff, Region 2 Regional Office, NCTC, Urban Wildlife Conservation Program leadership, and others.

Minimum Education Level: Open for consideration to undergraduate rising seniors/seniors and graduate students who will not complete their degree requirements before September 22, 2024.

Fields of Study:

• Biological Sciences
• Education/Outreach
• Human Dimensions/Social Sciences/Humanities/Liberal Arts
• Communication/Marketing

Working Conditions Requirements: 

• Fluency in English and Spanish
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both written and orally.

Desired Characteristics: 

• Interpersonal skills
• Cross-cultural communication skills
• Public speaking skills
• Technical writing skills