Volunteer and Intern Programs
The Southeast Louisiana Refuges depends on volunteers to support many of our activities. Biological surveys, school tours, maintenance, administration and most other aspects of our work involve help from volunteers. We value the time they contribute and their initiative and enjoy their company, too.
To see a description of the various programs on this page, click on a link, below.
Interns
Internship opportunities occasionally exist at Southeast Louisiana Refuges in three different areas of study, Environmental Education, Biology and Forestry. All internships offer housing and a $75.00 per week subsistence assistance. We require that you have your own car while here and stay for at least twelve weeks.
Biology - These positions will give the student a good overview of field biology work in a refuge setting. Wetlands, forest ecology, endangered species and fire management are a few of the ongoing projects in our biology department.
Forestry - Forestry interns learn the day to day operation of a forest management program. Cruising timber, tree planting, fire management and more tasks will be performed alongside our foresters. Pine forests and bottomland hardwoods are the habitats we manage.
Environmental Education - Interns in these positions perform front-line interpretation. Public tours including canoe trips, hikes, bird watching trips and more are offered on the weekends to the general public. School groups and other groups such as scouts fill up most of the weekday dates. Established programs teach the students wetland ecology, forest ecology and wildlife management and help students understand the mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. We work closely with other Environmental Education institutions in the area including The Louisiana Nature Center and the Northlake Nature Center, so interns learn about different types of environmental education programming.
Environmental Education Internships
Location: Refuge Complex headquarters in Lacombe, Louisiana, approximately 40 minutes north of New Orleans. Refuges administered: Atchafalaya NWR, Bayou Sauvage NWR, Big Branch Marsh NWR, Bogue Chitto NWR, Breton NWR, Delta NWR Bayou Teche NWR and Mandalay NWR.
Positions Available: Internships are occasionally available throughout the year.
Duration: Internships are offered usually for a 12-week period that coincides with academic schedules for spring, summer, fall and winter, but this is flexible. Daily hours are 8:00a.m - 4:00 p.m., 40 hours per week. Hours may vary depending on scheduled events and specific assignments.
Duties: Work will include; leading canoe trips, presenting programs at area schools, leading school groups on programs at the refuges, operating the visitor center, assisting permanent staff in equipment and facility maintenance.
© Bob Werner
Applicants should be willing to do strenuous work outdoors under extreme weather conditions. Transportation on the job will be provided; however, interns must provide daily transportation to and from work. A valid drivers license is required.
Benefits: Interns will receive $15 per day ($75/week) and housing is provided, if needed. Valuable field experience will be gained. A working knowledge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be useful in future career decisions.
To request an application or for more Information, please contact:
Volunteer Coordinator, Environmental Education Interns
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
61389 Hwy 434
Lacombe, Louisiana 70445
southeastlouisiana@fws.gov
or call 985-882-2000
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Forestry Internships
Location: Refuge Complex headquarters in Lacombe, Louisiana, approximately 40 minutes northeast of New Orleans. Refuges administered: Atchafalaya NWR, Bayou Sauvage NWR, Big Branch Marsh NWR, Bogue Chitto NWR, Breton NWR, Delta NWR, Bayou Teche NWR and Mandalay NWR.
Positions Available: Internships are occasionally available throughout the year
Duration: Internships are offered usually for a 12-week period that coincides with academic schedules for spring, summer, fall and winter, but this is flexible. Daily hours are 7:00a.m - 3:30 p.m., 40 hours per week. Hours may vary depending on scheduled events and specific assignments.
Duties: Work will include; cruising timber, data entry, supervising logging operations, forest habitat improvement projects and boundary marking.
Applicants should be willing to do strenuous work outdoors under extreme weather conditions. Transportation on the job will be provided; however, interns must provide daily transportation to and from work. A valid drivers license is required.
Benefits: Interns will receive $15 per day ($75/week) and housing is provided, if needed. Valuable field experience will be gained. A working knowledge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be useful in future career decisions.
To request an application or for more information, please contact:
Volunteer Coordinator, Forestry Interns
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
61389 Hwy 434
Lacombe, Louisiana 70445
southeastlouisiana@fws.gov
or call 985-882-2000
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RV Volunteers
© Tom Carlisle
Living at the refuge and working there three days a week is a wonderful way to experience what the refuge is all about. It is only open to those volunteer candidates who own their own self-contained recreational vehicle. Volunteers commit to work at the refuge 24 hours per person per week for couples or 32 hours per week for individuals, for a minimum of thirty days.
In exchange for their services, the refuge provides a full hook-up RV pad plus access to garbage and laundry facilities. Volunteers perform work in the same area of operations as do our general volunteer staff, i.e. visitor services, environmental education and resource management. Often though, these volunteers take on a complex task and take it from an idea to completion.
We accept applications for resident volunteers year-round, but the winter months are much more popular.
To request an application or for more information, please contact:
Volunteer Coordinator, RV Volunteers
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
61389 Hwy 434
Lacombe, Louisiana 70445
southeastlouisiana@fws.gov
or call 985-882-2000
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Local Volunteers
This group of volunteers are the backbone of our operation. They help us maintain the grounds, give educational tours, perform maintenance, run the visitor center, do biological projects and many more things.
© Tom Carlisle
Local volunteers may come everyday, once a week or only for a special event once a year. Many of the things the refuge does would not happen if it were not for this corps of volunteers.
Volunteer tasks include; carpentry for nest box and interpretive display construction and installation, grounds and garden maintenance, litter control, habitat restoration, environmental education, visitor center operation, administrative, assistance, boardwalk repair, boardwalk construction, wildlife monitoring, wildlife surveys, leading weekend tours and planning and staffing special events.
To request an application or for more information, please contact:
Volunteer Coordinator, Local Volunteers
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
61389 Hwy 434
Lacombe, Louisiana 70445
southeastlouisiana@fws.gov
or call 985-882-2000
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Last Updated on
August 17, 2008