Fish and Feathers Internship Program - ONSITE - Rocky Mountain National Park East

Environment for the Americas • Estes Park, CO

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Fish and Feathers Internship Program seeks to engage young professionals in natural resource careers. 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. This application is for a Fish & Feathers Intern in the East Side District (ESD) of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP / ROMO). The F&F intern will gain "real world" and hands-on experience within the fields of Interpretation, Education, and Natural Resources, with multiple opportunities to learn about other teams and divisions. The intern will participate in developmental opportunities like working at the visitor center desk, roving areas and trails, assisting with some outreach programs, and shadowing other teams/divisions. For the past two years, RMNP has been building a Junior Angler Program. The park has successfully secured funding through the NPF Junior Angler Grant and Rocky Mountain Conservancy grants to build this program. RMNP hosted F&F interns in 2022 and 2023, who helped with running the Junior Angler Program. Receiving a F&F intern in 2024 will give us the benefit of completing interpretive and educational projects/goals like ensuring the continuity and the future success of this program. This position will give the intern the opportunity to be autonomous by creating original programs, and allows them to interact and engage with the public, park staff, and other interns. The East-side F&F intern will work with park staff to present weekly Junior Angler fishing programs, and assist with a few special fishing events throughout the summer. The intern will have a couple opportunities to collaborate with or assist the West-side (Colorado River District – CRD) fishing program where the park collaborates with the National Sports Center for the Disabled to provide accessible fishing opportunities. The intern will create and present 15-minute interpretive programs about fish or birds at various locations such as: two different visitor centers, Junior Ranger Headquarters, picnic/day-use areas or trailheads, and other areas throughout the east side of the park. In 2023, the F & F intern (along with our LHIP intern) also assisted our Diversity Internship Coordinator with EVICS (Estes Valley Investment in Childhood Success) Family Resource Center outreach programs; we hope to continue this in 2024. Final products for the internship include engaging educational fish and bird programs given to the public with supplemental outlines/instructions to continue laying the groundwork for future programming.

Requirements

• Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
• Be between the ages of 18 - 30 years or up to 35 years if a veteran.
• Be willing to undergo a background check upon hiring.
• Have a valid driver’s license and a good driving record.
• A personal vehicle is recommended for this position.
• 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.
• 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

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
• Host World MIgratory Bird Day Event
• Meet deadlines for Environment for the Americas program requirements.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed