By: Clay Harris, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (505) 248-6428, Clay_Harris@fws.gov

Las Vegas, N.M. – Carlos Herrera drives an ATV toward a marsh in the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the prairies of northern New Mexico. Fellow bio technician Jerome Romero scans the rolling hills as Herrera talks about their day-to-day lives during the summer as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) employees.

Herrera and Romero step out of the ATV with their yellow, handheld pocket GIS technology, ready to map invasive weed patches that threaten native habitat. Students at New Mexico Highlands University, Herrera and Romero exemplify how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, in association with the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) is putting people to work, protecting America’s precious wildlife habitats and providing invaluable training to the next generation of conservationists.

Carlos Herrera talks with U.S. Representative Ben Ray Lujan (D) of New Mexico Congressional District 3 during a visit to Las Vegas NWR this fall.

As part of their jobs, Herrera and Romero mapped invasive species on the refuge and conducted herpetological and water quality studies. While each of them has different reasons for being grateful for their jobs, both view their summer employment as an important step toward their future.

For Romero, a recent graduate of New Mexico Highlands with a B.S. in biology, the summer student position is providing him with the on-the-job training he lacked as well as diversifying his resume. As the 24-year-old San Miguel County native, construction worker, volunteer firefighter and EMT talks about the opportunity Recovery Act funds provided, he points out the window at the magnificent landscape and says, “Some days this doesn’t feel like work – I mean, look at my office.”

“This opportunity has been extremely important to me because I really didn’t have any experience with a biology background other than schoolwork and courses I’ve taken,” Romero added. “Having a job where you actually get to do biology out in the field and not in a lab is extremely important.”

Herrera, a 28-year-old raised on Cochiti Pueblo, says the job provided him with a look at the Service and will help him figure out the job that will be the best fit for his family and his future.

“I’m trying to figure out which niche would be the best place for me to work,” Herrera said. “Everybody has an interest in water quality right now. I want to find the best place where I feel comfortable working so I can enjoy the job set forth for me.”

What’s even more amazing than the opportunity provided to these future conservationists is how quickly the opportunity arose, and how quickly it came to fruition. With only about a month left in the spring semester, Romero and Herrera found themselves without summer jobs. Their best option would have been to look in Santa Fe, more than 60 miles away, for summer employment. When New Mexico Highlands University posted the refuge jobs, however, both budding scientists jumped at the opportunity to learn while they earn. In Region 2, which includes New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas, the Service utilized Recovery Act funding to hire 37 students this summer.

Carlos Herrera and Jeremy Romero log data they just recorded during a water quality test at Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge in northerm New Mexico.

“Recovery Act funding has been great for me because the job was close to home and I didn’t have to travel hours away for a summer job,” Herrera said. “Since I have a two-year-old daughter, it’s also a priority to maintain my family. I still have to pay the bills.”

Herrera and Romero aren’t the only ones to benefit from Recovery Act funding at the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge. Rob Larrañaga, who manages the roughly 8,000-acre refuge as well as the 3,000-acre Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge further north, has been able to complete extensive monitoring on invasive species such as the musk thistle.

“We’ve not had the opportunity in years past to bring in additional forces to assist our workforce,” Larrañaga said. “Having Carlos and Jerome here really has allowed us the time to answer key questions and confirm some of our noxious weed programs. That’s important, because invasive species are the number one threat to the ecosystems we manage on national wildlife refuges.”

As the summer ends, Herrera begins to close the book on his master’s degree. Romero, who begins the quest for his master’s this fall, summarizes the experience they gained as employees on the refuge this summer.

“This experience is just plain invaluable,” Romero said.

Originally posted 12/02/2009