The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is supporting youth employment projects across the nation using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. These projects offer opportunites for millennials to protect America’s natural landscapes and wildlife and learn something along the way. Hiring students and other temporary employees also enables the Service to complete projects that could have otherwise been delayed due to a lack of funding or available staff.
The following are some of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Youth Employment projects funded by the Recovery Act.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City, UT
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Youth Conservation Corps workers walking the shore at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
“The YCC crew out here at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Brigham City, UT is having a great start to the summer. A devastating flood a few decades ago created a variety of projects that are teaching the students different skills. We have a young…crew of four students this year [who] are quickly learning the importance of [a] proper work ethic and how to [work] in the hot sun. Work projects, so far, have included grinding and re-painting the visitor center boardwalks, landscaping several areas, cleaning out storage facilities and water flumes, as well as weekly recycling and auto-tour maintenance.
Though the students are working hard, they find the educational activities exciting. The first week they became Red Cross, CPR, and First Aid certified. They have also had lessons on taxonomy, use of field guides, and GPS units; how to properly collect and identify aquatic invertebrates; and how to monitor bird nests. They already impress the refuge staff and visitors with their bird identification skills. The next couple of weeks will be most the exciting, as we have special tours scheduled at the local zoo, aquarium, and mining facility. There will also be a day dedicated to bird management and conservation that includes helping local biologists capture and band birds on the refuge. The summer will end with an overnight trip at Fish Springs Wildlife Refuge, where [the students] will get the chance to hike, swim, and repair damaged fences. Overall, these past three weeks have been a learning experience for both myself and the crew and, if these weeks are any indication…this summer will be a memorable one for all.”
-Jen Cary, YCC Group Leader
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
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(From L to R) Ottawa NWR YCC Crew members Kylie Biggert, Oliver Cornet, Allison Burkett, Haley Smith, and Hunter St. Clair.
A summer filled with beach cleanups, trimming trails, habitat restoration for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, and banding egrets and great blue herons is just the beginning for high school students at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided funding allowing these experiences to happen.
“I now know how much damage Spotted Knapweed does to the beaches,” stated a YCC enrollee who gathered 100 garbage bags full of this invasive plant from the Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge beach.
Ottawa NWR YCC student Allison Burkett assists with the Ohio DNR’s annual goose round up.
The Refuge considers 2009’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program a big success. For most of the enrollees, this was their first job. “Some of the students were contemplating a career in the environmental field, and this program provided them with first-hand experience,” stated Sara Siekierski, Wildlife Refuge Specialist. The students learned what was to be expected of them as an employee and gained new skills that they can apply in future employment opportunities. Their hard work, dedication, and youthful enthusiasm were greatly appreciated by the Refuge.
On Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge YCC crew leader Kylie Biggert, guided her crew with little effort. As a team, one of their biggest accomplishments was to place boundary signs on 8 refuge properties totaling 530 acres of refuge land.
To fulfill the YCC program requirements, the crew took part in many educational programs during their 8-week employment with Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. One YCC enrollee stated, “My favorite thing this summer was when we went on the ferry to Gibraltar Island and toured the Stone Laboratory.” All of the field trips and work at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge exposed the students to different career paths and taught them about many of the different environmental programs and organizations.
Julia Butler Hansen and Willapa National Wildlife Refuges
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The Julia Butler Hansen YCC crew in front of a deer blind entrance sign that they refreshed with a new coat of paint
Both Julia Butler Hansen and Willapa Youth Conservation Corps crews work together on some projects and jointly participate in environmental education field trips every other week. This year, the YCC crews will travel to Ridgefield NWR, Abernathy Fish Technology Center, Nisqually NWR and Pierce NWR to learn about the natural and cultural resources in the surrounding area.
As crewmember Shelby Leeland summed it up, “One main thing that I learned from working at the Willapa Wildlife Refuge this summer is how to work as a team. If we didn’t come together for all of the projects we have had, nothing would get done.”
Crew: One college-age team leader; five high school-age crewmembers from Wahkiakum and Cathlamet, Washington
Tasks: This is the first year that Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge has hired a YCC crew. The crew is placing plastic tree protectors on saplings that were planted to enhance deer habitat, removing old fences, maintaining headquarters (e.g., painting interpretive areas and shops, waterproofing, weedeating), removing invasive species, and conducting deer surveys with staff biologists.
San Andres National Wildlife Refuge
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ARRA Intern Ryan Platt in the Organ Mountains
Ryan was hired as a Recovery Act intern at San Andres National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), a 57,125 acre national wildlife refuge in south-central New Mexico. Bighorn Sheep were reintroduced to the area in 2002 and the refuge is paying keen attention to the size of the herd. Bighorn sheep are collared and re-released to the herd, making tracking and compilation of their births, deaths and movement easier. Much of the San Andres NWR’s vertical mountain terrain is all but impassable by vehicle, so tracking of the desert sheep must be done the old-fashioned way: by wearing out hiking boots. “I get out in the field before sun up, or it’s too hot” says Platte about beginning his sometimes arduous day. “I get radio signals to make sure all of the animals are still alive and try to get in a couple of visuals before I call it a day.”
Refuge manager Kevin Cobble, who wears multiple hats including, mechanic, administrator, firefighter, refuge officer, and more, appreciates Ryan’s helping hand. “The refuge is spread out over 21 miles of the San Andres Mountains, and some of the herd has split off to other areas as well including White Sands (missile range) and the nearby Organ Mountains,” says Cobble. “He’s doing a great job for us. Having Ryan out tracking deer and sheep has allowed us to get to other projects we’ve had on the back burner for a while.”
Ryan’s job then begins, 10 – 12 hours a day Friday through Monday while also carrying a full load of studies as a senior at New Mexico State University. He generally arrives at the refuge at about 6:00 am, and checks for signals. He then loads up his antenna, radio receiver and all the gear he will need for a physically demanding day in the mountains; there are no fast-food establishments, bathrooms or first aid stations on an 8000 foot peak. He then decides which of the various mule deer or bighorn sheep herds he will follow on this day.
Walking 10-12 miles a day in rugged mountainous terrain, rain or shine through 40 mile an hour winds, temperatures from below freezing to over 100 degrees, and braving dangerous predators and poisonous snakes, would probably not sound like fun to most people, but Ryan Platte considers it a beautiful day at the office; “It’s outdoors, it’s doing what I love to do, it’s an amazing job, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Northeast Region Internship Program
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Intern Jamie Weliver working in the regional audiovisual studio.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) enabled the Service’s Northeast Regional Office in Hadley, Mass., to offer an undergraduate internship program in partnership with the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.
What makes this internship program unique? Students participating in the program are pursuing degrees in journalism rather than biology, wildlife or natural resources management. These interns are capturing video on Recovery Act projects in the Service, and writing articles like the one you are reading now.
Interns Mike Gardner (left) and Jamie Weliver (center) recording an interview for a video production.
The External Affairs office has employed six interns since September 1, 2009, and will hire another two over the summer of 2010.
“The internship program has far surpassed my expectations,” said Terri Edwards, public affairs specialist. “These interns hit the ground running and have brought fresh ideas, creative energy and new skills to our organization. They have become an invaluable part of our staff. Most days I wonder what we did without them.”
“Thanks to the Recovery Act, I was allowed the opportunity of joining the External Affairs office,” said intern Mike Gardner. “My duties are varied, but mostly involve writing articles for the Northeast Region’s new Web site on climate change. This particular task allows me to directly use my education in a professional environment. As a student, this is a rare and invaluable experience.”
“The most amazing thing about this internship for me was witnessing how Recovery Act funds have aided small businesses and local economies,” wrote intern Keith Shannon. “I also enjoyed seeing how programs within the Service can directly influence people, especially children. My internship was an awesome experience, and allowed me room for creativity as well as guidance to develop my own unique skill set.”
