Fish and Feathers Internship Program

Position Description: 

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.

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
• Meet deadlines for Environment for the Americas program requirements

Qualifications:

• 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.

Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park is comprised of six noncontiguous sites in northern Rhode Island and central Massachusetts. Located between two major cities, Providence, RI (population approximately 190,000) and Worcester, MA (population approximately 205,000), the Blackstone Valley is home to a diverse and often underserved population. Many people in this Valley continue to live with the adverse effects of the Industrial Revolution, a story we share and interpret within the Park. 

The intern can expect to work an even split between office and fieldwork. Office work will be based at a desk. An intern might expect long hours in front of a computer on office days. Fieldwork will be primarily based in outreach events. During these events, interns should expect long days on their feet, walking moderate distances, moving tables and chairs, setting up pop-up tents and birding equipment, baiting fishing hooks, and unhooking fish. Programs might be held in light rain, but programs will always be canceled if there is a heavy rain or thunderstorm.