Fish and Feathers Internship Program – ONSITE – Padre Island National Seashore

Start/End Dates: May 11, 2026 – July 31, 2026
Compensation: $640 per week + housing
Application Due: February 1, 2026

Fish and Feathers Internship Program seeks to engage young professionals in natural resource careers.
You must (additional 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 required for this position.

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
• Host World MIgratory Bird Day Event
• 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.

Major studies relevant to this position: 

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

About this Site: 

Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS) in Corpus Christi, Texas is sandwiched between the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre, making it an excellent location for fishing and birding. We would like to have a Fish and Feathers intern to help us implement programming that would introduce the public to surf fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, wade fishing in the Laguna Madre and birding in the coastal prairie.

After receiving interpretive programming training and with support from permanent and seasonal staff, the intern will:

• Lead bi-weekly and Learn to Surf Fish programs using a modified version of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) curriculum. Offer additional Learn to Surf Fish program offerings as needed to reach additional audiences such as scouts, summer camps, and church groups.
• Develop an introductory Learn to Bird program that teaches participants how to use binoculars and spotting scopes. The intern will research, plan, and script the program, consulting with PAIS Science and Resource Management staff to create a visual guide of commonly seen bird species.
• Conduct accessibility assessments at birding hotspots: The intern will evaluate accessibility features at key locations, contributing updates to the park’s accessibility webpages and the Birdability Map, a crowd-sourced tool that documents accessible birding sites for people with disabilities or health concerns.
• For each program, the intern will be responsible for researching, planning, and scripting their program. They will be required to consult with PAIS Sciences and Resource Management staff to develop a visual reference that highlights the fish species that are most likely to be caught and the bird species that are most likely to be seen. PAIS has an official Zoo Park Partnership with the Texas State Aquarium, so the intern will also be afforded the opportunity to meet with the fish and avian curator in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit to learn more about the species that inhabit the Gulf.

 By the end of their internship, the intern will provide:A “canned” program package for an introductory learn to bird program that may be picked up off the shelf and presented by future interns or seasonal employees. The program package would contain a JHA, an SOP for setting up and breaking down the program and for the proper care and storage of the spotting scope(s) and binoculars; an easy-to-follow scripted program with lesson learned notes; and a list of additional props and visuals. A documented list of birding hotspots with accessibility evaluations, used to update the Birdability Map and park resources.

Interns in this program will receive 480 hours towards Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. See below on information about:

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s), the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal, term, or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on USAJobs.govand selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information, see DOI Personnel Bulletins 11-02 , 12-13, and 17-03.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employmentand prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.