Volunteer Butterfly Conservation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Start/End Dates: November 2, 2026 - October 15, 2027 (50 Weeks)
Compensation: $640 per week, plus park housing, round-trip travel assistance to the site, and gear support. Medical insurance is available upon request.
Application Due: September 4, 2026

Environment for the Americas in partnership with Golden Gate National Recreation Area seeks to engage young professionals in resource management careers. To participate, you must: 

• Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident

• Be between the ages of 18 - 30 (35 if a veteran)

• Undergo a background check if selected

• Have a valid driver’s license to operate a government vehicle

• Have access to a personal vehicle, which is recommended for this position

Position Description:

This position is located within the Division of Natural Resource (NR) Management and Science with the main goal of providing critical natural resources support for managing, monitoring, and synthesizing natural resources data in the GGNRA.  The internship works closely with park staff and park partners and is roughly 80% field-based (though some weeks may have more office time) with a focus on wildlife monitoring, data collection, data QA/QC, and volunteer coordination and outreach. The intern will work in a wide variety of habitats and locations ranging from wetlands, coastal scrub, grassland, old-growth redwood and oak/bay laurel woodland, and rocky intertidal shoreline. Survey and monitoring tasks will be defined seasonally and collaboratively with NR Division Staff.

Work Products: Key deliverables of the internship

• Wildlife management – Conducting various wildlife surveys of threatened and endangered and native wildlife including western snowy plover, bank swallows, Mission blue butterfly, and California red-legged frog. Assisting in project-related monitoring duties of various wildlife populations and their habitats, including the Marin Headlands coyote monitoring project, a large wildlife camera project, Alcatraz waterbird management, and resource monitoring and protection during special-events. By the end of the internship, the intern should be proficient in the various monitoring techniques utilized and will be leading some field data collection efforts. Intern will be responsible for writing up a data summary for at least one of the monitoring efforts or an agreed upon independent project.

• Data collection – Recording, performing QA/QC, mapping, and updating work collected in databases using MS Access, MS Excel, GPS/GIS; managing equipment and supplies. Intern should become proficient with MS Access database use and ArcGIS computer mapping by the end of the internship.

• Outreach – Assisting in various outreach efforts, planning and leading public events, implementing field safety, and providing information on wildlife and/or park projects.

• NR Program support – Equipment maintenance and cleaning, including disinfecting of shared equipment; coordinating schedules for field work; attending relevant meetings; participating in trainings.

Qualifications

Required:

• An interest in natural resource management, particularly conservation of wildlife and habitat, or relevant field.

• Ability to work well in a team and independently; contributes to achieving wildlife management goals; supports efforts of the team.

• Experience working outdoors, occasionally in inclement weather, able to carry up to 30 lbs.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Fluency with basic computer programs (Microsoft Suite) and experience with data collecting/analyzing using GIS applications.

• Daily driving of Gov’t fleet vehicles with equipment – valid driver’s license and good driving record.

Preferred:

• Education and/or experience in biological sciences, particularly in wildlife biology, entomology, ornithology, mammalogy, herpetology, field technique, environmental studies, or ecology.

• Natural resource management experience 

• Some fluency or willingness to learn data collecting and analyzing programs (GIS, GPS, Avenza, Survey123). May be learned on the job.

• Work with staff and volunteers from diverse backgrounds that share a common interest in preserving and protecting natural resources and engage in outreach and education with park visitors and community members.

• Good communication skills.

• CPR/First Aid, Wilderness First Aid training.

Housing:

Housing is bunkhouse-style at Fort Cronkhite, Marin Headlands, in Marin County. Housing is rustic. Each intern has a private bedroom with shared common areas. Each housing unit can accommodate ~ 8 people. Housing is walking distance to the main office and other facilities. There are no stores or other conveniences within the park, but they are located nearby in the town of Sausalito and City of San Francisco.

Physical/Natural Environment:

Golden Gate National Recreation Area is one of the largest urban parks in the world. The recreation area stretches across three counties in California’s San Francisco Bay Area: Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo. In total, the legislative boundary of the park is comprised of more than 80,000 acres of land and ocean waters, with 18,500 acres directly managed by GOGA.

The park is part of the California floristic province which is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. It is also home to many different habitat types and a large diversity of plant and animal species. Many rare species are found within Golden Gate National Recreation Area including 37 federally threatened or endangered species including the mission blue butterfly, northern spotted owl, and California red-legged frog. Golden Gate National Recreation Area also preserves 91 miles of shoreline along the outer coast and in Tomales and San Francisco Bays and includes the nearshore waters within ¼ mile of the coast.

Weather ranges from dry summers (with occasional fog) to wet and cold in the winter. 

Work Environment:

Year-round seasonal work along and off-trail will occur with exposure to poison oak, ticks, and steep rocky slopes. Conditions may be inclement with extreme wind and cold. Field days may vary but can number 3-4 per week during the spring and summer months. Field work will involve carrying equipment, backpacks, and water for at least several miles on or off trail. During the fall and winter months, data QA/QC and office related projects will account for 2-3 days of the week.

This position earns 2000 hours towards PLC.

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.gov and 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 employment and 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.