The states have fish and wildlife agencies, and there are a growing number of private wildlife protective organizations that target a particular species for preservation and protection. These choices may offer you a lifetime career.
The Department of the Interior
The Department of the Interior, because it is responsible for almost all public lands and natural resources in the country, is also the nation's largest federal conservation agency. In its purview are the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The department is officially commissioned to assure the wisest use of water resources, the preservation of the natural environment, the provision of recreational facilities and historical monuments, and the proper use of energy and mineral resources.
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service covers the whole country, including Alaska and Hawaii, it is divided into seven regions and one research information center. Within the regions are more than 400 wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries, and various wildlife research centers. As with all federal agencies, there are rather fixed ways of establishing employment eligibility. The USFWS main headquarters, in Washington, D.C., will send you a copy of its requirements and the addresses of the regional offices, if you are interested in government work.
Basically, the USFWS is looking for wildlife biologists, research biologists, fishery biologists, and refuge managers. All federal government employees are hired at a certain GS level. The entry-level positions for the USFWS are GS-5 and GS-7. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) maintains a register where you will be able to establish your eligibility for available positions. The OPM administers federal job information and testing offices throughout the country where this register and all appropriate forms are available. If you are still in school, you should request a detailed description of educational requirements and course work now so that you will be fully qualified for federal government work when you graduate.
Requirements and Qualifications for Employment
In general, a position at the GS-5 level requires that you have at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Your major should be in biological science or a related field. In lieu of the degree, you may qualify for GS-5 status if your college education and work experience has provided you with the equivalent knowledge of biological sciences required for a college degree. If you want to calculate your work experience in comparison to college courses, a working ratio is one academic year of college to one calendar year of work experience.
To qualify for the GS-7 level, you need at least a bachelor's degree with either
- one year's experience as a professional biologist, including any work as a student-trainee;
- one academic year of graduate study in a biological or closely related science;
- any combination of the first two that would be equivalent to twelve semester hours of graduate study and six months' experience; or
- a grade point average of B for all completed courses, or a grade of B + for all biology courses in your last two undergraduate years, or graduating in the upper third of your class.
The USFWS will accept your application if you are within nine months of completing your requirements, but you must prove that you have completed the required course work before you can actually be hired. You will be eligible at one level for one year from the time of hire, at which time you have to submit a written request to the examining officer. With additional education or experience, you may become eligible to apply for a higher grade. The higher the GS level you qualify for, the higher your salary.
All departments of the federal government provide equal job opportunities meaning that your religion, race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, or politics will not be considered as a term of employment.
As you can see, the federal government leaves very little to the imagination of those who wish to apply for a job. So don't expect loopholes, exceptions, or exclusions if you are considering a career as a civil servant. The requirements are quite clearly spelled out and competition for the jobs is fierce. You must learn the many rules of eligibility and comply with them if you expect to get a federal job.
Correspondence courses in conservation, for example, are not acceptable to the USFWS, and most applicants will have to pass a written test to be eligible to be put on the register. Contact your local OPM job information center for information about examinations. Often many more candidates apply for a job than there are jobs available. When this happens, the register is suspended and no new applications are accepted by the OPM.
Positions Available in the USFWS
Once you have fulfilled all the employment requirements and have been hired, what kind of job might you expect to perform? The USFWS offers jobs that are primarily concerned with wildlife management. Generally, the jobs involve managing and studying various aspects of fish and wildlife populations, such as habitat, number, ecology, and health and mortality statistics.
Wildlife and Research Biologist
Wildlife biologists at the USFWS plan wildlife programs, apply research results to sound wildlife management, recreate destroyed habitats, manipulate populations, and try to prevent wildlife diseases.
The job of research biologist consists largely of studying fish and wildlife populations, as well as relationships between plants and animals. Research biologists also investigate the physiology of fish and wildlife, as well as their nutritional needs. They take census counts and study predator/prey relationships.
Fish must be classified and their life story and habits recorded. This work is done by fishery biologists, who also study and apply the best methods for rearing and stocking the fishery.
To qualify as a fishery biologist, you need at least thirty semester hours of college courses in biology, including six hours in aquatic subjects and twelve semester hours in animal sciences. Research biologists must have at least a bachelor's degree with a major in biology, zoology, or biological or aquatic sciences. In addition, they must have 15 semester hours in the physical sciences and mathematics.
If you want to be a wildlife biologist, you will need at least thirty semester hours in biology. That will include nine hours in wildlife subjects, twelve in zoology, and nine in botany. As a general biologist, you will have to major in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, or related subjects as they apply to the specific position applied for.
Outdoor Recreation Planner
You may also qualify for the position of outdoor recreation planner. In order to qualify, you must have knowledge of natural resources and interpretative skills. You will also need the ability to integrate public uses of wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries with conservation. For this job, your communications skills should be highly developed because you will be responsible for various interpretative and educational programs. In order to qualify for the position, you will need at least a bachelor's degree in outdoor recreation planning, landscape architecture, biology, park ad-ministration, or natural resource management. Additionally, you must have at least three years' experience in a professional, managerial, or technical capacity relating to outdoor recreation planning, conservation, or similar area. A combination of these would also qualify you. Specific positions may require additional skills in graphic arts, interpretative display, or environmental programming.
Refuge Manager
Managers of wildlife refuges try to protect all species of wildlife and fish, whether they are indigenous or migratory. They also enforce hunting and fishing regulations as they apply to the refuges and other public lands. To qualify as a refuge manager, you will need fifteen semester hours in wildlife courses, twenty-one in zoology, and nine in botany.
Wildlife Agent
There are a limited number of positions available for special wildlife agents, whose job it is to enforce wildlife laws and regulations. To qualify to the above entry level, you must have experience in both enforcement and investigation regarding all fish and wildlife rules or graduate study in law enforcement, police management, criminal justice, or biology.
Other Positions
Like any large bureaucracy, the USFWS needs administrative, clerical, and creative people to help it function smoothly. Among these are clerks and secretaries, personnel and public relations specialists, budget analysts and accountants, writers, editors, and economists. Biological technicians, maintenance people, and craftspeople are also utilized, as well as fishery and wildlife technicians. These positions are usually classified as GS-2 to GS-5 positions.
Gaining Experience as a Volunteer
The USFWS has a wide variety of opportunities for volunteers. If you want to determine whether you are suited to wildlife or fishery work, you could serve as a volunteer helping with the censusing of wildlife populations. This work would entail banding, trapping, and surveying. Or you could become involved in the care and feeding of animals. If you like to work with people, you may want to work with visitor services. Specialists in computer programming, audiovisual work, or photography are also needed. Each field station has different needs, so you should contact the one nearest you to find out where you could be of help.
Volunteers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. They include senior citizens and Boy Scout troops. You can volunteer with no particular skills and receive the necessary training when you are accepted. Hours are flexible and sometimes are arranged on a project basis. You will only work the hours that you agree to in advance.
You may work as an individual volunteer or as a member of an organized group, such as a 4-H club. As a volunteer, you will receive an agreement that defines your duties and the number of hours you have agreed on to fulfill them. The agreement can be revised at any time, but it will serve as an official record of your service and could be used to enhance your resume. This will be especially helpful should you decide to make a career of conservation. You can also receive an evaluation of your performance, if you want.
Even though as a volunteer you are not considered a federal employee, you are entitled to some benefits. They include compensation if you are injured in the line of duty. If you were sued for damage to property or personal injury while serving as a volunteer, the federal government would defend you. Also, certain expenses incurred during your volunteer service with the USFWS would be tax deductible. But volunteer service does not count as civil service time.
Wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries, and research stations in all states need volunteers, but the needs in each continually change. You should contact your regional volunteer coordinator to find out whom to contact in your area. Volunteering in the service, as is true for most careers having to do with the care of animals, is an excellent first step in helping you to determine whether you want to work with animals. In this case, it will also help you determine whether or not you want to work for the federal government.
Working for the National Park Service
The Department of the Interior employs a more limited number of people to work with animals in the National Park Service. The service controls 321 units with 77 million acres of land in 49 states. Its primary responsibilities are to conserve natural and cultural resources and to provide recreational areas and educational programs to the public. Within the system are also national preserves, rivers, seashores, and outdoor recreation areas. Among its 101 national monuments are prehistoric ruins, natural reservations, and fossil remains.
Working for the National Park Service are 7,500 full-time employees. Adding seasonal, temporary, and part-time employees, that number can swell to more than 20,000 at peak season during the summer. As with the Fish and Wildlife Service, all positions are filled by the Office of Personnel Management. The headquarters for the service is in Washington, D.C., but there are ten regional offices throughout the country.
Since many park jobs are located away from cities, potential employees must be able to relocate in order to be employed. All positions are highly competitive, so you must be highly qualified to be considered for employment. The National Park Service, like all federal agencies, is an equal opportunity employer.
The service employs interpreters, resource managers, and research scientists for its parks, historic sites, and recreation areas. Some of the larger parks have research centers, and the service also administers resource studies units at several universities.
Within the Park Service, there are limited employment opportunities for wildlife and fish biologists and ornithologists; a few more for research biologists. Usually these positions are above the GS-5 and GS-7 level and require advanced degrees or work experience in specialized fields. Your best bet for employment as a wildlife or fishery biologist is with the USFWS. There are some limited opportunities for fishery biologists at the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fishery Service.
