Other
Volunteer
Job Description
ADDRESS: Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge; Bandon, Oregon 97411
DEPT: Fish & Wildlife Service
DATES: 6/1/2021 – 9/6/2021
DESCRIPTION:
The Rocky Shore and Seabird Volunteer will rove along a beach in the city of Bandon that overlooks Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is nesting habitat for thousands of seabirds, a protected areas for harbor seals to pup and a fantastic place to discover rocky intertidal creatures. The volunteer will rove the beach and talk with visitors about the wildlife and refuge habitat.
The volunteer position requires each individual volunteer to work 20 hours/week at Coquille Point in Bandon, OR. Volunteers will always have four consecutive days off each week.
In return for volunteering the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide a free full RV hookup at Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. Hookup includes water, sewer, and 50 AMP electrical hook-up. A complimentary washer and dryer are also available for volunteers to use. The sites have cell reception but the USFWS does not provide wireless internet. Pets are allowed in all RV sites but they must be under control of the owner at all times when outside.
DUTIES
Duties are summarized as follows:
Greet visitors from the beach and talk with them about the seabirds and the harbor seals using Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. All contact with visitors must occur from a safe distance as recommended by the CDC and while wearing PPE (ie. appropriate face coverings).
Speak with visitors to explain the purpose of the refuge, answer questions, and identify wildlife.
Help protect the refuge’s natural resources and ensure visitor safety by informing visitors of potential safety hazards, conducting programs in a safe and orderly manner, reporting safety hazards and instances of lawbreaking to the Refuge Law Enforcement Officer, and attempting to correct minor infractions through interpretation. Document illegal visits or trespass into closed areas. Volunteers shall not engage in law enforcement.
Talk with visitors about the rocky intertidal creatures during the lowest tides of the summer.
Follow CDC guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and wear appropriate PPE as provided by the USFWS which includes face covering. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
All volunteer duties will be performed outdoors on the beach or from a viewing deck. There are no indoor duties for these positions. Volunteers will be provided with onsite training. Please note that there is no restroom at Coquille Point or Simpson Reef. The nearest available public restroom is a short drive (~3/4 of a mile) to the south and east of both locations. Also there is a set of steep stairs that access the beach and the volunteer(s) would need to go up and down the stairs during each shift.
QUALIFICATIONS
The position requires the volunteer to have a personal vehicle in order to commute to and from the RV site to the work site. Regrettably, the USFWS does not have funds to reimburse for fuel. On most days, especially weekends, a government vehicle is available for use by the volunteers to commute to and from their work location. However, volunteers should be prepared to use their own vehicle to commute.
We are most interested in volunteers who are enthusiastic about interacting with the general public in a friendly and professional manner; able to work outside for five hour shifts in weather that ranges from sunny and windy to cold and foggy; and willing to work weekends and holidays with almost no supervision. The temperature on the coast in the summer ranges from a low of 50 to highs in the mid-70s. The south coast tends to be cool and foggy in the morning but becomes clear and very windy in the middle of the day.
Volunteers will be responsible for speaking to 25 to 200+ visitors every day making it necessary for the volunteer to be comfortable with public speaking and willing to maintain recommend social distances while on duty to reduce the spread of COVID-19. No prior knowledge of seabirds or marine mammals is required; volunteers will receive training and a handbook filled with information on the refuge and its wildlife. Please keep in mind that volunteer hours will coincide with the daily low tides. This means the volunteer could be working as early as 7:00 AM one day and as late as 8:00 PM the next day. Flexibility and a love of the outdoors is critical for this position.