Community Corner
Love the Bay? Volunteer!
"The natural resource volunteers...are trained to be educational ambassadors and to provide assistance and support for (the California Department of Fish and Wildlife)."
By Josh Nicholas
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking applicants for the Natural Resource Volunteer Program (NRVP) to serve as team members in the Belmont and Monterey NRVP chapters.
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“The natural resource volunteers do not have law enforcement authority, but they are trained to be educational ambassadors and to provide assistance and support for CDFW,” said program coordinator Lt. Joshua Nicholas. “The mission of the Natural Resource Volunteer Program is to provide conservation and enforcement education in public service while providing biological, enforcement and administrative staff support to CDFW.”
CDFW will begin its NRVP training academy from May 21-23 in San Jose. Classes will continue one day each month from June through October. These positions are unpaid. Interested individuals go through a selection process, which includes an initial screening, application, interview and background check. If selected, individuals attend and complete an 80-hour conservation course to prepare them for a monthly service commitment of at least 16 hours. Volunteers will work with a trained mentor to implement their newly acquired skills during a six-month probationary period.
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Applicants should be teachable, accountable, have basic computer and writing skills and a willingness to talk about conservation principles to the public in the field and in a classroom setting. Applicants must show a desire to work well with others in a team environment to do tasks that free up time for paid CDFW staff.
Natural resource volunteer duties may include responding to human/wildlife conflict calls, instructing at NRVP academies, representing CDFW at community outreach events, working on CDFW lands, ecological reserves, and coastal and inland fishing areas, and disseminating useful information to the public.
Further information and the application are available at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/volunteer/NRVP/. Applications are to be mailed to the CDFW Bay Delta Region Office, 7329 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558 no later than April 19, 2013. Please contact Lt. Joshua Nicholas at (707) 944-5562 with any questions.
Editor's Note: This article was submitted by Lt. Joshua Nicholas of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
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