Jim Verhagen

Join the CWF Team

At Conserve Wildlife, it is our duty and our privilege to protect the rare and endangered species of NJ. We gather the best science, tried and true conservation techniques, innovative education activities, and an engaged corps of willing volunteers in pursuit of the right combination of activities that will preserve a species before it disappears from our state.

To apply, please fill out the form on the bottom of this page or follow the instructions on the position’s description.

CWF Careers

We are not hiring any staff positions at this time.

Statewide Internships

Environmental Education Internship

Responsibilities may include assisting classroom programs, field trips, educational outreach, and related administrative and communications tasks. A minimum of 10 hours per week required.

  • Assist in the administration of the Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest
  • Create posts for social media as directed
  • Prepare materials for lessons and events
  • Travel to school districts for programs and provide support to the instructor(s)
  • Provide administrative support to the Education Department
  • Represent CWF at fairs, festivals, and other events
  • Write articles about education programs for the CWF blog
  • Work with the Director of Education to produce new lessons and curricula

Please email cover letter and resume to Rachel McGovern.

Office Based Internships

Special Events and Fundraising Internship

Special Events and Fundraising internship to include developing event logistics, researching prospective donors, creating and distributing announcements and invitations, securing, collecting and tracking auction items, assisting with mailings and phone calls related to donations, and providing support for event planning and other fundraising projects as needed. A minimum of 14 hours a week required.

Videography Internship

Gather footage and edit videos showcasing CWF’s wildlife projects statewide. Should have video experience; access to video equipment is recommended. Intern will need capacity for at least some state travel, which will be reimbursed to intern. Qualified applicants may be eligible for an additional paid stipend.

Graphic Design Internship

Utilize Adobe Creative Cloud & Canva to create brochures, flyers, and other promotional items for CWF events and projects.

GIS/Mapping Internship

Assist with collection and analysis of GIS data for various wildlife conservation projects. Candidate must be proficient with ArcGIS, Excel and be familiar with statistical analysis, knowledge of R statistical programming software preferable. Other responsibilities may include literature searches and data processing.

Communications Internship

Work with CWF staff on social media strategy, email marketing, media relations and other public outreach projects.

Field Internships

2025 CWF/LBIF Summer Research Internship (closed)

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (CWF) is partnering with the Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts & Sciences (LBIF) to strengthen science-based activities at their property in Loveladies, Long Beach Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. To help accomplish our shared goals, we are accepting applications for a seasonal, paid internship with CWF to assist with fieldwork at LBIF on Long Beach Island.

The goal of our partnership with LBIF is to help strengthen and support science-based initiatives with emphasis on rare wildlife, including wildlife surveys, habitat management, and public outreach. Activities to be coordinated by the seasonal intern include migratory and nesting bird surveys, northern diamondback terrapin nest monitoring, and wildlife habitat enhancement. In addition, the intern will assist LBIF staff with science-based education and outreach, including Marine Biology summer camp, Discovery Days and Barnegat Bay Day.

2025 Delaware Bay American Oystercatcher and Marsh Restoration Internship (closed)

CWF is seeking volunteer interns to assist staff biologists with projects in the Delaware Bay region of New Jersey, primarily Cape May and Cumberland counties. Fieldwork will run from April through September, but interns can volunteer to assist on a flexible, part-time basis. The interns must provide their own transportation; but mileage may be reimbursed if needed.

During the American oystercatcher nesting season, interns can assist with monitoring approximately 20 breeding pairs on Delaware Bayshore beaches. Monitoring activities may include nest searching, band re-sighting, nest/brood checks, trail camera image processing, and bird behavioral observations.

Interns can also assist in collecting physical and biological data at salt marsh sites to help inform marsh restoration plans. Fieldwork in the marshes includes hydrological logger installation, avian surveys (SHARP point counts), vegetation surveys, nekton surveys, and mosquito surveys. The interns will assist biologists with conducting these surveys and enter data into shared databases.

2025 Great Bay Terrapin Project Summer Student Research Internship (closed)

This is a seasonal volunteer internship located in southern Ocean County. Interns will be reimbursed for mileage, if needed. We are seeking three student interns for the 2025 field season.

Intern(s) will work with CWF biologist and seasonal staff and conduct hourly surveys on Great Bay Blvd. in Little Egg Harbor from mid-May to late July. Intern(s) will use their own vehicle to conduct fieldwork and collect morphometric data on adult terrapins encountered in roadways. They will also work with volunteers to schedule patrols and manage roads that are patrolled. The main goals of the project are to reduce road mortality rates, raise awareness of terrapins, and to educate the public about terrapins. Interns will also help enter and analyze data for annual reporting.

In addition, interns can help monitor a large habitat enhancement area for nesting by terrapins. Nests will be marked and covered with cages. Adults will be captured to be measured and marked before being released where captured. Site is located within main project area of GBB WMA in Little Egg Harbor.

2024 Mammal Survey Assistant (closed)

One paid, part-time (3-5 days a week) field assistant is needed to assist CWF biologists with mammal surveys at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Applicants would preferably live in close proximity to this area. The main areas of focus are mammal inventory surveying and bat mist netting surveys. Mammal inventory surveying occurs March – June and includes game camera traps, tracking, spotlight surveys, and data entry. Bat mist netting surveys occur in June and July from 6pm -3am. The assistant will help set up field equipment and act as the primary data collector. Handling of bats will not be permitted unless the applicant has previous experience.

2025 NJ Osprey Project Summer Field Technician (closed)

The role of this hourly field technician with the New Jersey Osprey Project will be to assist the project leader. Their day to day tasks will vary depending on the time of the osprey nesting season. In spring, they will help with the repair or replacement of nest platforms. This can be as simple as carrying equipment and tools or as hard as helping to physically lift a 300 lb. wood osprey platform. During the nesting season the field tech. will assist with osprey surveys by boat and help navigate to locations, carry ladders, and record data. They will be trained on how to properly handle and band young ospreys. They will also be assigned to survey nests by land, using their personal vehicle to drive to nest sites and use optics to record sightings at nests. If there are emergency calls for entangled birds or problematic nests, the field tech. may have to help respond to these situations. Lastly, they will help enter data and summarize results for annual reporting.

2025 Shorebird Stewards (closed)

Part-time Shorebird Stewards are needed during May to protect critical shorebird beaches along the Delaware Bayshore. These include Villas beaches north to Reed’s Beach in Cape May County and Fortescue and Thompson’s in Cumberland County.

Since 2003 Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) shorebird stewards have been helping to protect shorebirds on nine closed beaches along the Delaware Bay in New Jersey. The shorebird stewards’ presence on the beaches is critical to the protection of the migrating birds including the endangered red knot. The CWF Shorebird Steward Program minimizes disturbance to shorebirds through outreach and education.

Shorebird stewards support beach restrictions by being present at restricted beaches during shorebird season to ensure that resting and foraging shorebirds are not disturbed. This job includes educating beach visitors as to why the beaches are closed and the importance of the beaches to horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds.

Stewards are needed for May 2024 There are three shifts a day. If you are interested in learning more about stewarding this shorebird season please contact Larissa Smith.

Careers Application

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