U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Red-tailed hawks are opportunistic feeders. Much of their diet is made up of squirrels along with rabbits and hares. Pairs are known to hunt cooperatively and the more skilled hunters tend to have higher than average offspring productivity! 📷 courtesy of Gordon Garcia

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, Judy Gordon discovered the natural world while exploring the ocean with Jacques Cousteau on television. She watched with rapt attention as Cousteau and other biologists jumped into Zodiacs and zoomed around the ocean, a world far removed from the cityscape surrounding her. She remembers the first time her mother took her and her sister fishing in Prospect Park in Brooklyn when she was 6 years old, and the excitement of reeling in her first fish. She was curious about the nature she noticed in the city and was a regular contributor to science fairs at school with a specific interest in biology. She knew, even at that young age, that she wanted to do something in this field. Those early experiences led Gordon to a life in fisheries conservation. After 40 years of federal service, Judy is sharing her story to inspire the next generation of conservationists. This is one of five employee stories that are part of the Living the Wild Dream project. This multimedia project was created to share the unique life and career journeys of five USFWS employees from early career to near retirement, and to elevate the visibility of people of color in conservation, science, and outreach now and for the next generation. Check out the link to learn more about this project and Judy's journey: https://ow.ly/kzEP50QMcgM Photo by Jennifer Strickland/USFWS

JOIN OUR TEAM! Apply to be a biological science technician with our Lodi Fish and Wildlife Office in California. Biological science technician positions offer a great opportunity for early career scientists to develop skills performing biological field investigations for the conservation and rehabilitation of California's Central Valley fishery resources. This position requires year-round field work and coordination with other federal and state agencies ,as well as non-government entities to implement the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These positions are eligible for federal health benefits, annual leave, sick leave, retirement contributions and 12 paid federal holidays. The Lodi Fish and Wildlife Office (LFWO) is one of the Service's largest Fish and Aquatic Conservations offices and consists of nearly 100 staff at full capacity. The mission of the LFWO is “to promote native species and self-sustaining ecosystems through collaborative leadership in restoration, research, and monitoring of fishes of the Central Valley, California, and support personal development and professionalism through a culture of mentoring, collegiality, and equity.” Lodi is located approximately 35 miles south of Sacramento, CA. The region is rich in agricultural history and has become one of California's highest rated wine regions. The Mokelumne River flows along the edge of town, forms Lodi Lake and offers an abundance of outdoor recreation activities. Lodi is within two hours of Central California beaches and the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Lodi offers a small-town atmosphere yet is close to the metropolitan areas of San Francisco and Sacramento. Deadline to apply: 3/12/202 More: https://lnkd.in/eUnRj6Vb Photo by USFWS

It can be hard for some of us to witness wildlife interactions like the one this photographer captured in coastal Texas, but it's a key part of the way that our ecosystems work. The great blue heron eats small fish, frogs or mammals; the bobcat eats the great blue heron; and scavengers like black vultures clean up anything the bobcat leaves behind. Everybody poops. All the nutrients cycle back into the system. Photos: used with permission by Jacob Hall

Spring is right around the corner! What migratory birds are you excited to see in the coming months? Photo: Western meadowlark returning to Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming by Tom Koerner/USFWS

New Fish of the Week! #podcast episode just dropped 🎤 Do you like travelling? Art? Fish? Come on an adventure with us into high elevation and rugged terrain to find Mexico's diverse native trout. Illustrator and Mexican native trout enthusiast Joe Tomelleri takes us on a journey of discovery inspired by these stunningly beautiful fishes. 🐟 "Catch" new episodes every Monday at https://lnkd.in/eMa_GYrn or wherever you get your podcasts. On deck: capelin and seabirds with two Alaska guests! #AllTheFish 🎣 🎨 Artwork by Joe Tomelleri, used with permission: a Conchos specimen from Arroyo, from the southern Conchos, and a Mexican Golden Trout from the Los Loera.

Esther Lape and Elizabeth Read were life partners and pioneers for women's rights and conservation. Lape and Read would often escape their Greenwich Village apartment to visit their country estate, Salt Meadow, located in Westbrook, Connecticut. Their 150 acres of coastal forest became a vital habitat for birds and other native wildlife. Eleanor Roosevelt claimed that Lape and Read were among her early mentors and the beliefs she developed through their friendship influenced the social policies that her husband promoted as President. After Read's death in 1943, Lape continued her passion for conservation and protection of her land. In 1972, Lape donated their estate to the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System, becoming the first parcel in what is today Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. #WomensHistoryMonth Photo of Esther Lape (left) and Elizabeth Read (right).

In the misty dawn's embrace, the wetland lies, Where whispers dance, and foggy veils arise. Sun's golden fingers stretch, a gentle sigh, As nature wakes beneath the painted sky. #WorldWildlifeDay Photo of sunrise at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico by Christal Steele (sharetheexperience).

We're announcing the allocation of $1.3 billion among all state, commonwealth, and territory fish and wildlife agencies across America through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program.➡️ https://ow.ly/ZCNP50QKae8 For nearly a century, a coalition of hunters, anglers, manufacturers, and conservation professionals has maintained one of the most effective funding tools for conservation in the world. How does it work? Manufacturers, producers, and importers of fishing tackle, sporting firearms, ammunition and archery equipment pay an excise tax into the trust funds for Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration and Boating. The grants, funded through the trust funds, support habitat protection and management of tens of millions of acres of state wildlife management areas, maintenance of over 9,000 access areas to launch boats for fishing, construction or renovation of over 800 target ranges, restoration and management of over 500 species of fish and wildlife, access to free public hunter education classes, and much more. Thanks to this successful state-industry-federal partnership started in 1937, over $28 billion has been allocated over the years to hunting and fishing education, fish and wildlife management, scientific research, habitat restoration and protection, and access for hunting, targeting shooting, and boating. Photos of mule deer and fishing by USFWS Photo of hunters courtesy of Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies

Are you ready for this? We have eight GS-12 Fire Management Officer opportunities open for application! And you can't beat the locations. Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, California Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, California Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico Inland Northwest National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Washington West Minnesota Zone Fire Management Office, Minnesota Florida Panther/Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee/Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuges, Florida Alligator River/Pocosin Lakes/Carolina Sandhills/Savannah National Wildlife Refuges, South Carolina & North Carolina Get your applications in by March 8: https://bit.ly/3T9UFrM Video by USFWS Video description: Upbeat music in the background with scenes from a managed fire burning some trees. A fire fighter uses a drip torch to burn vegetation. Two fire fighters ride in an airboat across a wetland area. The text in the video announces job vacancies open across the United States.