The deadline for the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy’s (JBRPC) annual Wetlands Fellowship application is fast approaching on Friday, March 7th.
JBRPC is a nonprofit dedicated to caring for and educating people about “10,000 acres of public parklands throughout Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway peninsula, 18,000 acres of open water and marshlands within Jamaica Bay itself and 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches along the Rockaway peninsula,” according to its website.
The Wetlands Fellowship is a hands-on opportunity for young adults to get involved in environmental stewardship by learning about the ecology of Jamaica Bay’s marshlands and how to care for them.
“Join us,” Stewardship Programs Manager Anil Pasram said in an interview about the fellowship. “It’s really just to have a local workforce dedicated to protecting the health of Jamaica Bay.”
It is a six-month long, part-time program for adults ages 18 through 25. Fellows work 18 to 21-hour weeks, Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at $20 per hour across two park sites. The program runs from April 1st through September 30th.
Ideal candidates don’t need to have college degrees in environmental science or long resumes full of work experience. In fact, the most important thing an applicant can bring is passion for environmental stewardship, drive to work hard and frontline experiences from living in the local community.
The application is relatively simple and should take around 10 minutes to complete. A resume isn’t required, but there will be a few questions about who the applicant is and why they care about the conservancy’s mission.
Participants will learn about issues facing the park, such as invasive species and pollution, as well as the interesting biodiversity in the region. The park is home to more than 300 species of birds, 100 species of finfish and 50 species of butterflies.
Fellows also get to regularly work out in the field, clearing out invasive plant species, removing trash, installing breakwaters, planting native plant species, constructing park trails and more.
“[They] get a sense of just how vast Jamaica Bay is and why it’s called the jewel of New York City,” Pasram said. “Just a greater understanding of how important protecting the bay is for these communities and all of its wildlife.”
Pasram said that the goal of the fellowship is for there to be mutual growth and benefits to both the participants and the park.
The participants will come away from the position with real-world job experience to include on a resume, plus an idea of whether this is the line of work they would like to pursue or not, along with some income.
The park, however, will benefit from the different backgrounds, demographics and lived experiences that the fellows will bring into their programs. Their varied viewpoints are valuable in innovating better ways to care for south Brooklyn’s wetlands.
Additionally, fellows can help Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Park by spreading awareness back home about the park and about how to better treat the environment.
Following completion of the program, former fellows usually stay in touch with the conservancy. The organization shares related job opportunities with its alumni group and checks in on them, so the support continues even once the fellowship ends.
The conservancy hosts educational programs and stewardship events throughout the year to connect residents to their local greenspace, such as beach cleanups, stargazing meetups and wellness walks.
“New Yorkers can get lost and indulge in nature,” Pasram said of the potential for recreational use of the park.
You can apply for the JBRPC Wetlands Fellowship online at https://www.jbrpc.org/2025-wetlands-fellowship-application.
