The wait is finally over! Our 1st recruitment film is out! Brace yourselves for the most epic, mind-blowing, life-changing two minutes of your life! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Grab some popcorn, sit back, and prepare to have your mind blown." - All of @USFWS #NotYourOrdinaryJob

This milkweed seed took the # 1 spot in our POST-FIRE category of the 📸 & 📽️ contest! #Congrats to Mike Budd for capturing this delicate scene. Fire is essential for healthy ecosystems, including milkweed—critical for monarch butterflies. 📸 Mike Budd/USFWS #PhotoContest

Sharpening chainsaws on fires is essential for efficiency and safety. This often overlooked task was captured by Paul Hensel, making this photo the winner of our PERSONNEL category for our photo & video contest! #Congratulations Paul! 📸 Paul Hensel/USFWS #PhotoContest

February is #ResponsiblePetOwnersMonth! 🐾 Keeping pets safe during wildfire season is vital ✔️ Include pets in emergency plan ✔️ Pack a go-bag w/ food/H2O ✔️ Keep them leashed/contained when evacuating #ResponsiblePetOwnersMonth #PetPreparedness #WildfireSafety

This stunning night shot was captured by Paul Hensel on a #rxfire in #NewMexico. His artistic eye secured the winning spot of our NIGHT category in our 2024 USFWS Annual Employee Photo and Video Contest! #Congratulations Paul! 📸 Paul Hensel/USFWS

Mother Nature loves to play w/ fire, especially during hot & dry conditions. Lightning is her favorite trick, but strong winds can also be a real troublemaker. Our #weather forecasters keep us safe with their weather predictions! 📸 Koerner/USFWS Happy #NationalWeatherpersonsDay!

This #rxfire at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge in #NorthDakota was captured by Joseph Nieves. The crispness of this photo, along with the multiple @USFWS logos makes this photo the winner of our LOGO category of our photo & video contest. #Congrats! 📸 Joseph Nieves/USFWS

Can we talk about this view?! Joseph Nieves captured this view of a #rxfire on the ND landscape securing his spot at the number one photo in the LANDSCAPE category of our 2024 USFWS Annual Employee Photo & Video Contest! #Congrats! 📸 Joseph Nieves/USFWS #PhotoContest

@Tfireprivate Some trees burned, however, they rely on 🔥to release their seeds! Many seeds were released in the burned area, so managers collected seed to germinate & disperse to bolster the pop. Also, there are many Tecate cyrpress w/in the watershed, but off FWS lands, that were not burned.

6 more weeks of ❄️..... We were hoping for an early thaw & a few extra days of ☀️, but Punxsutawney has other plans. Our firefighters will have to cozy up and wait out the cold a little longer. #GroundhogDay

Wetlands support countless species & provide flood protection, erosion control & cleaner water. The @USFWS has 38 Wetland Management Districts & uses #rxfire to remove thatch, control woody plants & aid native seeds. 📸Lake Andes WMD, Litchfield WMD & Kulm WMD #WorldWetlandsDay

This 📸 perfectly captures the essence of morning briefing at an ICP. This 📸 on the Willamette Complex in OR secured Chris Mursu a top spot in our INCIDENT COMMAND POST category of photo & video contest! #Congratulations Chris! 📸 Chris Mursu/USFWS #PhotoContest

#Congratulations to Paul Hensel who captured this photo of a prescribed fire at Maxwell NWR in #NewMexico. This photo secured the top spot in our FUELS MGMT category of our 2024 USFWS Annual Employee Photo & Video Contest! 📸 Paul Hensel/USFWS #PhotoContest

Feeling overwhelmed? Need a break? Here's a relaxing 📸 to 👀 at while you gather your thoughts. This calming 📸 was taken by Josh Haen at Seney NWR in MI. We can feel the crispness of the air & frozen nostrils as we breathe in. Take all the time you need... 📸 Josh Haen/FWS

#Congrats to Luc Pierce for rolling into 1st place for this photo at Bill Williams River NWR (AZ) in the EQUIPMENT category of our photo & video contest! We use amphibious vehicles to navigate challenging terrain during wildland fire operations. 📸 Luc Pierce/USFWS #PhotoContest

Sheldon NWR in #Nevada completed a 200-acre #rxfire last week. Prescribed fire is important to the refuge because it helps maintain and restore the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem, which is critical for species like greater sage-grouse, pronghorn, and other wildlife.

Whether you love snakes or they give give you the heebie-jeebies, this 📸 shows the connection btwn wildlife & fire. #Congrats to Mike Budd for slithering into 1st place in the ANIMALS category of our 2024 photo & video contest. 📸 Mike Budd/USFWS #PhotoContest

Our fire personnel work hard to improve wildlife habitat, protect threatened & endangered species, & reduce wildfire risk to local communities. To our wildland fire personnel: Thanks for all the good work you do! #FWSfirefighters #wildfirefighters #NationalComplimentDay

We’re excited to announce the first winner of the 2024 Annual Employee Wildland Fire Photo and Video Contest in the AIRCRAFT category! 🎉 This winning photo was taken on the Warner Peak Fire at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in OR. #photocontest 📸 Brian Pippin/USFWS

An Arctic front provided an opportunity for our SW Region completed 10 RX fires (6, 826 acres) @ Anahuac, Aransas, Bosque del Apache, Brazoria, McFaddin (TX) & Havasu (AZ) NWRs. The front directed smoke from the fires over the Gulf, keeping it away from communities. #rxfire