For Bowie State University students interested in environmental conservation, a new doorway is opening. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has signed an agreement with the Maryland university to expand its recruiting efforts there as part of an effort aimed at historically Black colleges and universities.

“We are a government agency. We work on behalf of all Americans. Our mission is to work with others to protect, enhance, conserve plants and animals for all Americans. We cannot do our work if our agency doesn’t represent and look like the Americans that we serve,” said Siva Sundaresan, deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency is also signing agreements with two other HBCUs, Bethune-Cookman University, in Florida, and Alabama A&M University.

Bowie students won’t have far to travel to take advantage of this new opportunity to study nature.

“We have a National Wildlife Refuge that’s adjacent to Bowie State University … so it’s an incredible opportunity for students to get classroom experience and classroom knowledge, and then be able to get out into the field, out on the ground, and so it captures their mind and their hearts,” said Wendi Weber, northeast regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Representatives from the federal agency and the schools signed an agreement Friday aimed at increasing the agency’s racial diversity.

“I want to applaud the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for partnering in this endeavor … the ultimate goal is to introduce green jobs and a workforce to underrepresented populations that our HBCUs are serving,” said Bowie State University President Aminta Breaux.

The agreement is in line with an executive order signed by President Joe Biden to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal workforce.