Conservation/Restoration Volunteer

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Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nationwide Non-Profit Conservation Corps, is seeking Conservation Volunteers dedicated to serving 6 weeks on conservation projects, including habitat restoration and trail construction & maintenance.

Start Date: September 29, 2016

Estimated End Date: November 11, 2016

(Volunteers may negotiate a shorter or extended term of service)

Location: Asheville, NC

Projects take place throughout the East. Currently teams are working in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Congaree National Forest, and Daniel Boone National Forest, amongst others.

Schedule: Project schedules vary greatly, but typically corps volunteers work 4 days on/ 3 days off. For remote projects, corps volunteers spend off-days nearer to their project location, away from Asheville. Remote projects typically last about three weeks, with the 4 days on/3 days off schedule.

Benefits: Volunteers will receive a Living Allowance Stipend of $110/week, paid bi-weekly.

Housing: ACE provides volunteers housing during their term of service. When working in or near North Carolina, volunteers spend off days in our hostel-style housing in Asheville. When working remotely, volunteers will be provided housing in those remote locations. The volunteer will provide his or her own blankets/pillow/sleeping bag/towels.

Food: ACE provides volunteers with food during all project days; volunteers are responsible for providing their own food on off-days.

Gear: ACE provides each volunteer their own tent. The volunteer will provide his or her own sleeping bag, sleeping pad, rain gear, hiking boots. Upon acceptance to the program, corps volunteers will receive a more extensive packing list. Weather during this time of year can be highly variable so plan on bringing layers of warm clothing and adequate rain gear.

Travel: ACE provides transportation to and from worksites; personal vehicles are not necessary throughout the volunteer’s term of service. ACE does not provide relocation assistance.

Position Description:

Volunteers serve in professionally supervised teams as they explore future outdoor careers, learn practical field skills, and develop confidence as emerging leaders in the field of conservation. Volunteers are afforded opportunities to learn and train under the guidance of professional mentors within ACE, while gaining invaluable career perspectives working alongside staff from the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and many other stewards of our nation’s public lands.

Field work and other duties might include but are not limited to:

• Habitat restoration
• Trail construction and maintenance
• Dry and wet stone masonry
• Reforestation
• Forest thinning
• Plant identification
• Fencing
• Invasive species removal
• Swamping

Volunteers get experience working with or in conjunction with the following tools and equipment, depending on their level of training:

• Trail Maintenance: Pick mattocks, Pulaskis, shovels, single/double jacks, McLeods, single bit axes, rock bars, chisels, crosscut saws, and griphoists
• Restoration Equipment: Herbicide backpack sprayers, spray bottles, GPS units, and measuring tools
• Power Tools and Gas Powered Equipment: Chainsaws, brush-cutters, drills, saws, and compressors

To Apply: Please submit a thoughtful resume and cover letter along with 3 professional references to volunteer@usaconservation.org

Qualifications: Applicants must be capable of performing physically demanding labor on environmental and conservation projects for 10 hours a day. Applicants should expect to hike extended distances on rough terrain carrying 40 lbs, and be prepared to spend 8 consecutive days in the field, on one project. Volunteers will work in a variety of weather conditions such as temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, high winds, intense sunshine, rain, and snow.

Required:

• U.S. Citizen or permanent resident
• Must be between the ages of 18 and 25
• Able and willing to work in a group
• Able and willing to work outdoors in varying weather conditions and capable of hiking moderate distances in somewhat rough terrain during inclement weather conditions
• Ability and willingness to undergo a Federal criminal background check

Preferred:

• Experience in hiking and navigation in steep terrain
• Experience or interest in volunteering in local communities

NOTE:Early consideration will be given as applications are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position, please feel free to contact the North Carolina Recruitment Specialist, Bethany Coury at 928-814-6951 or bcoury@usaconservation.org.