Trail Crew Member: AmeriCorps Position

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Do you love the outdoors and want to protect it?
Thinking about a career in the environment? Come join the movement!

The Trail Conference Conservation Corps (TCCC) provides great opportunities for outdoor lovers to become leaders in environmental conservation. Spend your summer outdoors protecting natural resources, gaining valuable experience in the field, and making a difference in conservation.

Our beloved hiking trails are more than just outdoor entertainment, they provide the necessary link between the public and habitat protection, offering essential opportunities to protect plant and animal species. Members of the TCCC trail program will serve on crews of four to eight, building and renovating primitive trails alongside dynamic community volunteers. Projects typically entail intensive labor and site modification (soil excavation, quarrying and moving large rocks) to produce quality trails that minimize long-term environmental impact while providing safe and enjoyable access to the recreating public. Thousands of hikers enjoy the trails our TCCC members have built and restored.

Former TCCC trail crew members have gone on to successful careers in the NYC Parks Department, New York State Department of Environmental Protection, and many other local and national environmental departments! If you want to be on a team of peers in environmental protection, network with regional leaders in conservation, gain trail building skills and experience, a position on the TCCC Trail crew might be right for you!

Program Overview:
Our AmeriCorps crews are trained by industry experts in sustainable trail building, invasive species management, public outreach, volunteer engagement, and outdoor leadership. You will receive a living stipend for your service and are eligible for education awards through our partnership with AmeriCorps.

Members learn and serve in the greater New York metropolitan region, which features the nation’s finest system of trails outside of a major urban area. From trail construction to habitat restoration to visitor education, you can provide vital resources to the public parks you enjoy. Come help protect the land you love! For more information about our Corps, visit www.nynjtc.org/corps

Service Location: A site in New Jersey or multiple sites throughout The Lower Hudson Valley of New York

Term of Service: A minimum of 900 hours between May 14 and October 26, Thursday through Monday 40-hour service week. This is primarily an outdoor position.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Building and maintaining high quality hiking and multi-use trails and trail structures, including tread excavation, native stone staircase and wall construction, and bridges
• Periodically assume crew leadership responsibilities, including project and crew management, paperwork and safety compliance, and volunteer outreach
• Training, teaching, overseeing, and motivating volunteers during episodic workdays and workshops to ensure quality trail work while improving the Trail Conference’s volunteer skill capacity
• Filling out and submitting weekly timesheets, project accomplishments, and volunteer paperwork
• Documenting project accomplishments and contributing to final reports
• Members may not engage in any Prohibited Activities as outlined in the AmeriCorps Member Service Agreement

Skills and Attributes Required:

• Ability to conduct physically strenuous field work in rugged terrain including ability to lift and carry heavy loads up to 50 pounds and hike 5 miles on uneven terrain
• Ability and willingness to work outdoors in primitive settings in all weather conditions
• Durable sense of humor, enthusiasm, and work ethic
• Ability to maintain a safe and enjoyable work environment under challenging conditions
• Ability to motivate, teach, and work with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Must have a valid driver’s license; reliable personal vehicle preferred
• A love and commitment to the outdoors

Preferred Skills and Attributes:

• Outdoor work/volunteering experience, especially on trails
• Experience working with and teaching volunteer individuals and groups
• Leadership experience, especially of small teams from diverse backgrounds
• Familiarity with using photos and social media to promote social causes
• Comfort with data tracking and entry

Benefits

• Build/maintain long lasting trails in beautiful locations
• Gain trailbuilding skills and experience including griphoist rigging, dry masonry and trail structures, rock drilling and splitting, tread and drainage, and design and layout
• Training in Wilderness First Aid/CPR/AED and Leave No Trace Principles
• Training and experience in teaching and working with volunteers, public outreach, and teamwork
• Valuable leadership opportunities
• Valuable professional development and networking opportunities
• Opportunity to serve local communities and the public by making a difference in the environment and improving habitats in a tangible way
• Eligible for SNAP (food stamp) benefits
• Bi-weekly pre-tax living allowance; $8,000 total
• Upon successful completion of the program, an education award of $3,097.50
• Become a member of the dynamic AmeriCorps community
• Free, as needed, rustic cabin housing at a local park on a first-come first-served basis; a short drive to transit to access NYC and surrounding areas
• Opportunity for qualified student loan deferment and interest repayment

Enrollment Requirements:

An individual must be at least 18 years of age; have a high school diploma or GED; be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien; pass a three-part national service criminal history check of the national sex-offender registry, state repository check, and FBI fingerprint check; and complete all pre-service orientation and training requirements. Documentation of age, education and citizenship are due by the first day of orientation. Criminal history checks will be initiated and must be completed before the start of service; an individual will be ineligible if s/he is required to register on the National Sex Offender Registry, has been convicted of murder, or fails to disclose any previous conviction. Other convictions or pending charges will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with program policy.

To Apply:

Go to https://www.nynjtc.org/corpsapplication

For more questions or more information contact Tori Finn, Conservation Corps Manager, at vfinn@nynjtc.org

Applications accepted until the positions are filled, with preference given to those received before February 17 th.