2024 Summer Conservation Crew Member

Position: Summer Conservation Crew Member

Start/ End dates: 05/27/2024 – 08/09/2024

Status: Seasonal, Full-time, Camping Program

Location: Durango, CO or Salida, CO

Stipend: $600/week ($400/week living stipend + $200/week housing stipend)

Ages: 18 – 30

Benefits: $1,459.26, 300-hour AmeriCorps Education Award (Value may change depending on term of service), Food provided while in the field, uniform shirts, personal protective equipment. Wilderness First Aid & CPR/AED certification.

About the Position

As an AmeriCorps program participant with the Southwest Conservation Corps, your office is the great outdoors! Each crew consists of 6 members and 2 leaders. Crews work and camp for 8 days at a time in either front country (access to your crew vehicle and trailer), in town (working with the county or municipality), or backcountry (hiking all your supplies in with backpacks) locations. You will work effectively as a member of the crew; perform strenuous physical work related to environmental conservation and restoration projects; work outdoors in all types of weather and successfully adapt to various climates; effectively learn and apply new environmental conservation and restoration skills; actively participate in environmental education activities if they are provided; practice appropriate safety procedures in all tasks assigned; use, maintain and repair hand and power tools as necessary. 

Projects may include trail construction & maintenance, habitat improvement, hazardous fuels reduction, re-vegetation, weeding, herbicide treatment, fencing, facility maintenance, and local environmental service projects. Crews may also complete technical and/or specialized projects depending on project partner needs, including disaster relief if the opportunity arises.

Schedules consist of 10-hour days that are typically 8-days on and 6 off. There is a possibility you could work 4 days on and 3 days off, or a variation of schedules requiring all AmeriCorps Crew Members to show flexibility in scheduling.

All Crew Members can choose to attend a 5-day, voluntary orientation (May 27 - 31, 2024). This optional week of training includes Wilderness First Aid Training. Food and space to camp provided by SCC.

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We will be running the following crews during the 2024 season. We will speak to the work that each of these crews completes during the interview and will discuss your preferences at that time.

• Conservation/Trail Crew (Durango + Salida) – A crew for young adults that works in both backcountry and front country settings, focusing on trails and a variety of conservation work. 
• Chainsaw Crew (Salida) – A crew for young adults that works primarily in front country settings, focusing on sustainable forestry, fuels reduction, or invasive species removal (with the potential to use herbicide). Crew members will go through S-212 chainsaw training and will earn their United States Forest Service A-faller chainsaw certification upon completion.
• Crosscut Crew(Durango) – Crew works in remote Wilderness areas, clearing down trees from trails with a two-person crosscut saw. Crew members will go through crosscut saw training and receive a federally recognized certification upon completion.
• Affinity Crews - The goal of our affinity crews is to have a place where those with identities that have historically and systemically been underrepresented in the conservation field, and their allies can come together and build an equitable community. The Womens+, Queer, Leaders of Color Affinity Crews seek to create a safe, non-judgmental, and inclusive space for all regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity or expression. We value respect of names, pronouns, orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, philosophies, confidentiality, boundaries, and culture.
  • Women’s+ Chainsaw Crew(Durango & Salida) – An affinity crew for Women (both trans + cis) as well as non-binary individuals with project work focusing on sustainable forestry, fuels reduction, or invasive species removal (with the potential to use herbicide). Crew members will go through S-212 chainsaw training and will earn their United States Forest Service A-faller chainsaw certification upon completion. 
  • Queer Crew(Durango)– An affinity crew for LGBTQAI2S+ individuals. This crew work on a variety of projects, in both front country and backcountry settings. This will allow Crew Members to gain experience in and understanding of several aspects of conservation work.
  • Leaders of Color Conservation Crew(Salida) – An affinity crew for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) community members in both a backcountry and front country setting, focusing on trails and a variety of conservation work. This will allow Crew Members to gain experience in and understanding of several aspects of conservation work.

Required Skills & Experience

Qualifications:

• To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 and 30
• Regularly lift and/or move up to 50 lbs
• A US citizen that has received (or on track to receive) a high school diploma or GED
• All offers of service are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and state and federal criminal background checks.

Participant Essential Eligibility Requirements

Essential eligibility requirements for the program must be met. If you are unable to meet certain requirements, we may be able to assist you with some modification unless it alters the fundamental nature of the program, compromises the health and safety of participants or staff, or places an undue financial or administrative burden on the organization.

Participant and Expedition Behavior

• Serve effectively as a member of a team despite potentially stressful and difficult conditions
• Willingness and ability to complete all aspects of the program
• Contribute to a safe learning environment; no harassment of any kind
• Appropriately represent SCC and AmeriCorps to the public and project partners at all time

Risk Management and Judgement

• Effectively follow direction by others, so that you will be able to successfully manage hazards
• Ask clarifying question when you do not understand a task
• Maintain focus during workday, both while traveling and serving in varied weather conditions.
• If taking prescription medications, participants must be able to maintain proper dosage without assistance from others.

Environmental Ethics & Outdoor Skills

• Learn and safely perform fundamental outdoor living and skills as appropriate to the project.
• Live in a physically demanding, possibly remote environment for an uninterrupted period of up to several weeks

Substance Free

• In accordance with a drug free program, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps and SCC activities, and while on organization property.

At SCC, equity is a core value. To put power behind this statement, we prioritize and encourage opportunities for Black, Indigenous, Queer, Trans, and Women of Color (QTBIPOC). Interested candidates are encouraged to contact our staff for inquiries and submit an application on our website.

Staff contacts:

Kristen Barrett, SCC Four Corners (Durango) Adult Program Manager: kbarrett@conservationlegacy.org

Brittany LeTendre, SCC Los Valles (Salida) Adult Program Manager: bletendre@conservationlegacy.org

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.