The SCA's NH Conservation Corps Program:
Have you ever wanted to live in a park where you can explore thousands of acres of prime New England forest? Do you want to make life-long friends who are passionate about the environment and from all over the United States? Does the chance to learn conservation and leadership skills and start your career off with a one-of-a-kind experience sound exciting? If you said yes to any or all of these questions, then the New Hampshire Conservation Corps is the place for you!
The SCA NH Corps is a collaboration between the SCA, the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and AmeriCorps. Since 1994 the SCA NH Corps has provided over one million hours of service to New Hampshire while training young adults to do valuable conservation work. Each year young adult volunteers contribute thousands of service hours, Interpretive Rangers providing environmental education programs to the state’s residents and visitors and Field Crew Members completing conservation service projects to improve and protect the state’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources from the Atlantic Coast to the White Mountains and beyond.
Training Season:
This season runs from the end of March through mid June. During the training season you will learn from experienced staff and trainers as you engage in:
- SCA, AmeriCorps, and NH State Park policies and protocols;
- Leadership development and teamwork discussions and scenarios;
- Camp skills and Leave No Trace;
- Trail Maintenance and Construction;
- Carpentry skills;
- Chainsaw or trail rigging training;
- Wilderness First Responder, and more!
Conservation Season:
This season runs from mid June-October. During this time members will serve in the field on “hitch” crews of their peers for periods of 11 days (10 service days with 1 day off). Hitches consist of high priority conservation projects with a focus on public lands access, visitor experience and safety, and recreation site protection such as erosion control and revegetation. NH Corps crews use traditional trail skills, restoration techniques, carpentry skills, and physical labor to complete an array of projects while camping for the duration of each project period. Locations for these service projects vary from frontcountry campgrounds to backcountry sites in the White Mountain National Forest and Great North Woods.
The 800,000 acre White Mount National Forest (WMNF) includes a variety of landscapes from mountainous hardwood forests to majestic alpine peaks, which includes the tallest mountain in the Northeast – Mount Washington. Field Crew Members will have the opportunity to serve on several WMNF projects hiking in the backcountry to survey trails and campsites or start from frontcountry locations for trail restoration and maintenance projects. Your service will help rehabilitate and preserve the Forest and some of its 1200 miles of non-motorized trails, which includes the Crawford Path – the oldest continuously maintained hiking path in America. By continuing to maintain and keep this valuable recreational resource safe, for its 6 million annual visitors, you will become part of the WMNF's storied history.
Beyond the White Mountain National Forest, you will have the opportunity to serve at several of NH's beautiful state parks. These parks may include Mount Monadnoack in the Southern Region to Umbagog in the Northern Region and Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch in the Central White Mountain Region. You will traverse the state and see it all while serving on 9 hitch teams throughout your term of service!
Some of the specific service tasks may include:
- Building bridges (native timber and lumber)
- Rock work; (staircases, stepping stones)
- Cruising trails to address maintenance needs
- Building camping shelters and kiosks
- Constructing new trails
- Installing trail structures to limit erosion
- Backcountry site assessments
- Invasive species management
- Historic preservation and more!
Through this 7 month commitment you will serve communities throughout New Hampshire while contributing as active members of the SCA NH Conservation Corps program. For more general information about this and other positions with the SCA NH Corps please visit, https://www.thesca.org/NHcorps.
Position Benefits:
- Living Allowance $6,300 – $210.00/week or $420/biweekly pay period
- All food is provided – estimated value is $1500
- Housing is provided – estimated value is $4,000
- AmeriCorps Education Award $4,826.50, for qualifying educational expenses and loans, upon completion of 1200 hours of service
- Health Insurance – $375/month
- Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and CPR Certification – $700
- Game of Logging Chainsaw Certification* – $500
- Rigging and Griphoist Use for Trail Work* – $500
- Conservation Work Skills – Trail Construction and Maintenance Training – $450
- Carpentry Training – $350
- Leave No Trace (LNT) Outdoor Ethics Training -$150
* You will receive art least one of these trainings.
Requirements in Order to Serve:
- US citizenship is required.
- Ability to pass required state and federal background checks.
*For SCA's COVID-19 guidance, please refer to www.thesca.org/covid
Position ID: PO-00734249
Expected Dates: March 27, 2023 - October 19, 2023
Location:
159A Deerfield Road
Allenstown, NH 03275
US
Training Provided: Wilderness First Responder and CPR Trail Maintenance and Construction Camp Skills Carpentry Trail Rigging or Chainsaw Certification Leave No Trace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership and Teamwork Skills Risk Management And More!
Educational/Recreational Opportunities: Educational opportunities may include trainings provided by AmeriCorps, NH environmental organizations, and UNH Cooperative Extension. Also, NH is an outdoor recreational paradise with every activity and opportunity within a 1 to 2 hour drive of our site.
Professional Development Opportunities: NH Conservation Corps members will have an abundance of opportunities to learn many skills, volunteer with environmental and other local nonprofit organizations throughout NH, and learn from one another.
Members will learn leadership and teamwork skills while co-leading their hitch teams or being active participants during field projects throughout conservation season.
Program partners work in a variety of fields. These career fields include, but are not limited to, education, youth development, land management/stewardship, land conservation, outdoor recreation, and forestry to name a few. Serving alongside and learning from these professionals is an invaluable experience that will help you jump-start your career.
Main Area of Focus: Backcountry/Trail work
Further Details
AmeriCorps Eligible: Eligible
Driving Logistics: Recommended
If you need to run personal errands, our facility within the Park is 40 minutes from Concord, NH's capital city, and Manchester, NH's largest city, where you can find anything you need. We do allow limited use of program vehicles for these purposes.
Indoor/Outdoor: Outside
US Citizenship: Yes