Grand Canyon • Ancestral Lands • Crew Member

Start Date: November 11, 2019

End Date: March 13, 2020

Status: 450-hour AmeriCorps Service Term (subject to change)

Stipend: $295/week

Location: Flagstaff, AZ

Benefits: AmeriCorps Education Award; Paid training; Food budget while on hitch; Employee Assistance Program

Summary:

Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC):

Arizona Conservation Corps, a program of Conservation Legacy, aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s. This AZCC crew is focused on connecting Native American young adults (ages 18-25) with conservation service work projects on public lands. AZCC operates programs across Arizona that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. AZCC has program offices in Flagstaff, the White Mountains, and Tucson. This crew operates out of Flagstaff, AZ.

Field Crew Project Work:

AZCC works with a variety of land management agencies in Arizona, such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. Projects vary across crews and locations, but can include trail construction and maintenance, ecosystem restoration, fencing projects, invasive species removal, herbicide application and more.

Training

The term begins with an orientation: crew member training will consist of Wilderness First Aid, Leave No Trace, Outdoor Living, Crew Culture and Diversity, and goal setting. Depending on project needs, crews have possible specialized opportunities for instruction in herbicide handling, crosscut or chainsaw use and safety. Informal training will continue throughout the term with on-the-ground skills training to include things like tool maintenance, plant identification and an overview of public land management agencies.

Expectations:

AZCC is a drug-free organization; alcohol and illegal substances are prohibited. AZCC is an independent, non-residential program. The crew member must supply his/her/their own personal outdoor gear and equipment such as a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, day pack, multi-day pack, work pants, hiking/work boots, etc. A suggested gear-list will be provided prior to starting the term of service. AZCC will provide the tools, personal protective gear, budget for crew meals and transportation to projects. Additionally, AZCC has pro-deals and some gear available to borrow.

Schedule:

The typical schedule is ten-hour days; either four days on with three days off, or eight to nine days on with six days off. Depending on proximity to the work site, crews either return to town or camp at the project site (we refer to this as a “hitch”) for its duration. The day starts at 7:00 AM with a stretch circle and safety meeting, includes two fifteen-minute breaks and a half hour break for lunch, and concludes at 5:30 PM.

Compensation:

Crew members receive an AmeriCorps living stipend of $295/week, before taxes, issued bi-weekly. Upon completion of the term, the crew member will receive an education award. The education award can to be used for paying off federal student loans or paying tuition for a Title IV accredited college.

Qualifications:

• Be between the ages of 18 and 25
• Must identify as Native American or be part of a Native American Tribe
• Have US Citizenship or Legal Permanent Residency status.
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Pass background checks: all offers of positions are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and Federal criminal background check
• Must be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award

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 provide some accommodations, excepting that which 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. These requirements are written the same for all positions and therefore may not apply directly to your particular position.

Participation and Expedition Behavior:

• Work effectively as a member of a team despite potentially stressful and difficult conditions. This may require problem-solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences.
• Contribute to a safe learning environment; no harassment of others for any reason.
• Willingness and ability to complete all aspects of the program including conservation projects, education, training and National Service. Members must commit to participating in all crew/team activities, including service days in local communities where applicable.
• Effectively communicate ideas and concerns as they arise directly to supervisors, colleagues and organization staff.
• Have the cognitive ability to learn necessary skills and apply them to effectively carry out the service work requirements
• Appropriately represent the Program and AmeriCorps to the public and project partners at all times

Safety and Judgment:

• Effectively communicate danger to others in the form of either a warning of danger others may be encountering or a notification of personal distress, injury or need for assistance. You must be able to do so at a distance of up to 50 meters and in conditions with limited visibility or loud background noise such as darkness or high winds.
• Effectively perceive, understand and follow direction by others so that you will be able to successfully execute appropriate and perhaps unfamiliar techniques to manage hazards. These directions may be given before the hazard is encountered or may need to be given during exposure to the hazard.
• Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in varied weather conditions
• Perceive and comprehend significant and apparent hazards, including those hazards previously identified by others.
• Respond appropriately to stress or crises.
• If taking prescription medications, participants must be able to maintain proper dosage by self-medicating without assistance from others.

Environmental Ethics:

• Learn and practice ‘Leave no Trace’ techniques
• Outdoor Skills and Fitness (where appropriate)
• Learn and safely perform fundamental outdoor living/travel and work skills as appropriate to the project. Additionally, remain adequately hydrated, fed, and properly dressed so as to remain generally healthy and safe, avoiding environmental injuries.
• Live in a physically demanding, possibly remote environment for an uninterrupted period of up to several weeks. Conditions of this environment may vary significantly and may include severe and/or trying weather. The remoteness is such that it may require at a minimum one hour, but perhaps in excess of 12 hours, to reach the nearest advanced medical care.

Substance Free:

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