CONSERVATION INTERN POSITION DESCRIPTION

AmeriCorps Position: Conservation Intern (ages 18-25)

Living Allowance: Stipend $1355 per month

Service Term: May-August

Service Schedule: 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-4:30PM (typical)

Reports to: Individual Placement Program Manager

Criminal History Check: NSOPW, State and FBI, due to recurring access to vulnerable populations

Location: This is not a residential program; participants must secure housing near the placement location.

  • Bloomington, MN

Position Summary: Conservation Internsserve alongside U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refugenatural resource professionals. Each internship is focused to help develop the Conservation Interns’ professional skill sets while providing expertise and valuable contributions to the host site.Conservation Interns learn hands-on skills in the work of managing natural resources and public outreach. Conservation Interns will be assigned to one of three areas: 1) Biological inventory, monitoring and restoration, 2) trails/grounds maintenance and 3) visitor and outreach services.

Members are directly supervised by Conservation Corps Program Coordinator and USFWS site supervisor. Members serve in a single placement setting with a partnering nonprofit/government organization. Members complete service projects with direction provided by partnering agencies and representatives of those agencies.

Qualifications:

  • Positive attitude and strong commitment to service and community work.
  • Flexibility to work independently and with others in a team setting.
  • Ability to work outdoors in varied terrain and all weather conditions.
  • Strong communication skills, with the ability to educate and interact with members of the public.
  • Familiarity with MS Office software.
  • Valid driver’s license and good driving record.
  • Must pass driving record and criminal history checks.
  • Academic and/or field experience in natural resources preferred.
  • Strong planning, organization, communication and creative thinking skills.
  • Knowledge of GIS software and GPS use preferred
  • Training will be provided in these areas as needed; up to 15-20% of the service term is dedicated to technical and personal skills training.

Requirements:

  • Must be a US Citizen, US National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien of the US.
  • Must pass the National Sex Offender Public Registry and criminal history check defined as no positive hits on the NSOPW and no history of violent offenses on the criminal history check.
  • Must successfully pass medical review process.
  • Valid driver’s license and safe driving record (no major moving violations or DUI’s in the past five years).

Essential Service Functions: Ability to perform the *Essential Service Functions 40 hours per week

  • Serving in both indoor and outdoor settings
  • Heavy lifting, bending, and carrying up to 50 pounds
  • Walking and working on steep or uneven terrain
  • Working in extremes of heat or cold

*Full list of essential functions for service available here:

*Adequately performing essential service functions is a requirement of this position. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.

Position Responsibilities and Tasks:

Member must serve safely, effectively and efficiently to ensure that projects are completed to the satisfaction of USFWS hosts and the community. AmeriCorps members are expected to serve a minimum of 450 hours and complete the entire service term per the start and end dates listed on the Member Service Agreement. The service calendar outlines 470 available hours of service, with no service (and thus, no accrual of service hours) on Memorial Day and Independence Day. Therefore, absences (sick or vacation) beyond two excused days for full-time 450 hour AmeriCorps members are deemed excessive, jeopardizing the member’s ability to accrue the minimum service hours required for the education award. If a member has excessive absences, the member may need to volunteer with an external organization outside of regularly scheduled service days to earn additional service hours to complete the education award. These additional service hours must be pre-approved by Staff.

  • Service activities
  • Biological Inventory, Monitoring and Restoration Intern
  • Conduct plant, animal and invertebrate inventory and monitoring surveys
  • Invasive plant inventory and removal
  • Trails and Grounds Intern
  • Monitor trail system: report on conditions and perform maintenance tasks as appropriate
  • Remove invasive species, occasionally facilitate with volunteer groups
  • Pollinator garden maintenance
  • Mowing and weed removal
  • Visitor and Outreach Services Intern
  • Clearly communicate with visitors, providing information and orientation about facilities, trails, wildlife, mission and purpose
  • Assist in providing education and public programs
  • Develop social media posts
  • Create documents, posters and reports
  • Safety & Equipment
  • Promote and follow all safety requirements of OSHA, project hosts and the Corps.
  • Read monthly safety messages.
  • Ensure personal safety practices are followed on all service sites.
  • Ensure adequate PPE and a First-aid kit are available on all field projects.
  • Keep service sites, offices, shops and vehicles neat and orderly.
  • Assure proper safety and maintenance of Corps owned equipment and partner owned equipment.
  • Request training on tools and equipment before use at the Refuge.
  • Administration
  • Submit bi-monthly timesheets to the Site Supervisor and Program Manager. (Note: lunch time does not count towards service term hours).
  • Submit expense reports and receipts to Program Manager for coding and signature.
  • Represent the Corps and Site Hosts at local county fairs, community events, job fairs, etc.

In accordance with 45CFR 2520.65, AmeriCorps members may not perform prohibited service activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in the activities. Prohibited service activities are outlined in the Service Agreement section VII and AmeriCorps member manual.

Training: As an AmeriCorps service learning program and to prepare corpsmembers for service projects, the Corps provides orientation at the start of the service term, with trainings including: AmeriCorps benefits, team building and conflict resolution, diversity, safety and risk management, Red Cross first aid and CPR, and defensive driving. Additional site or project specific training is provided by the site supervisor. All Conservation Interns can expect to receive training in interpretive services, environmental education and outreach, leadership and current conservation best practices. Training is provided by the Site Partner as needed for all equipment and tools used.Tools may include:

  • Hand tools and motorized mowers for trail maintenance.
  • Travel is typically minimal, but may be required based on site location. If required, vehicle use may include: trucks, trucks with trailers, ATV, van and/or car. Extensive driving of forested roads will be required to complete the road inventory.

Role Clarification: This is an AmeriCorps Corpsmember level position, NOT a staff member. While serving in this AmeriCorps volunteer position, corpsmembers need to abide by the below restrictions:

  • Corpsmembers may NOT sign/approve official documents such as AmeriCorps paperwork, member timecards, performance evaluations, disciplinary contracts, project contracts or any similar documents.
  • Corpsmembers may NOT be directly involved in project acquisition or contracting.
  • Corpsmembers may NOT discipline other AmeriCorps members. While they may provide guidance, facilitate crew meetings, motivate, reward and uphold safety policies on the service site, all policy violations and disciplinary action must be directed to and handled by a staff member.

CONDITIONS OF AGREEMENT: AmeriCorps members will be subject to all state and federal laws, and the rules and regulations of OSHA and Conservation Corps. The member is expected to fully understand and adhere to the rules, regulations and code of conduct as described in the AmeriCorps member manual. Policy violations will result in disciplinary action according to program guidelines, including written warnings, fines, suspension without stipend, and/or termination. The AmeriCorps member is accountable for meeting or exceeding the responsibilities of this position as described above, and will be evaluated at mid-term and end-term by Corps Program Staff, with input from project hosts. Successful completion is contingent on both AmeriCorps education award hours and service through the agreed upon term end date.

This program is available to all, without regard to disability, race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or other non-merit factors. The Conservation Corps engages AmeriCorps members, ages 18-25, as defined under the American Conservation and Youth Service Corps Act, a subtitle of the National and Community Service Act of 1990. Reasonable accommodations available upon request.

I have read and fully understand the above position description that reflects the service activities that I will perform during the AmeriCorps term.

AmeriCorps member Signature: ______Date:

Approval Signature:______Date: