SCA New Hampshire Conservation Corps
UPDATES: Hiring!
Hiring:
New Hampshire Conservation Corps - Field Crew Member
Dates: March 27, 2023 to October 19, 2023
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 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 (LNT)
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 Monadnock 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 position please visit, https://www.thesca.org/NHcorps.
Position Benefits:
Stipend $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 value
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
NH State Parks Season Pass
* You will receive at least one of these trainings.
Bear Brook State Park
To apply: Email your resume and cover letter to Zach Colatch at zcolatch@thesca.org.
This position is unique in that service takes place all over the state. However, the program’s home base, which includes “rustic camp” cabins is Spruce Pond Camp within Bear Brook State Park (BBSP). BBSP is the largest developed state park in New Hampshire with over 10,000 acres and 40 miles of trails. Whether you are headed from here to do service or just have fun recreating you will certainly enjoy the trails, ponds, wildlife, and other gems this park and state have to offer.
Conservation Service Locations:
During the program you may have the opportunity to serve in the alpine zone of the White Mountain National Forest, at the Atlantic Seacoast, among the spruce-fir forests of the Great North Woods, or beside one of NH’s picturesque lakes or rivers.
Requirements in Order to Serve:
US citizenship is required.
Ability to pass required state and federal background checks.
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, environmental education, 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.
SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all members, leaders, and staff. The organization and NHCC are firmly committed to maintaining a service atmosphere in which people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles may grow personally and professionally.