Overview
American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking ONE Natural and Cultural Resource Management Member to assist with a variety of ongoing resource management projects alongside Cumberland Gap National Historical Park staff.
For more information on ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.
Start Date: Summer 2023 – start date flexible for right candidate
End Date: 48 weeks after start date
*a 48-week minimum commitment is required*
Location Details/Description: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (CUGA) – Middlesboro, KY
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (CUGA) is located at the corners of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Park contains 24,000 acres of which 14,000 acres are proposed wilderness. The natural beauty of Appalachian mountain country, lush with vegetation, supports a diverse flora and fauna. Cumberland Gap has 85 miles of hiking trails, mountains, streams, and caves. Middlesboro, Kentucky is the nearest town and is large enough to accommodate three grocery stores, fast food, several restaurants, and a movie theater. Knoxville, Tennessee is approximately 1.5 hours away and has many amenities of a large city.
For more information regarding Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, or the National Park Service, please visit: www.nps.gov/cuga.
Position Overview: The ACE member will assist the Park’s Resource Management staff, with a majority of their time spent in the field performing physically demanding tasks as assigned.
Natural resource management duties will include:
exotic plant control
hemlock wooly adelgid control
bat monitoring
other wildlife monitoring
ginseng monitoring as season allows
Cultural projects may include:
transcription of oral histories
assistance with archival backlog and compliance work
The member must be physically able to handle the demands of the work. Field work requires willingness and ability to work in all types of weather conditions year-round, hiking up to 8 miles a day carrying up to 40 pounds of gear on steep uneven terrain on and off trail. The majority of this work will be off trail in the backcountry.
The members will be trained in the specific projects, methods and protocol and will be expected to work as a team to continue work on their own. Preference will be given to individuals with plant identification skills and/or experience in vegetation monitoring and data collection. See additional requirements below.
Much of the fieldwork will be Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) control. The ACE member must be very comfortable navigating off trail in the backcountry using GPS. Backcountry camping will be required. This treatment is performed off-trail and requires bushwhacking through rhododendron, mountain laurel, and greenbrier along steep slopes, often crossing streams, all while carrying 2.5-gallon jugs of insecticide to apply the chemicals at the base of trees, marking treated trees, measuring
Qualifications:
Members must be a US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts.
Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
A personal vehicle is required for personal errands due to the remote nature of
About American Conservation Experience
American Conservation Experience (ACE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities for youth of all backgrounds to explore and improve public lands while gaining practical professional experience.
