Overview
Members serve in professionally supervised teams as they explore future outdoor careers, learn practical field skills, and develop confidence as emerging leaders in the field of conservation. Members are afforded opportunities to learn and train under the guidance of professional mentors within ACE, while gaining invaluable career perspectives working alongside staff from the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and many other stewards of our nation’s public lands.
Field work and other duties might include but are not limited to:
Habitat restoration
Trail construction and maintenance
Dry and wet stone masonry
Reforestation
Forest thinning
Plant identification
Fencing
Invasive species removal
Swamping
Historic Preservation
Qualifications:
Applicants must be capable of performing physically demanding labor on environmental and conservation projects for 10 hours a day. Applicants should expect to hike extended distances on rough terrain carrying up to 40 lbs, and be prepared to spend 8 consecutive days in the field on each project. Members will work in a variety of weather conditions such as temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, high winds, intense sunshine, rain, and snow. Members should be prep
Required Skills:
U.S. Citizen or permanent resident
Able and willing to work in a group
Able and willing to work outdoors in varying weather conditions and capable of hiking moderate distances in somewhat rough terrain during inclement weather conditions
Ability and willingness to undergo a Federal criminal history check
ACE Members must verify that they are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or have requested and been granted a medical or religious exemption to vaccination by the time they start their term.
Preferred Skills:
Strong desire to enter the conservation field as a natural resource professional
Experience or interest in volunteering in local communities
About American Conservation Experience (ACE)
American Conservation Experience (ACE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities that harness the idealism and energy of a volunteer labor force to help restore America’s public lands. ACE is grounded in the philosophy that cooperative labor on meaningful conservation projects fosters cross-cultural understanding and operates on the belief that challenging volunteer service unites people of all backgrounds in common cause.