Overview
The Women’s+ Advanced Saw Crew Member position is a role on a single-identity, all-female crew. Crew Members are supported on a variety of levels, by their Crew Leaders, Program Staff & Project Partners, and Conservation Legacy Staff. This crew will be expected to safely use chainsaws, crosscut saws, and other trail tools to complete a variety of conservation projects in partnership with local public land managers. The Women’s+ Advanced Saw Crew provides a supportive learning environment where women work, learn from, and grow with one another while improving upon their existing chainsaw skills and certifications to propel them into a career in environmental stewardship. We ask that Crew Members embrace learning opportunities, face challenges, and build community with their crew.
Projects take place across the Appalachian Region, including work with the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, and other land managers. During their time in the field, Crew Members camp overnight and work outdoors in all types of weather conditions, performing heavy manual labor related to environmental conservation and restoration projects. These hands-on projects include visitor access improvements, trail construction and maintenance, habitat restoration, invasive species treatments, historic restoration, disaster relief, and much more. Most projects require hiking out to remote work sites for the day with tools, equipment, and day pack.
Typically, Crew Members will meet at the ACC Office in Harrisonburg, VA to travel in a crew vehicle to their project site and remain in the field for 9 days at a time, followed by 5 days off. While in the field, Crew Members work 8-10 hours a day.
Qualifications:
- Be between the ages of 18 and 30 (exception for Veterans up to age 35)
- 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 and/or State criminal background check
Required Skills:
- Must have previous chainsaw experience bucking and felling trees in a crew setting (US Forest Service chainsaw certification preferred – A level or higher)
- This is a space that centers the experiences of women and is open to all trans women, cis women, and non-binary people.
About Appalachian Conservation Corps
Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) works to connect young people to critical conservation service work across Appalachia and neighboring communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, DC, and Pennsylvania. As a corps program, ACC partners with public land managers to identify, plan, and complete projects that improve public access, habitat quality, and economic development. ACC is a program of Conservation Legacy, a nationwide network of conservation service organizations. Our programs focus on service, place-based learning, life skills development, appreciation of diversity, civic responsibility, and career development. ACC also provides an opportunity for members to learn about the local environment and issues affecting it and introduces individuals to recreation and resource management careers. ACC welcomes national applicants, but also emphasizes the engagement of local individuals who represent the communities in which they serve.
