Overview
Conservation Begins Here.
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and adults. Program participants protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, and community green spaces across the country.
Training Dates: 4/15-4/26 (Location TBD) + 4/29-5/20 (Indian, AK) for preparation and mentorship with SCA staff
Program Dates:5/20-8/23 with members
Location (City and State): Anchorage, AK for training; Cordova, AK for season
Primary Responsibilities:
SCA Alaska Trail Corps teams consist of 3-4 young adult members and one leader, and are placed on one or more project distributed widely throughout the state. This trail crew will be working in Cordova, Alaska. Specific projects may include creating/maintaining trail tread; cutting/removing brush from the trail corridor; installing permanent features such as puncheons or boardwalks; improving access to recreation areas; and maintaining walkways for portages.
This team should be prepared to camp for the duration of the program. The team will work, live, and eat meals together. During training leaders will hone their outdoor living skills, trail work skills, and teamwork skills, which they will be expected to pass on to their members during the season. The team will work with each other to resolve conflict and build relationship in remote areas, as the work will often be an hour or more from services.
Leaders are responsible for a large variety of preparation tasks to get the team and their gear ready for the season. During the project work, leaders will oversee the team’s workday, make sure camp tasks are completed, provide leadership in conflict resolution, and mentor young adults in outdoor living and trail building skills. During days off, leaders are expected to ensure that members are, minimally, in a safe location with access to communications and transportation services. This often means the team spends days off together or roughly in the same location.
The assistant leader will collaborate with their co-leader on these duties, and the tasks will be divided based on experience and ability. The assistant leader will be in a learning role, best suited for someone with trail experience who has not yet led a team or wants to improve their leadership skills. They will be paired with an experienced leader who will provide guidance and take on tasks and decisions that require a greater amount of experience.
Members and leaders will be able to network with professionals in natural resources and recreation management. Crews may have unique opportunities to learn about different career paths in recreation and natural resources and see first-hand what their work consists of.
Leaders will travel to the Project Leader Training location in April, then to Anchorage for further training and preparation before Member Training in Indian, AK. Each leader receives $1,300 for this trave
Qualifications:
Experience working with young adults (especially 18-25 years old); teaching or environmental education a plus
Experience with conservation work skills or related skills– i.e., trail maintenance, trail construction, habitat restoration, chainsaw, carpentry, landscaping, and gardening
Ability to perform manual, physical labor for up to 10 hours per day, exposed to the elements, and must occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more
Wilderness First Responder certification or ability to obtain on
About Student Conservation Association
Today, SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land. Members participate in a variety of capacities and contexts. Beyond national parks, members work on marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, and community green spaces in our nation’s urban centers. Members do land management, habitat restoration, trail building, disaster rehabilitation or prevention work, environmental education, public outreach, and more.
