SCA NH AmeriCorps Conservation Steward – Education, Trail Work, and Conservation Service
The SCA’s NH AmeriCorps Program:
Have you ever wanted to live in a park where you can explore thousands of acres of prime New England forest by ski, snowshoe, foot, or bike? 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 education skills and start your career off with a one-of-a-kind experience sound exciting? If you said yes to any or all of these questions then you should consider being a Conservation Steward with the SCA’s NH AmeriCorps Program!
The SCA NH Corps is collaboration between the SCA, the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps). Since 1994 the SCA NH Corps has provided over one million hours of service to the great little state of New Hampshire while training young adults to do valuable conservation work. Each year 30 full time young adult volunteers contribute more than 50,000 service hours, providing environmental education programs to the state’s residents and visitors and 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.
Education Season:
Conservation Stewards, in conjunction with the Interpretive Rangers, will conduct environmental education programs in local elementary schools. From January-April you will educate students in the Concord-Manchester Region of New Hampshire. You will receive three weeks of education training to prepare you and your team to develop and deliver a 9-week curriculum that fosters connections between your students and the natural world.
Beyond your in school classes you will also develop after school programming. We partner with nonprofit organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc., 4-H, and 21st Century Learning Communities to deliver active hands-on lessons that get students moving as they have fun and learn about their local environment.
Conservation Season:
This season runs from May-October. During this time members will serve in the field on “hitch” crews of 5-7 for periods of 11 days. Locations for these service projects vary from front country sites on the NH Seacoast to backcountry sites in the White Mountains and Great North Woods. The service projects you will be doing may include:
· Building bridges,
· Rock work (staircases and stepping stones),
· Historic preservation,
· Erecting camping shelters and kiosks,
· Constructing new trails,
· Putting in trail features to assist with trail maintenance,
· Invasive species management, and more!
Location Description:
Bear Brook State Park -
- This position is unique in that service takes place all over the state. However, the programs 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. 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. During Education Season Conservation Stewards will primarily serve in Manchester, the largest and most diverse city in New Hampshire.
Conservation Season Service Locations -
- During this portion of the year you may have the opportunity to serve in the alpine zone of the White Mountains, at the Atlantic Seacoast, among the spruce-fir forests of the Great North Woods, or beside one of NH’s picturesque lakes or rivers.
Training Provided:
- Environmental Education training
- Wilderness First Responder & CPR
- Trail Maintenance and Construction
- Grip-hoist and Rigging or Chainsaw Certification
- Leave No Trace
- Leadership, Conflict Resolution, and Teamwork Skills
- Risk Management
- And More!
Professional Development Opportunities:
- Conservation Stewards will have the opportunity to learn many skills, partake in conferences, volunteer with environmental organizations and like minded folks across NH, and learn from one another.
- Members will learn leadership and teamwork skills while collaborating in their teaching teams during education season as well as participating in hitch projects during conservation season.
- Program partners work in a variety of fields. These career fields include, but are not limited to, education, youth development, 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 certainly help you jumpstart your career.
Through this 10 months commitment you will serve communities throughout New Hampshire while contributing as active members of the SCA NH AmeriCorps program. For more general information about this and other positions with the SCA NH Corps please visit, https://www.thesca.org/NHcorps.