Crew Member, Yosemite National Park

Position Description: The Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC) program is seeking applications for the position of Crew Member within Yosemite National Park. Join our Native American-based crew at Yosemite National Park, focused on the protection, preservation, and maintenance of the park’s invaluable cultural and natural resources. This role involves a variety of conservation projects, offering you the chance to enhance your understanding of native flora and fauna while sharing Native American insights with National Park Service Crews.

Cultural Engagement and Priority Employment:

In support of our commitment to cultural heritage preservation within Yosemite National Park, we place a high value on contributions that further our understanding and appreciation of Native American cultures. We strongly encourage members of Native American or Indigenous communities specifically from Yosemite’s tribally affiliated nations to apply for this enriching role. In recognition of the importance of these perspectives, preference will be given to qualified Native American or Indigenous applicants, consistent with applicable laws and our organization’s dedication to cultural representation and inclusion. This approach underscores our dedication to integrating traditional ecological knowledge and practices into our conservation efforts, enriching both our projects and the experiences of all involved.

Location & Contract Timeline:

Location: Yosemite National Park

Start: June 10, 2024

End:  Sept. 5, 2024, with potential for extension

Essential functions and duties will include:

• Build and maintain trails, restore wildlife habitats, and reduce hazardous fuels using tools such as chainsaws, power tools, and hand tools.
• Camp for up to seven nights in wilderness settings without formal restrooms or running water.
• Commit to national service for landscapes, communities and cultural engagement.
• Maintain a positive, professional attitude while providing service.
• Communicate effectively with team members, leaders, NCC staff, and project partners.
• Adhere to work standards set by NCC Administration, supervisors, and partners.
• Perform campsite duties including cooking, cleaning, and organizing equipment.
• Respect interactions with all team members, leaders, staff, project sponsors, and community members.
• Engage in in-field education sessions.
• Time allocation: 70% labor, 20% travel, 10% hiking.
• Lift 25lbs continuously and 50lbs occasionally.

Job Qualifications:

• Be at least 17 years of age
• Be a US citizen
• Preferred: Tribal Member  of Yosemite’s 7 Affiliated Tribes as listed : North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California, Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, Kutzadika’a Mono Lake Indian Community, Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony, Bishop Paiute Tribe and the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation.
• Must possess a high school diploma or GED
• Must be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (limit of four in a lifetime or the equivalent of two full-time education awards).
• All position offers are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and federal criminal background check.

Training & Education provided by NCC and Yosemite National Park:

• Defensive Driving Certification
• Off-Road Driving Class
• Native Plant Identification
• Invasive Plant Identification
• Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• USFS A Feller Chainsaw Certification
• Archeological site survey and cultural monitoring training

Compensation and Benefits:

• This is an AmeriCorps position; the living allowance is a fixed amount, not an hourly wage or a salary.
• Living Allowance: $1,353.60 biweekly
• Per Diem: $15/day in the field. This is in addition to your Living Allowance and on average is $120.00 biweekly. Crews typically combine per diem funds and shop/prepare meals as a team
• Housing provided by Yosemite National Park with various camping excursions throughout the duration of your season
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance will be available at no cost to members starting the first of the month following the first day of service.
• AmeriCorps Volunteers qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Segal Education Award:

After successfully completing an AmeriCorps term of service members are eligible to receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. Award varies based on term of service. You can use the award to repay qualified student loans and to pay current educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs.

Student Loan Forbearance:

If you are currently paying on any federal student loans you have the option to put those loans into forbearance during your time as an AmeriCorps volunteer, that will allow you to cease payments while serving.

Interest Accrual Repayment:

As an AmeriCorps alum, you are eligible to have the National Service Trust pay all or a portion of the interest that accumulated on your qualified student loan(s) during your term of service. These payments are made in addition to the Education Award, and are not deducted from your Education Award balance. To be eligible to have accrued interest paid: The loan must have been placed in forbearance for the service period, and you must have successfully completed a term of service and received an Education Award.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Eligibility:

AmeriCorps Volunteers qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Statement of supplantation, duplication or displacement of staff:

These positions do not duplicate work of previous or existing employees or volunteers, supplant the hiring of workers, or include service or duties that have been performed or were performed by a current employee, an employee who recently resigned or was discharged, an employee subject to a reduction in workforce, or an employee who is on leave.

Service Environment Description and Inclusive Position Description Statement: Inclusive Position Description:

This program prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, gender, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or disability. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The functions of this position may be completed with or without reasonable accommodations.

Program Mission and/or Goals:

Nevada Conservation Corps harnesses the energy and idealism of youth to meet the needs of Nevada public lands and communities. The NCC promotes ecological literacy through field research and direct conservation service. The NCC provides students and young professionals opportunities to make meaningful contributions toward protecting and conserving Nevada’s natural heritage, while also gaining valuable work experience in the natural resource management field.

Additional Guidelines or Expectations:

While serving in the field, members will adhere to a strict uniform and personal protective equipment policy as dictated by the specific project requirements and as outlined in NCC or partnering agency policy, including the display of an AmeriCorps logo while in service. Members will be required to participate in any additional service events as required by AmeriCorps. Arrangements for service events will be made by NCC staff, and members will be notified well in advance of the service event.

Member Benefits:

Members will be provided a living allowance in an amount determined by the number of hours served and the level of responsibility required for the position. Members are also eligible to receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of their service term and required hours. Health insurance and child care are available for eligible members, and opportunities for professional development are available.

Evaluation & Reporting:

Members will receive an end of term performance evaluation, and mid-term evaluation if serving for 6 months or more. Members must submit a weekly member service log (timesheet) in OnCorps for review by their Host Site Supervisor. Members are also expected to provide or contribute to a weekly or quarterly report of work accomplishments and service provided. The frequency of these reports will depend on the members? service activities and the report contents will be discussed in the member’s orientation to the program.

Briefly describe how the Member’s activities strategically address a community need:

Fire Mitigation.

To help reduce fuels and fire hazards and to create defensible space in the wildland-urban interface, regional land managers have conducted thinning-piling-burning treatments that have effectively demonstrated the value and need of addressing forest conditions through varied fuels reduction strategies. In efforts to reduce high surface fuel loads and potential wildfire severity, a variety of fuel treatments have been applied, evaluated, and assessed for viability and positive conservation outcomes. Studies of common fuels reduction management practices have offered researchers opportunities to quantitatively measure their efficacy in wildfires. Using the availability of data on pre-wildfire conditions, data collected after a fire offers necessary information to assess the effects of different types of fuel treatments. Such research considers tree mortality and tree damage in the context of wildfire severity and is evaluated in randomized controlled trial (RTC) study units, with thin-only treatments, thinning followed by prescribed burning treatments, and no treatment (Chambers et al. 2014). Such comparative field trials have provided resource managers with definitive evidence to determine which fuel treatment methods will be the most successful at reducing fuels and mitigating wildfire severity. Research also indicates fuel treatments favorably impact fire behavior, vegetation, water, and overall diversity within the riparian areas. Corps members will reduce fuels through varied prescriptions, thereby improving forest health and lessening fire risk.

Fire Restoration.

As the number, size, and severity of wildfires escalate across the western U.S., so does the need for post­ fire rehabilitative efforts. With the increase in post-fire restoration, researchers examined and quantified the effectiveness and ecological effects of these treatments. Studies included an evidence-based review of post-fire seeding literature and an assessment of Forest Service Burned Area Reports to examine seeding trends and the probability of successful restoration actions. Forty papers and sixty-seven Burned Area Reports dated between 1970 and 2006 reflect an increased use of native species during seeding treatments over time and reveal marked improvements to rangeland recovery (Chambers et al. 2014).

Results from related studies also suggest that fall herbicide application can extend the restoration interval even further through reduction in cheatgrass density. Corps members will arrest exotic plant species succession and re-vegetate burned landscapes using treatment methods that include broadcast seeding, weed abatement, and re-vegetation with bare-root plant stock, resulting in healthy ecosystem resilience and improved watershed functionality.

Fire Trail Access.

The increasing pressure resulting from housing development at the wildland urban interface (WUI) requires a more aggressive implementation of trail maintenance plans. The National Wildfire Hazard/Risk Model rates 74% of Nevada communities as “extreme,” “very high” or “high” fire risk. Approximately 14,000 homes are located in vegetation types capable of supporting fire behavior that will destroy homes and threaten lives in the WUI. Home construction in the WUI is increasing, while the size and intensity of wildfires is also increasing, resulting in record numbers of homes being threatened and destroyed annually. Ongoing human­ environmental conflicts, such as the destruction of homes by wildfire, habitat fragmentation, and the introduction of exotic species, all can be related, in part, to the growing presence of humans along Nevada? s wildland boundaries. To reduce human-caused fire risk, trail systems used for both motorized and non­ motorized recreation will be restored to proper width and grade. The NCC will also mitigate fire threat by reducing vegetation encroachment along trail corridors. Trail systems targeted for intervention include those that serve as fire-fighting trails and roads, offering improved access for fire management. New trail may also serve as fire containment lines and support back-burning operations. As such, Corps members will support agency trail programs for increased protection of forest lands.

Briefly describe how the AmeriCorps program adds value to the placement site/community:

Our underfunded government agencies struggle to provide successful conservation intervention programs to address these compelling environmental and constituency consensus challenges. The steady, and at times overwhelming, increased demand for NCC services attests to our successes, while underscoring the ongoing need for a Corps program in Nevada to aid in the recovery of species. Our program’s focus is now largely centered on demonstrating successful conservation actions, thereby supporting and building stakeholder consensus, and fostering an environment in which agencies, private industry, and the general public may agree upon viable strategies that reconcile the competing demands of environmental stewardship and economic development.

EEO Statement

We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, Genetic Information & Testing, Family & Medical Leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit Retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or otherwise oppose discrimination.