Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Monitoring Technician

Title: Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Monitoring Technician (1 opening)

Start/End Date (anticipated): October 14, 2024 – April 11, 2025 (anticipated)

Living Stipend: $600 per week living stipend + $100 Additional Benefit +Education Award.

Term: 26-week term

Reports To: Phillip Walrod (Recreation Staff Officer, Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest)

Location: Red Rock Ranger District: 8375 AZ Highway 79, Sedona, AZ 86351

Status: 900-hour AmeriCorps Service Term, full-time (40 hours/week), temporary

Benefits: AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,447.50; Public Lands Corps Certificate*; both with successful completion of the service term. Health insurance eligible through The Corps Network

*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, members must be between the ages of 18-30, inclusive, at the time the member begins their term of service.

Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC):

Arizona Conservation Corps, a program of Conservation Legacy, aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s. AZCC is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with conservation service work projects on public lands. AZCC operates programs across Arizona that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. AZCC has program offices in Flagstaff, Tucson, and Pinetop. 

Coconino National Forest:

One of six National Forests in Arizona, the Coconino National Forest comprises 1.856-million acres in northern Arizona, with elevations ranging from 2,600 feet to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (Humphrey’s Peak). Coconino National Forest contains diverse landscapes, including deserts, ponderosa pine forests, flatlands, mesas, alpine tundra, and ancient volcanic peaks. The forest surrounds the towns of Sedona and Flagstaff and contains all or parts of 10 designated wilderness areas.

Position Summary:

Coconino National Forest’s Red Rock Ranger District is seeking a temporary, full-time Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Monitoring Technician. The primary focus of this position will be to monitor and document recreational impacts, including motorized/OHV use, on Forest lands. This data will help inform management decisions about motorized use on the district going forward. The intern will be assisting with data collection and documenting off-road travel that is causing environmental and social impacts, especially on crypto-biotic soils.

The Greater Sedona Recreation Collaborative was established in 2022 to address the prolonged growth in volume of motorized and non-motorized recreation use in the greater Sedona area. The goal of the collaborative process is to actively engage interested partners in a space of shared learning and collaborative problem solving, and work together to develop viable input for land management strategies to address impacts and better manage recreation in the greater Sedona area.

Experienced Recreation team members will provide the intern the necessary training to monitor and document OHV/motorized use at key locations on the Red Rock Ranger District. Training will be provided in Forest Service trail maintenance fundamentals and protocols, use of hand tools, OHV operation, GIS, and use of TraffX counter.

There will be opportunities for the intern to “shadow” other Forest Service specialists to learn about their roles and responsibilities; this may include, but is not limited to wildlife biologist, hydrologist, and trails specialists.

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Work with supervisor to locate data collection areas, gather motorized use data on Forest Service system trails and roads.
• Monitor and document recreational impacts, assist with data collection.
• Install TraffX counters and monitor effectiveness.
• Conduct onsite vehicle counts at specified locations, document frequency, time of day, and types of motorized users at various locations across the Red Rock Ranger District.
• Conduct trail assessments on motorized trails, document off-road travel causing environmental and social impacts.
• Observe and document effects of off-road travel on crypto-biotic soils.
• Document routes using GPS, describe condition of routes and determine potential work projects to address conditions.
• Work with trail crew leads to outline potential trail work, perform trail work to address trail condition issues.
• Assist with the creation of an OHV monitoring report to be used for future management decisions about motorized use on the Red Rocks Ranger District.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A self-starter that can work well in a group.
• Demonstrate professionalism, both in demeanor, communication, and appearance.
• Ability to clearly communicate via handheld and vehicle radios while in the field.
• Applicants must pass a criminal history background check and possess a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.
• Must be 21 years of age ORhave held a driver’s license for at least 3 years if under 21.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Interest and familiarity with OHV use.
• Interest in protecting natural resources.
• Familiarity with use of hand tools.
• Familiarity with GIS principles.

Physical Requirements:

• To successfully perform essential functions, the individual is required to sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, etc. May be required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl for significant periods of time.
• Ability to safely lift and carry up to 40 lbs. across a variety of terrain.
• Ability to hike on uneven ground to project locations, safely use sharp hand tools, ride in OHVs in extreme weather conditions and on poorly maintained roads and trails, and perform project work near motorized trails while users are present.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Participation and Expected Behavior:

• Work effectively as a member of a team despite potentially stressful and difficult conditions. This may require problem solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences.
• Effectively communicate ideas and concerns as they arise directly to supervisors, co-workers and Forest Service staff.
• Appropriately represent the Arizona Conservation Corps, Coconino National Forest, and AmeriCorps to the public and partners at all times.

Safety and Judgment: 

• Effectively perceive, understand, and follow direction by others so that you will be able to successfully execute techniques to manage hazards.
• Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in varied weather conditions.

Substance Free:

• In accordance with a drug free workplace, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps and program activities and while on organization property.

For more information about Arizona Conservation Corps, please visit www.azcorps.org. Arizona Conservation Corps is a program of Conservation Legacy. 

For more information on the USFS Coconino National Forest, please visit their website at fs.usda.gov/Coconino.