Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) – Landscape Stewardship Corps – Fort Donelson National Battlefield

INTERNSHIP POSITION DETAILS: American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities, seeks young adults interested in exploring the Traditional Trades in partnership with the National Park Service. Learn and advance your horticulture and landscape management skills to become the next leaders in managing historic landscapes in our National Parks!

The Traditional Trades Advancement Program-Landscape Stewardship Corps intern will work alongside professional horticulturists and arborists at Fort Donelson National Battlefield to care for historic landscapes in Dover, TN, learning about plant and cultural landscape management. No background or previous experience in horticulture or historic preservation is necessary. A 26-week commitment is required.

For more information about the National Park Service’s Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) – Landscape Stewardship Corps please visit: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1098/landscape-stewardship-corps.htm

For more information the American Conservation Experience please visit:  www.usaconservation.org

LOCATION: Spanning both south-central Kentucky and north-central Tennessee, Fort Donelson Battlefield preserves the final resting place of thousands of United States veterans and the beautiful rolling hills of the Cumberland River valley where General Grant and his troops created a pathway to Union victory during the Civil War. Fort Donelson National Battlefield includes Civil War Fort Donelson and Fort Heiman and a national cemetery. The national battlefield is near the rural community of Dover, Tennessee (pop. +/- 1,700). The nearest major city is Nashville, 1.5 hours away.  This internship is supported in part through the funding and guidance of the National Park Service’s National Cemetery Investment Initiative. For more information about Fort Donelson Battlefield please visit: https://www.nps.gov/fodo/index.htm  

POSITION RESPONSIBILIITIES:

• 40 hours a week, Monday – Friday, 7:00 am – 3:30 pm 
• Tree pruning
• Turf management 
• Fertilization and irrigation 
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 
• Mulching, mowing, weeding, pruning 
• Grave preservation and cultural landscape management

BENEFITS:

• A weekly stipend of $720 (interns’ tax liability varies)
• A monthly $500 housing stipend
• $1,000 in professional development funds for training, networking, and/or conferences 
• Training in historic cultural landscape management and maintenance including plant care, pruning, vegetation identification, and other topics
• Week-long in-person training for full Landscape Stewardship Corps at an NPS site with travel/meal expenses covered 
• Professional networking opportunities 
• Public Land Corps Hiring Authority

POSITION REQUIREMENTS: TTAP-Landscape Stewardship Corps requires candidates to:

• Learn and work as part of a team in positive and productive ways
• Strictly adhere to NPS and ACE equipment training, certification, and safety protocols 
• Have a strong interest in history, horticulture and/or the environment and working outdoors 
• Participate in NPS’s Landscape Stewardship Corps’ week-long in-person training (June 2024)
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident 
• Be 18-30 years old at time of service (veterans up to 35 years old)
• Have a High School Diploma/GED
• Pass fingerprint-based FBI, state criminal, and a national sex offender check
• Be able to provide proof of a driver’s license and complete an MVR check
• Local candidates are encouraged to apply, but being local is not required
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website https://www.usaconservation.org/epic/#eligibility-requirements.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Caring for historic cultural landscapes in National Parks will require working outdoors for extended periods of time in possibly rough terrain, or in periods of heat or cold.  Insects may bite and wildlife is not always predictable.  Certain landscape tools require manual dexterity, and interns should be able to lift to 50 pounds.  National Parks are public spaces and positive visitor interaction is expected.