Wilderness and Trails Technician – Inyo National Forest

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with Inyo National Forest, is seeking THREE Wilderness and Trails Technicians to work alongside Forest Service Staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.

Start Date: May 13, 2024

Estimated End Date: November 1, 2024

*a 25-week minimum commitment is required *

Location Details/Description: Inyo National Forest, White Mountain (Bishop Duty Station), CA

The Inyo National Forest is a large, complex forest, encompassing about two million acres in

California and Nevada. It contains several natural features of national and international interest. There are nine wilderness areas and six research natural areas, as well as the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and Mt. Whitney – the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Diverse geologic features, combined with the elevational extremes and attendant wide range of climatic conditions, results in tremendous floristic diversity on the Forest, with vegetation communities ranging from desert scrub, sagebrush scrub, and pinyon woodland, to Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, and alpine habitats. Mammoth Lakes and Bishop are both premier locations for outdoor recreation in California. These opportunities include backpacking, fishing, hunting, hang gliding, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, cycling, mountain biking, photography, rock climbing, trail running, off-highway vehicle exploration, and horseback riding.

For more information about the Inyo National Forest, please click here.

Position Overview:

• Performs routine maintenance at dispersed recreation sites including site cleanup, trash removal, fire ring removal and naturalizing.
• Performs routine maintenance of trails by cleaning out water control features/ drainages, improving minor issues with tread, brushing vegetation.
• Patrols wilderness to ensure that areas are operated, used, and maintained in accordance with wilderness management plans.
• Performs trail log, condition, and prescription surveys.
• Contacts visitors to provide information about recreation regulations, opportunities, and current restrictions.
• Provides information about resource management practices in the area.
• Explains regulations concerning the Wilderness Act.
• Checks visitors’ wilderness permits.
• Maintains visitors use records and prepares visitors to use information for data processing.
• Collects evidence and provides documentation for cases of misuse of wilderness areas.
• Documents destruction to or impacts on campsites. Analyzes ways to educate users.
• Identifies restoration projects for planning future restoration projects.
• May participate in wilderness projects associated with large scale trail maintenance and/or reconstruction.
• Cleans roadside and backcountry dispersed sites. Naturalizes sites where necessary in order to control use and prevent resource damage.
• Installs and maintains kiosks, travel signs, regulatory signs, and other signs associated with recreation sites, trails and/or trail heads.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Schedule: Depending on weather conditions, Wilderness rangers are generally in the back country for extended periods of time. Most often rangers will be in the wilderness for 9 days and off for 5 days off. Weekdays and time of work will vary.

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $720/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general information online: https://www.usaconservation.org/epic/#eligibility-requirements.

Housing: ACE members may be accommodated in Forest Service barracks at no cost for the duration of the term

Relocation Allowance: ACE members will have access to up to $500 to be used for eligible relocation expenses. Further details regarding distribution of these funds will be provided during the interview process.

Gear Allowance: ACE members will have up to $300 to spend on eligible gear purchases. Eligible gear for this position must be approved by ACE staff prior to purchase.

Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support.

Qualifications

Required:

• Comfortable working independently in wilderness areas.
• Members must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required by U.S. government contracts
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver’s license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required two-part criminal history check.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website https://www.usaconservation.org/epic/#eligibility-requirements.

Preferred:

• Wilderness First Aid and CPR
• Be able to lift up to 50lbs
• Competitive applicants for this position can have relevant experience in subject areas such as Recreation Management and/or Natural Resources.
• Chainsaw and First Aid/CPR Certification highly desired; training may be provided.
• Members must have working knowledge of detailed recreation rules and regulations to assist Forest visitors, and to detect and report violations
• Ability to educate visitors in recreation management and law enforcement objectives and policies, to obtain compliance with laws/regulations, to resolve problems, and to provide assistance to forest visitors. Contacts will include dealing with some persons and/or groups that may be uncooperative, hostile and who have different viewpoints.
• Must have strong communication skills
• Must be able to work alone and in small groups with minimal supervision, and adhere to instructions, procedure and use initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently
• Experience and/or ability to learn the use of a GPS unit
• Public outreach and making contacts with visitors is a key component of this role contact is to educate visitors in recreation management and law enforcement objectives and policies, to obtain compliance with laws/regulations, to resolve problems, and to provide assistance to forest visitors. Contacts will include dealing with some persons and/or groups that may be uncooperative, hostile and who have different viewpoints