Job Description

PROGRAM OVERVIEW: 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! For more information on the American Conservation Experience please visit:  www.usaconservation.org

The Traditional Trades Advancement Program-Landscape Stewardship Corps intern will work alongside a talented team at Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site to care for historic landscapes in Hyde Park, NY, learning about plant and cultural landscape management. No background or experience is necessary. A 26-week commitment is required. 

By assisting with cultural landscape preservation projects, participants directly improve the physical conditions of nationally significant park landscapes enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year. Participants gain practical, hands-on experience and the foundation for a career in historic cultural landscape preservation. Learning the fundamentals of landscape preservation and receiving on-the-job training in one or more traditional landscape trades such as horticulture, arboriculture, urban forestry, and more. The program is committed to providing all aspiring preservationists—especially those underrepresented in these fields—with a unique opportunity to work on important real-world projects while building professional experience in America’s national parks.

For more information about the National Park Service’s Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) – Landscape Stewardship Corps please visit: Landscape Stewardship Corps – Historic Preservation Training Center (U.S. National Park Service)

LOCATION: Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site (ROVA) in Hyde Park, NY is centrally located on the Eastern side of the Hudson River in New York’s Hudson River Valley. The site includes the Home of Franklin Roosevelt, the country’s longest serving President; The Vanderbilt Mansion, a historic Gilded Age country estate; Val Kill, the Home of Eleanor Roosevelt and the only National Historic site dedicated to a First Lady; and Bellefield mansion with one of the few remaining residential gardens designed by Beatrix Farrand, the first female landscape architect in the United States. The park features gardens, woodlands, agricultural fields, trails, historic homes and the National Archives of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library – the first Presidential Library in the United States. ROVA preserves and shares the stories and resources of the Roosevelt and Vanderbilt families in Hyde Park for the education and enjoyment of the public. Hyde Park is a combination of rural and suburban areas 90 miles North of New York City, which is accessible for day trips by Metro-North commuter train. 

For more information about Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site, please visit the NPS website.   

POSITION OVERVIEW: Under guidance from Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site staff, ACE members will care for cultural landscapes at ROVA’s historic sites by practicing and learning best practices in historic preservation, horticulture, arboriculture (tree care) and general landscape stewardship. ACE members will get the opportunity to work in a variety of settings including ornamental gardens, food production gardens, and historic landscapes alongside park staff, volunteers, and park partners.

• 40 hours a week. Monday – Friday, 8:00AM-4:00PM
• General tree care
• Turf management
• Planting, mulching, mowing, weeding, pruning
• Operating landscape equipment
• Other tasks as needed

BENEFITS:

• A weekly stipend of $720, dispersed bi-weekly.
• ACE members will be accommodated in provided housing at no cost for the duration of the term.
• $1,000 in professional development funds for training, networking, and/or conferences.
• Professional mentorship learning about turf management, arboriculture, and historic preservation.
• Hands-on experience in maintaining sustainable landscapes, including plant care and identification, tree pruning, and much more.
• All expenses paid trip to a week-long professional development event with other Landscape Stewardship Corps interns from NPS sites across the country.
• Career readiness and professional networking opportunities.
• Public Land Corps Hiring Authority certification that can help secure a permanent federal job within the Department of the Interior. Learn more about the 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.
• 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.

How to Apply

1. Resume and cover letter (optional)
2. Contact information for three professional or academic references

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: conservation. Salaries: 20,000 - 40,000.

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