Internship Opportunity:
Community Conservation and Recreation
National Park Service: Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program
Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont
Dates
May 18, 2015 through September 4, 2015 (dates variable; see details below)
Overview
This is an opportunity to work and learn on some of the most important conservation work taking place
in America today: right in your community. The National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation
Assistance (RTCA) program provides assistance to community-based projects that conserve rivers, create
trails, and protect natural areas for conservation and recreational enjoyment.
This internship will:
 Provide an opportunity to work with the National Park Service (NPS)
 Work with NPS and a regional non-profit, the Upper Valley Trails Alliance, to co-lead a high
school Trail Corps
 Help other nonprofits and local governments that partner with NPS
 Build connections across many organizations and disciplines
 Help the RTCA program expand its youth involvement in local projects
Focus of Activities
Activities will include working with the Upper Valley Trails Alliance and the RTCA program, mostly to
organize, support and assist in leading the Upper Valley High School Trail Corps for 4 weeks in July &
August. The intern will begin in the late spring/early summer to finalize the trail projects for the Trail
Corps, work on the logistics for the Corps, and assist the Trail Corps’ members with last minute
questions. The Intern will use his/her leadership skills and trail building knowledge to help co-lead the
Corps for the 4 weeks that the high schoolers are working. The Intern will greet them every morning,
orient them to the day’s work, and then lead them in safe, fun trail work projects. Towards the end of
each day, the Corps does a fun activity, and the intern will be expected to encourage participation, help
with group dynamics and finally see the Corps members off each afternoon.
This project will focus on the Upper Valley High School Trail Corps, but there might be other trail-related
projects which the intern may get involved with, including:
 Helping to gather trail data (via GPS) on local trails that will be added to an on-line
trails database
 Work with other local non-profits on specific trail or conservation projects
 Assist with other trail projects of the RTCA program
 Assist with other trail projects at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park
Work Environment
The typical workday will be spent working with the Upper Valley Trails Alliance, based in Norwich, VT,
and/or the NPS Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program in Woodstock, VT. Office days will be
split between these two offices, but there will be plenty of trail days too. These will be spent at a variety
of locations within the Upper Valley, from Canaan, NH, to Vershire, VT, from Windsor, VT, to Claremont,
NH. Some trail days will be assessing work projects for the Trail Corps, and once the Corps begins, four
weeks will be spent leading, supervising and building trail with the high schoolers.
Education and Qualifications
An ideal intern will have the following abilities or interests:
 Currently enrolled or recently graduated from college
 A passion for outdoor conservation and recreation
 Experience working outdoors building and maintaining trails
 Energetic about working with and able to relate to high school students
 Experience recruiting and/or managing volunteers
 Good Public speaking
 Strong writing skills
 Skill in using online social media tools
 Finding and assessing information online and through personal interaction
 Ability to present information in writing and/or face to face
 Ability to work effectively with people from diverse communities and professional settings
 Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in arranging meetings, dissemination of
information, and in handling other project logistics;
 Outgoing personality with ability to work both independently and as part of a team
 Experience and interest in GPS, graphic design
 A current driver’s license and the ability to drive
 All applicants will be subject to a background check
Term of the Internship
The exact starting and ending dates for this internship are flexible. The range is from May 18 through
September 4, 2015. We are open to the intern beginning in May and working part-time until late June
when the work must be full-time. Once the UV High School Trail Corps is complete (on August 7), the
intern could go back to working part-time. Bottom line: there are funds for 12 weeks of full-time work,
and we are open to discussing a modified schedule that would work for all.
Benefits
 $200 weekly stipend for 12 weeks of service (This is based on 40 hours per week; if we combine
part-time with full-time, the weekly stipend will be proportional.)
 $1,493 AmeriCorps education benefit upon successful completion (based on a 12-week, fulltime equivalent)
 Potential forbearance of student loan payments, if appropriate.
To Apply
Send your resume and a cover letter, via email, to: Lelia_Mellen@nps.gov.
If you have questions about this opportunity, you may email Lelia at the above address or call (802) 4573368 x14. The Upper Valley Trails Alliance can also answer questions via: Russell Hirschler, Executive
Director, Russell.Hirschler@uvtrails.org or John Taylor, Trail Programs Director,
John.Taylor@uvtrails.org.
We will review applications starting March 1, 2015, and this opportunity will be open until the ideal
candidate is selected.