Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) - Landscape Stewardship Corps - Eisenhower National Historic Site

Traditional Trades Advancement Program
Landscape Stewardship Corps - Internship
EISENHOWER NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE (Gettysburg, PA)
April 1– September 27, 2024

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 skills to become the next leaders in managing historic landscapes in our National Parks!

The Traditional Trades Advancement Program-Landscape Stewardship Corps members will work alongside professional gardeners and facilities staff at Eisenhower National Historic Site to care for historic landscapes in Gettysburg, PA, learning about plant and cultural landscape maintenance skills. No background or previous experience in horticulture 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: Eisenhower National Historic Site preserves and interprets the home and farms of the Eisenhower family as a fitting and enduring memorial to the life, work, and times of General Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, and to the events of far-reaching importance that occurred on the property. Learn more at www.nps.gov/eise

The Gettysburg area offers all amenities in a semi-rural environment. It is a great place to live. In the area, there are high quality medical providers and facilities, theaters, farmer’s market, endless dining options, playgrounds, and parks. Recreational opportunities include nearby hiking, boating, fishing, camping, biking, and skiing. Plenty of opportunities for non-government employment. The community is inclusive and friendly to diversity.

BI-WEEKLY SCHEDULE: Week 1 Mon-Thurs 7:00am – 4:30pm, Week 2 Mon-Thurs 7:00am – 4:30pm Fri 7:00am – 3:30pm.  As the days get longer and hotter during the summer; hours may change to 6:00am – 3:30pm. (This will be discussed.)

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: Two Landscape Stewardship Corps members will work with a highly skilled team of landscape gardeners and facilities staff from Eisenhower National Historical Site caring for the parks’ exceptional gardens and grounds. They will experience the full range of behind-the-scenes preservation and maintenance activities required in managing a nationally significant historic landscape and will receive training and mentoring from park staff to assist in

• Pruning trees and shrubs
• Maintaining gardens including planting, watering, dead heading, weeding, and fertilizing and pest management 
• Restoring historic vegetation
• Using cultural landscape reports
• Collecting data
• Using and caring for small engine landscape equipment
• Understanding and maintaining historic landscape character

BENEFITS:

• A weekly stipend of $720
• Free housing at the park
• $1,000 in professional development funds for training, networking, and/or conferences 
• Training 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 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 move up to 50 pounds.  National Parks are public spaces and positive visitor interaction is expected.

HOW TO APPLY:  Please submit your resume and brief cover letter describing your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional or academic references to the online application page for this position here: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/ 
Applications are considered on a rolling basis, and the application period will close once this internship position is filled.  Questions? Please reach out to ACE Member Coordinator, HPTC Programs, Kyle Ellison, at kellison@usaconservation.org.

American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.