Visitor Information Services Intern (22 weeks)

Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with Eldorado National Forest, is seeking four VIS Assistants to contribute to projects alongside Forest Service Staff. 

This opportunity is intended for a candidate with a well-developed working background in conservation, natural resources management, wilderness management, recreation management, or a similar field. The VIS Assistant should possess a passion for public land management and a professional interest in advancing their career towards natural resource management, policy, and/or wilderness.

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

Start Date: May 13th, 2024

End Date: October 11th, 2024

Location: Eldorado National Forest, Placerville Ranger District, Placerville, CA

The Eldorado National Forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada region within California and encompasses a total of 798,279 acres, which includes 193,027 acres of private ownership. 

The Eldorado National Forest is bordered on the north by the Tahoe National Forest, on the east by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Humboldt-Toiyabe, and to the south by the Stanislaus National Forest. The Eldorado is within 3 - 4 hours of the San Francisco Bay Area and about 1 - 1 1/2 hours from Sacramento. It ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet in the foothills to more than 10,000 feet above sea level along the Sierra crest. The mountainous topography is broken by the steep canyons of the Mokelumne, Cosumnes, American, and Rubicon rivers. Plateaus of generally moderate relief are located between these steep canyons. 

The forest is also home to 297 lakes and reservoirs (including both public and private acreage), which total 11,994 surface acres. 11 large reservoirs account for 9,000 acres. The rest are mostly small, high mountain lakes. Both the rivers and lakes provide excellent fishing opportunities. The Eldorado National Forest provides diverse recreational opportunities to the public. The Forest offers every visitor the chance to enjoy nature and be outdoors. In addition to two popular wilderness areas (Desolation Wilderness and Mokelumne Wilderness), the forest offers more than 70-day use and overnight developed recreation facilities across the forest for the individual, families and groups. 

For more information regarding Eldorado National Forest, please Visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado/

Position Overview:

• Providing excellent customer service by enthusiastically answering questions, greeting and assisting visitors
• Work closely with recreation staff, seasonal and other permanent staff to provide current and accurate information with a welcoming environment for visitors
• Inform visitors of rules and regulations, safety risks and recreational opportunities
• Evaluate public inquiries in order to provide the most useful and appropriate information or to suggest other options or redirect caller to the appropriate District staff
• Assist with tracking visitor use
• Respond to radio traffic in support of District personnel
• Administrative work including computer programs, paperwork, filing, answering multi-line phones, cleaning and organization at the Visitor Information desk
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Serves as Collection Officer to sell forest timber permits, and other items, such as maps and passes, in accordance with Forest Service manual and handbook requirements

Scheduling: This is an office based position with a typical 5 days a week schedule. Work may be a combination of remote or virtual worksite and in-office, depending on current COVID restrictions.  Weekends may be required in the summer season (June through September)

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $680/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Housing: Not provided: Housing is the responsibility of the member and not provided by ACE or the Forest Service. A housing stipend of $100/wk may be available to help offset the cost of housing

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. 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. 

Qualifications 

Required

• Members must be US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with 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 required criminal history checks.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members must verify that they are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or have requested and been granted a medical or religious exemption to vaccination by the time they start their term.

Preferred Skills:

• Competitive applicants for this position can have relevant experience in subject areas such as Recreation Management and/or Natural Resources.
• Ability to educate visitors in responsible recreation and/or other natural resource topics in accordance with Forest Service  objectives and policies, to reinforce compliance with laws/regulations, to resolve problems, and to provide assistance to forest visitors. Contacts may 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
• Public outreach and making contacts with visitors is a key component of this role.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to the online application page for this position here: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/1078922. Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC USFS Member Manager, Jack Hall jhall@usaconservation.org.

EEO: Employment with ACE is based upon ability, qualifications, attitude, and job-related factors. Every qualified employee or applicant has the same opportunity for recruitment, hire, training, transfer, promotion, compensation, demotion, termination, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, citizenship status, genetic information (including of a family member), veteran or military status, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, medical condition, marital or parental status, political affiliation, ethnicity, hair texture or style, arrest record, caste, hereditary status, endogamy, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.