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 the American Conservation Experience please visit:  www.usaconservation.org

The Traditional Trades Advancement Program-Landscape Stewardship Corps intern will work alongside a professional team at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to care for historic landscapes in Vancouver, WA, 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: Located on the north bank of the Columbia River, in sight of snowy mountain peaks and a vibrant urban landscape, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (FOVA) has a rich cultural past. From frontier fur trading to powerful military legacy, the magic of flight, and the origin of the American Pacific Northwest, history is shared across four unique sites in Vancouver, Washington and Oregon City, Oregon. FOVA’s resources include, among others, a reconstructed British fur trade fort, a large historic garden evoking the landscape cultivated by the Hudson Bay Company, and the Pearson Air Museum.  All are accessible by personal and public transportation. FOVA neighbors Vancouver’s downtown area which boasts restaurants, parks, supermarkets, hotels, and public libraries.  

For more information about Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, please visit the NPS website.  

POSITION OVERVIEW: As part of the team, you will play a vital role in historic preservation and landscape improvement projects, working closely with dedicated NPS staff to help preserve this important site for future generations. Under guidance from Fort Vancouver National Historic Site staff, ACE members will experience a full range of behind-the-scenes preservation and maintenance activities required in managing a nationally significant historic landscape. 

• 40 hours a week, Monday – Friday, 7:00 am – 3:30 pm 
• Using power and hand tools.
• General tree care
• Turf management 
• Mulching, mowing, weeding, pruning
• 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.