TITLE: Werowocomoco Ancestral Lands Individual Placement

POSITION DATES: June - December 2020 (26 weeks) Schedule and time frame may be flexible for qualified candidates.

PAY RATE: $565 per week (35 hour week) + AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of a 900 hour AmeriCorps National Service Term

STATUS: Full-Time/Seasonal/Temporary 

LOCATION: Yorktown VA

CONTACT: CHRISTINE_LUCERO@NPS.GOV 

APPALACHIAN CONSERVATION CORPS:

Appalachian Conservation Corpsis an AmeriCorps-affiliated organization, whose mission is to connect young adults to meaningful conservation service. ACC engages motivated young adults to complete challenging and impactful conservation and service projects throughout the region by working a variety of land management agencies including the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, and The Nature Conservancy. Interns and Crews complete technical and/or specialized projects depending on project partner needs, including disaster relief if the opportunity arises. Appalachian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service will work closely on Conservation Legacy projects in the Virginia area, including this one with Colonial National Historical Park and Werowocomoco.

This Individual Placement is the result of an exciting partnership between the National Park Service and Conservation Legacy. This position is part of the Ancestral Lands Program supported by Appalachian Conservation Corps, a program of Conservation Legacy.

The Ancestral Lands model is rooted in the culture and heritage of local tribal communities. The power and impact of Ancestral Lands programming is due to the community investment and support for each program tribally and locally, combined with the network of operational support from Conservation Legacy. To date there are 17 different Ancestral Lands programs operating both nationally and on the local level. This program with the National Park Service at Colonial National Historical Park and Werowocomoco will be #18.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

The Werowocomoco Ancestral Lands Individual Placement is based at Colonial National Historical Park (Colonial NHP) in Yorktown, Virginia. The National Park Service staff at Colonial NHP and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail are responsible for the protection of Werowocomoco in Gloucester VA. National Park Service staff in consultation with seven tribal partners is gathering information about Werowocomoco, understanding it as a Native place, and preparing Werowocomoco to open to the public.

Werowocomoco is an internationally significant Native place where the leader Wahunsenacawh, also known as Powhatan, lived and received the newly arrived English leaders. Archeology shows that Native people had been coming to Werowocomoco for thousands of years, and that by the year 1200, many homes were placed there along the river bluff. The interior of the site included landscape features that marked it as sacred.

Beginning in 2020, the National Park Service will host two people in this Individual Placement program that will introduce participants to major aspects of national park operations. Individual Placements will train with staff from four divisions at Colonial NHP -- Interpretation & Education, Law Enforcement, Facility Management, and Resource Management -- and then work with staff to apply new skills at and for Werowocomoco as circumstances allow. Examples of training and projects may include: developing educational programs such as a Junior Ranger activity book and curricula, surveying and estimating the deer population at Werowocomoco, inventorying native and invasive plant species, assisting with archeological monitoring, observing patrols of Werowocomoco by law enforcement rangers, caring for the grounds and buildings at Werowocomoco. This is a representative list and will vary depending on the needs of the property at the time. The long-term goal is for the participants to develop career paths leading to opportunities at Werowocomoco. The position provides the Individual Placement with noncompetitive hiring authority under the Public Lands Corps Act. This hiring authority lasts for two years and makes the Individual Placement eligible for certain job positions within the NPS. 

Typically, Individual Placements will report to work at Colonial NHP in Yorktown VA. Individual Placements will undergo a background check in order to attain the necessary credentials for accessing NPS computers and vehicles. A participant may be asked to use an NPS vehicle to travel to Werowocomoco and Jamestown.

Individual Placements may have the opportunity to spend a week on an Ancestral Lands Conservation Crew in New Mexico.

This is an AmeriCorps National Service Term. Individual Placements will serve as AmeriCorps members, earning a $565 per week living stipend. This position will also be eligible for a Segal Education Award upon successful completion of the position requirements.

GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS: 

To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 and 30 (or up to age 35 years of age if a military veteran), and a US Citizen, National, or Legal Permanent Resident that has received a high school diploma or GED. All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and federal criminal background check. Must be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award.  

• Experience working with Native American youth and young people or experience working in Native American communities.
• Valid driver’s license.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Preference will be given to qualified Native American candidates

PARTICIPANT ESSENTIAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Essential eligibility requirements for the program must be met. If you are unable to meet certain requirements, we may be able to assist you with some modification unless it alters the fundamental nature of the program, compromises the health and safety of participants or staff, or places an undue financial or administrative burden on the organization. These requirements are written the same for all positions and therefore may not apply directly to your particular position.

PARTICIPATION AND EXPEDITION BEHAVIOR:

• Work effectively as a member of a team despite potentially stressful and difficult conditions. This may require problem solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences.
• Contribute to a safe learning environment; no harassment of others for any reason.
• Willingness and ability to complete all aspects of the program including conservation projects, education, training and national service. Members must commit to participating in all crew/team activities, including service days in local communities where applicable.
• Effectively communicate ideas and concerns as they arise directly to supervisors, colleagues and organization staff.
• Have the cognitive ability to learn necessary skills and apply them to effectively carry out the service work requirements
• Appropriately represent the Program and AmeriCorps to the public and project partners at all times.

 SAFETY AND JUDGMENT:

• Effectively communicate danger to others in the form of either a warning of danger others may be encountering or a notification of personal distress, injury or need for assistance. You must be able to do so at a distance of up to 50 meters and in conditions with limited visibility or loud background noise such as darkness or high winds.
• Effectively perceive, understand and follow direction by others so that you will be able to successfully execute appropriate and perhaps unfamiliar techniques to manage hazards. These directions may be given before the hazard is encountered or may need to be given during exposure to the hazard.
• Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in varied weather conditions
• Perceive and comprehend significant and apparent hazards, including those hazards previously identified by others.
• Respond appropriately to stress or crises.
• If taking prescription medications, participants must be able to maintain proper dosage by self-medicating without assistance from others.

 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS:

• Learn and practice ‘Leave no Trace’ techniques
• Outdoor Skills and Fitness (where appropriate)
• Learn and safely perform fundamental outdoor living/travel and work skills as appropriate to the project. Additionally, remain adequately hydrated, fed, and properly dressed so as to remain generally healthy and safe, avoiding environmental injuries.
• Be prepared for field conditions that include heat, water hazards, ticks, mosquitos, and other wildlife.

 SUBSTANCE FREE:

• In accordance to a drug free workplace, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps and program activities and while on organization property.

Required Skills Required Experience