Apply now
Clock icon

Position Summary

Members of this Maintanance Action team will spend 3 months on service projects within Lake Clark National Park. Specific projects may include: general carpentry projects, landscaping and maintenance around park headquarters; installing permanent features such as, signs, barriers, and boardwalks; improving access to recreation areas; and maintaining walkways for visitor use. Duration of projects will vary. A variety of projects will be performed with various partners across Alaska. Service will be outdoors and will typically require demanding physical labor. Members will use power tools and may have the opportunity to use equipment such as chainsaws. Team members will be supervised in the field by an SCA Project Leader. All team members are expected to be respectful, punctual, hardworking, and committed to creating a safe service environment.

What is a Maintenance Action Team (MAT)?

With funding from the Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (GAOA LRF), Maintenance Action Teams (MATs) perform critical deferred maintenance and repair (DM&R) work on public lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

These teams are composed of NPS or FWS staff trained in a variety of trades, including heavy equipment operation, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, and historic preservation. MATs are based throughout the country and are mobilized regionally and nationally to perform critical DM&R activities. MATs serve as a valuable training and career advancement platform. MATs can also be used to strengthen relationships and enhance partnerships with groups such as public lands corps, youth conservation corps, veterans' groups, volunteers, and interns. Examples of MAT activities include earthwork, water management, trail repair, historic preservation, and constructed real property related rehabilitation activities.

In the first four years of GAOA LRF funding, NPS is authorized to use $59.1 million for MAT activities and FWS is authorized to use $27.7 million.

Schedule

May 16, 2025 - August 23, 2025

Key Duties and Responsibilities

  • Ensure project, basecamp, community, and general safety standards are upheld; full engagement is expected in all service projects and community activities.
  • Uniform: AmeriCorps Member will be required to wear the AmeriCorps and SCA logo daily
  • Interfacing with general public and partner organizations in a manner that reflects positively upon the crew, organization, and agency.
  • Play an active role in learning and executing the logistics of a project, cooking meals, understanding emergency response plans, critically thinking about risk and hazard mitigation, and completing all necessary paperwork related to member service activities.
  • Comply with all SCA, NPS/USFS/USFWS/BLM, and AmeriCorps policies and refrain from any prohibited activities.

Marginal Duties

Specific projects may include: general carpentry projects, landscaping and maintenance around park headquarters; installing permanent features such as, signs, barriers, and boardwalks; improving access to recreation areas; and maintaining walkways for visitor use.

Required Qualifications

Interest and investment in leadership development and teamwork is required

  • Commitment to living and serving within an intensive crew environment; interpersonal skills and community living experience are pluses.
  • Commitment to service in environmental conditions that will include: cold/heat, smoke, bugs, high winds, and precipitation.
  • Must be willing to learn how to use hand tools and power tools to accomplish service activities.
  • Must be eligible to serve as an AmeriCorps Member:

o Be a citizen, permanent resident, or national of the United States

o Be at least 18 years or older

o Have a high school diploma or equivalent or actively working to obtain one

o Be willing to undergo National Service Criminal History Check, including criminal background, sex offender and FBI checks

  • Ability to lift 50 lbs and walk/hike on uneven terrain, uphill or downhill, for 5 miles, physical work for 8-10 hours per day
  • Ability to pass SCA's background check.

This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger. Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience working in an outdoor setting
  • Positive communication skills and ability to work with a team
  • Resiliency
  • Ability to take initiative
  • Ability to complete tasks independently and with others

Hours

40 per week

Living Accommodations

Members should expect to camp for the entire duration of the season. Housing during work projects will be provided in the form of tents or communal bunkhouses in Lake Clark NP. SCA will supply the tents, and members will provide their own sleep system (sleeping bag and pad). Guidance on what to bring will be provided.

Compensation

  • $300/week living allowance;*
  • $1100 travel allowance;*
  • Camping through the duration of the program and food during hitches; group gear and tents provided
  • Wilderness First Aid training
  • AmeriCorps Education Award eligibility upon completion of the full season ($1954*)
  • Some positions may be eligible to receive Public Land Corps Hiring Authority Eligibility

All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes.

Personal Vehicle Information

Not needed

Additional Benefits

Bear Safety

Defensive Drive Training

First Aid/CPR

Wilderness First Aid Training

AmeriCorps: Eligible/Required

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Student Conservation Association, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members and is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere where lifestyles may grow personally and professionally.

Physical requirements and working conditions specific to the position are available in the full job description.