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Program Dates: 5/27/2024 – 8/23/2024, 13 Weeks

About us:
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and young adults. Program participants protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, and community green spaces across the country."

Program Description:
The National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia is seeking a motivated SCA member to assist with the beginning of an ethnohistory research project on the 500 acres that the National Conservation Training Center inhabits. The primary duty of this position is to analyze and summarize existing archived documents that NCTC currently has and create a bibliography and executive summary to get this project off the ground. This position will primarily require 37-40 hours of remote work each week and will require travel to NCTC 2-3 times throughout the internship. The research will include local interviews with community members ,tribes, and other communities who have a connection to the site's history. Local candidates as well as candidates who live in the region will be ideal for this position due to travel requirements. This position will be focused on research and indoor work but will require some outdoor work and interaction with community members and other FWS partners will be required to complete the research project.

This position is ideal for someone with a can-do attitude, who can solve problems and function independently remotely. This position is a good match for someone interested in pursuing a research career.

About The National Conservation Training Center(NCTC):

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center, frequently referred to as NCTC, leads the nation with training and education for natural resource managers to meet the goal of conserving fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the benefit of the American public. NCTC is located in West Virginia's Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Conservation professionals attending NCTC courses and events can visit our facility. The campus sits on a pastoral landscape of rolling forested hills and wind-swept farm fields. The campus “footprint” comprises a little over 100 acres, leaving untouched more than 400 acres of natural habitats, including old fields and meadows, deciduous forests, the Potomac River, and shoreline springs, creeks, ponds, small wetlands, and moss-covered limestone cliffs.

Member Benefits:

  • $600*- weekly living allowance paid bi-weekly
  • $1,100* - roundtrip travel allowance
  • AmeriCorps eligible - education award of approximately $1,824.07*upon successful completion of position and service of 450 hours or more.
  • Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority for interns between the age of 18-30, (18-35 for Veterans)


*All allowances subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes*

Unmet Need:
Better understanding of the communities with which NCTC interacts and the need to develop working relationships with these groups to enhance training offerings to FWS staff as well as NCTC's interaction with local groups and organizations.

Work Objective:
A primary product of this internship will be an annotated bibliography of existing sources that discuss the local history and community development of the area encompassing NCTC; and an outline (using pertinent sources) of what a larger ethnohistorical analysis for NCTC should include.

Member Qualifications:

  • Driver's license
  • Personal vehicle required.
  • Must be able to work remotely 37-40 hours a week.
  • Have reliable computer and internet service for remote work.
  • Must be able to travel to the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) for in-person research and work up to 3 times during this internship. Travel costs are covered with a one-time travel allowance of $1100. Housing and food will be covered for visits to NCTC.


Member Education and Training
The ideal candidate will have some experience in:

  • Historical research and documentation.
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Evidence-based writing
  • Discipline to manage tasks independently and meet deadlines.
  • Experience in interviewing community members and note-taking

Training, recreational, or conferences offered during the internship:

NCTC courses and other recreational opportunities will be available to the intern and can be identified with NCTC staff to accommodate the schedule of the internship.

Additional:
Eligibility to serve as an AmeriCorps Member includes:

  • Being a citizen, permanent resident, or national of the United States.
  • Being at least 18 years or older.
  • Having a high school diploma or equivalent.
  • Being willing to undergo National Service Criminal History Check, including criminal background, sex offender and FBI checks.