Description
Position: Maajii-akii-gikenjigewin Field Crew Member (AmeriCorps, ages 18+)
Location: 1720 Big Lake Road Cloquet, MN 55720
This is not a residential program; participants must secure housing preferably near the crew location
Service Term and Education Award Amounts:
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Enrollment Type and Minimum Hours Required
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Education Award*
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Full Time (FT)
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1700 Hours
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$7,395.00
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Three Quarterr Time (TQT)
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1200 Hours
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$5,176.50
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Half Time (HT)
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900 Hours
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$3,697.50
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X
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Reduced Half Time (RHT)
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675 Hours
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$2,817.14
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Quarter Time (QT)
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450 Hours
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$1,956.35
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Minimum Time (MT)
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300 Hours
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$1,565.08
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Abbreviated Time
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100 Hours
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$416.17
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*Members are eligible for an education award up to the amount listed by enrollment type.
Benefits:
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and AmeriCorps grantee that engages hundreds of youth and young adults each year in programs and initiatives that improve access to outdoor recreation, restore natural habitat, protect waterways, and respond to community needs and natural disasters. Our mission is to cultivate a community of emerging leaders in service to people and the planet. Learn more at conservationcorps.org.
Our values embody safety, justice, stewardship, community and leadership. In working toward our vision, we believe that it is important we commit to the following:
- Using equity as a lens for the work we do and decisions we make
- Building a shared vision surrounding Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion goals with our partnering organizations and communities, and
- Providing an equitable training environment and high-quality programming to all our participants.
Fond du Lac Resource Management: The Fond du Lac (FDL) Reservation has been formally managing natural resources as a government function since 1975. The Resource Management Program now has over 50 full-time staff members overseeing conservation and restoration projects relating to Natural Resources, Forestry, Conservation Enforcement, Wildlife, Fisheries, Invasive Species, Air Quality, Water Quality and several others. It’s stated in the program’s mission that “The Fond du Lac Resource Management Division is committed to the management, conservation, and sustainability of the natural resources of the Fond du Lac Band in order to protect the environment on the Fond du Lac Reservation and within its treaty areas. The Resource Management Division will use the tools of research, education and outreach with Band Members, partners and stakeholders to accomplish these goals” (Fond du Lac Resource Management Division, 2017, p. 5) FDL’s mission, staff expertise, and broad range of conservation focus areas provides a unique opportunity to train the next generation of Indigenous Natural Resource and Environmental Professionals.
Position Summary: The Maajii-akii-gikenjigewin, starting out in Earth Conservation, engages young adults, ages 18+, to complete challenging and impactful conservation and service projects throughout the Fond du Lac Reservation and within the 1837, 1842, and 1854 ceded territories. The Maajii-akii-gikenjigewin crew will work with current FDL Resource Management professionals to gain valuable experience and skills, to prepare for future careers in the natural resources field. Crew members will work on challenging and impactful conservation projects that may include:
- Invasive species management
- Community gardening
- Prescribed burning
- Trail construction & maintenance
- Tree planting
- Habitat Restoration
- Wildland fire suppression
- Wolf population Monitoring and Management
- Emergency response
The Maajii-akii-gikenjigewin crew will work to conserve and restore rivers, wetlands, watersheds, forests, and other important ecosystems within the FDL reservation; expand access to the outdoors for FDL band members; engage Tribal youth in conservation work to prepare them for careers in natural resources; and support the conservation plans of FDL Resource Management, with a focus on locally led and designed conservation efforts that support and respect Tribal sovereignty and cultural knowledge.
By the end of the term, the entirety of the crew will have a wide breadth of understanding of management activities occurring within the FDL Reservation and ceded territories, and be prepared for future careers in a variety of fields occurring within resource management at a local, state, and federal level.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Complete natural resources service projects in cooperation with fellow members safely, effectively and efficiently and to the satisfaction and specifications of the project host
- Abide by FDL and Corps program safety regulations as well as applicable federal/state/municipal law and OSHA requirements; communicate any safety concerns and incidents
- Contribute actively to the team to complete projects, demonstrating a commitment to the Corps values of safety, justice, stewardship, community and leadership.
- Positive attitude, desire to learn new skills, interest in community service; represent Conservation Corps in positive manner in public
- Complete the entire service term per the start and end dates listed on the Member Service Agreement
- Complete and approve timecards and other required reports and paperwork in timely manner
Hours & Schedule
A typical schedule is 40 hours/week, Monday – Thursday, 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM, including a mandatory 30 minute lunch break which does not count towards service hours. Overnight travel (4 – 5 consecutive days) is sometimes required for service projects. Some special assignments (including wildfire response and other emergency response assignments) may require members to deploy for several weeks at a time.
Training & Development
The Corps and FDL Resource Management provides orientation and skills training at the start of the program year, and additional region or project specific training throughout the service term that may include:
- AmeriCorps benefits
- Team building and Leadership
- Conflict resolution
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Safety and risk management
- Power and hand tool safety and maintenance
- Wildland Fire Training
- Mental Health
- First Aid and CPR
- MN Safety Council defensive driving
- Invasive species management/herbicide application
- Treaty Rights
- Plant identification
- Leave No Trace principles
Qualifications
- Willingness to learn and adapt to changing plans, work, and project needs
- Commitment to upholding Corps values of safety, justice, stewardship, community and leadership.
- Ability to perform project work in a safe manner, while wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including hard hat, gloves, safety glasses, CCMI steel-toed work boots, and hearing protection (when using loud equipment such as brush saws, chain saws, etc)
- Dedication to complete the full term of AmeriCorps service
- Ability to perform the Essential Service Functions, which include but are not limited to:
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- Long (8-12 hour) days engaging in physically demanding work using various hand and power tools
- Heavy lifting, bending, and carrying up to 50 pounds
- Walking and working on steep or uneven terrain
- Working outdoors in all weather conditions
Other Information
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against anyone. Thisprogram is available to all, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, religion, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, military status, familial status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law. Conservation Corps engages AmeriCorps members, ages 18-30, as defined under the American Conservation and Youth Service Corps Act, a subtitle of the National and Community Service Act of 1990. Reasonable accommodations available upon request.
