Title: Border Restoration Intern (1 opening)
Start/End Date: October 15, 2024- September 12, 2025 (anticipated)
Stipend: $600 per week
Term: 48 weeks
Reports To: Natural Resource Specialist (Recreation)
Location: BLM Tucson Field Office (3201 E. Universal Way, Tucson, AZ 85756)
Status: 1700-hour AmeriCorps Service Term
Benefits: AmeriCorps Education Award $6,895.00; Public Lands Corps Certificate*; both with successful completion of the internship.
*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, interns must be between the ages of 18-30, or up to 35 if a military veteran, inclusive, at the time the individual begins the term of service.
Summary:
Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC):
Arizona Conservation Corps, a program of Conservation Legacy, aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's. AZCC is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with conservation service work projects on public lands. AZCC operates programs across Arizona that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. AZCC has program offices in Flagstaff and Tucson.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM):
The BLM Tucson Field Office manages more than 600,000 acres of desert, mountains, and grasslands within five southeastern Arizona counties and shares the international border with Mexico. The field office is responsible for stewardship of eight National Landscape Conservation System units: San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, Ironwood Forest National Monument, four wilderness areas, 63 miles of river suitable for Wild and Scenic River designation and the Gila River Canyons passage of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The Tucson Field Office also oversees six properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and seven Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Public lands within the Tucson Field Office also provide excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation including world-renowned birding along the San Pedro River. The Tucson Field Office is a part of and shares office space with the BLM Gila District Office.
Position Summary:
The selected intern will be involved with a number of partnerships and organizations that assist the BLM Tucson Field Office with managing the land and resources of the area. The intern will work closely with partners such as the Friends of the San Pedro River, Empire Ranch Foundation, Arizona Native Plant Society, and Friends of Ironwood Forest with on-the-ground restoration projects such as trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, fence construction and maintenance, sign maintenance, organizing volunteer work projects, and assisting partnerships with the continued development of the Agents of Discovery application. The BLM Tucson Field Office works closely with local government and state government agencies. The intern may have opportunities to work along BLM staff with government partners.
The intern's contribution to projects assigned by the BLM will positively improve public lands and managed resources. These public lands are typically visited by the local Tucson and Sierra Vista communities, as well as communities of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Trainings will be provided to the intern when opportunities arise from the BLM.
Interns must provide their own personal transportation to the duty office; however, the intern will be provided a vehicle for use between the office and the field. No housing will be provided.
Essential Responsibilities and Functions:
- Provide timely data on improvements to sites that are currently impacted by resource damage from illegal activities.
- Identify work objectives and project scope of crew projects.
- Work with Recreation Specialist and Assistant Field Manager on project sites and maps.
- Work with Park Ranger on sites and maps for proposed fence repair projects.
- Repair fencing, keep project records, and document timeframes of fencing projects.
- Work with Outdoor Recreation Planner and Park Ranger on project sites and maps, identify scope of work and objectives of projects.
- Repair wildcat trails, keep project records and document timeframe of project.
- Keep project records and document before-and-after photos and timeframes of work projects.