The Western Colorado Conservation Corps offers opportunities for young adults to spend a season serving on meaningful conservation projects throughout Western Colorado. Projects may include a variety of trail construction/maintenance, fence construction/removal, invasive species removal, fire fuels reduction, habitat restoration and/or historic preservation.

Fire Crew Specifically:

This position will be based out of our Grand Junction office. This is not a 9-5 job, rather an experience where long hours and extended time away from your home base are to be expected. Serving as a Fire Crew Member at WCCC means having passion for service to others, for wild lands and wild places, for personal growth, and for any number of WCCC’s values. Crews will camp for most of their term, oftentimes in remote locations in varied terrain and in all weather conditions. Primary service types will include habitat restoration and fuels mitigation with the potential for fire response and prescribed burning – with a heavy emphasis in chainsaw use. Performs basic fire line activities such as: line construction, lopping, and scattering of fuels using hand tools and holding, patrolling, monitoring.

Once the crew has been red card certified and are eligible for fire deployment, individuals from the FC will disperse onto traditional crews to be available for deployments.

The position also requires preparation time and post-session clean up.

Essentials Position Functions:

Act as an assistant to the Crew Leader in:

• Mentoring and leading a crew of 5-7 youth/young adults, 18-28 years old, in day-to-day service activities on the project site and at camp
• Giving guidance and responsibilities to Crew Members to facilitate their personal growth and development
• Overseeing camp operations including camp set-up, camp hygiene, Leave No Trace principles, and all other camp elements involved with safety and risk management
• Complete 9 hours of service a day for 5-8 days while camping in a variety of outdoor conditions, including inclement weather, for the duration of the term. (No prior experience required)
• Submitting written and digital reports on projects, and expenses on a weekly basis to field staff
• Overseeing food budget, meal planning, and shopping list for group food
• Coordinating projects and logistics on the ground with WCCC Staff and project partners
• Transporting crew safely in WCCC’s vans or other vehicles while towing a trailer
• Perform duties expected of any corps member including service project completion, meal preparation, cleanup/setup, and other day-to-day duties
• Leading service projects such as trail building and maintenance, wildlife habitat restoration, fence building and maintenance, and invasive species removal
• Planning of recreational and educational activities, food and equipment preparation and maintenance, and program evaluation
• Live, work, and serve closely with a diverse group of people
• Must adhere to and enforce the rules and regulations of WCCC and AmeriCorps, which includes abstaining from the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco as well as other rules, regulations, and risk management protocol

Service Environment:

This position requires arduous physical activity in adverse weather conditions. Assistant Crew Leaders must be physically fit and able to lift, bend, carry, push and other heavy physical labor.