Title:  Interpretation Individual Placement 

Location C&O Canal National Historical Park at Great Falls; Potomac, MD 

Dates: May 13th – November 6th for a 26-week term 

Schedule: Wednesday – Sunday, 40-hour work week average. 

Pay Rate: $750/week total ($600/living allowance + $150/additional benefit) 

Status: This is a full-time, temporary AmeriCorps National Service position. 

Contact:  Questions? Email ACCrecruiting@conservationlegacy.org      

Please submit a resume and cover letter via our website, www.appalachiancc.org/individualplacements. Applications will be accepted until March 15th. 

Appalachian Conservation Corps: 

Our Individual Placement program works to connect young people to conservation service work across Appalachia and neighboring communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, DC, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. ACC is a program of Conservation Legacy, a nationwide network of conservation organizations.   

As an AmeriCorps program, participants commit to a term of service at their placement site in order to gain hands-on experience and a variety of benefits to help them succeed in achieving their career goals. ACC welcomes national applicants, but also emphasizes the engagement of local individuals who represent the communities in which they serve.   

Position Summary: 

The C&O Canal National Historical Park receives approximately 5 million visitors a year. To maintain relevancy, the C&O Canal must engage new audiences. To achieve this, the C&O Canal will recruit an Individual Placement to engage audiences with 21st century interpretive methods including living history programming. Traditional interpretive practices are becoming less effective at providing enjoyment and connections for audiences, while social, technological, and demographic changes provide a demand and opportunity for developing skills for 21st century citizenry through continuous growth and exploration. Utilizing the park’s primary interpretive themes, the Individual Placements will develop new 21st century interpretive and visitor use programs that incorporate the replica Charles F. Mercer canal boat, historic Great Falls Tavern, and adjacent scenic landmarks such as the Great Falls on the nearby Potomac River. 

In this specific location, we are honored to have four mules as part of our ‘summer staff’! We use our mules in programming such as our “Meet the Mules” program, and when feasible, our canal boat. We care for the mules, which includes brushing their coats, picking their hooves, and cleaning their sleeping area.  

We also have a 19th century historic lock system that is utilized for programming just outside the Great Falls VC. All our Individual Placements are trained on how to operate this historic lock while giving a program to our visitors!  

The Individual Placement will promote a closer relationship between the park and the large visitor community through a wide variety of interpretive and visitor use engagement methods. This includes staffing an indoor Visitor Center, informal roving in areas of the park with high potential for visitor contact, and through popular formal programming. The Individual Placement’s job responsibilities will increase visitor understanding of the organization’s mission which in turn ensures environmental protection of the park’s unique cultural and natural resources. Main Individual Placement responsibilities include: 

• Conduct informational/educational-related visitor contacts and site introductions through a variety of methods. 
• Research, develop and present formal interpretive talks that have a beneficial effect on visitor understanding and appreciation of the park. 
• Assist visitor services and interpretive staff with front desk visitor center operations and work with animal livestock, specifically mules, with routine maintenance and upkeep. 
• Basic mule care and boat tours 

Housing may be available on site. 

General Qualifications:  

To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 and 30, and a US citizen that has received a high school diploma or GED. All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and federal criminal background check. Must be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award. In addition, applicants must:  

• Possess a valid driver’s license  
• Ability to swim 

Preferred Qualifications:   

• Public speaking experience 
• Basic first aid/CPR/AED certification 
• Enjoys working as a member of the team 
• Interest and comfort working with animals (specifically mules) 
• Outgoing and enjoys engaging people in an active manner 
• Excellent problem-solving skills 
• Interest in subjects like History, Communications, Drama, or similar 
• Experience with social media content development 

Benefits:   

• $750/week ($600/living allowance + $150/additional benefit) paid biweekly 
• $3,697.50 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award upon successful completion of 900-hour service term (can be used for paying off federal student loans or paying tuition for a Title IV accredited college)   
• Option to enroll in free health, vision, dental and mental health insurance 
• Housing may be provided. 
• $450 professional development fund 
• Non-competitive eligibility when applying to federal jobs through the Public Lands Corps Hiring Authority 
• Possible Federal student loan forbearance   
• Member Assistance Program – 3 free sessions of support with a counseling or work-life balance specialist   
• Depending upon the academic institution and program, this position may fulfill internship requirements   
• Professional development opportunities (mentorship, resume support, alumni listserv, etc.) and exposure to natural resource career paths   

Our Commitment: 

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. The ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.   

Our Promise:

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.