Job Title: Trail Crew Member

Location: In person in Bentonville, Arkansas. Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred).

Project Duration: May - August 2026.

Employment Type: Full-time (40 hours per week) Monday – Thursday, weather permitting.

Trail Crew Member Pay: $680 per week

Position Summary:

Ozark Conservation Corps (OCC), a program of Community Training Works’ (CTW), is partnering with land managing agencies in Northwest Arkansas for mountain bike, hiking, and multi-use Trails construction and maintenance project.

We are seeking a motivated, hardworking, and passionate outdoors person to help construct, maintain, and improve natural-surface mountain bike, hiking and multi-use trails. This role involves outdoor physical labor, trail feature construction, erosion control, and collaboration with land managers, volunteers, and trail crews to create safe, sustainable, and enjoyable biking, hiking and leisure experiences.

Positions Available:

• 4 Crew Member positions available
  • No experience required, must be enthusiastic about working outdoors. Chain saw certification, weed eater/brush cutter and landscaping experience is preferred.
• Project duration will be from May to August 2026. Additional work planned with trail maintenance after this project ends.
• Opportunity for advancement and AmeriCorps education award.

Description of Project Work:

• Assist in building and maintaining bike trails, hiking trails, and multi-use trails using sustainable trail-building techniques to ensure safe and sustainable access for visitors.
• Construct trail features such as berms, rollers, bridges, rock gardens, jumps, and technical sections.
• Clear vegetation, shape trail tread and manage drainage systems to repair damage caused by weather, erosion, or heavy use.
• Perform ecological restoration activities such as clear invasive species removal, habitat enhancement, and erosion control.
• Conduct landscape maintenance tasks including tree care, trimming, pruning, and site clean-up.
• Operate and maintain hand tools and power equipment including shovels, hoes, chainsaws, compactors, mini excavators (tillers) and job sites in safe working conditions.
• Support heavy lifting tasks involving rocks, soil, or trail materials to facilitate construction.
• Operate GPS devices and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) tools for data collection and trail mapping.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Valid driver’s license.
• Must be between 18 and 35 years of age.
• Must be able to carry at least 45 pounds and hike through various terrains for 1 to 5 miles.
• Must be enthusiastic about working outdoors and have a respect for nature.
• Able to work in extremely hot, humid, buggy, and wet conditions around insects and wildlife.
• Familiarity with tree trimming, hand tools, power tools, GPS devices, and GIS technology is a plus.
• Prior experience or training in landscaping, land management, or ecological restoration is preferred but not required.
• Strong teamwork skills with the ability to supervise or follow instructions effectively.
• Must have reliable transportation to meet at the Bentonville, Arkansas location each morning.

Benefits:

• Unique opportunity to work outdoors and gain experience in recreational trail building.
• Earn industry recognized certifications such as First Aid, CPR, S212 Chainsaw, S130/190 Basic Fire Management.
• Trail Crew Members earn a weekly stipend of $680.
• Can become eligible on our next project to Earn an AmeriCorps Education Award, upon completion of a term, to pay off student loans or use towards tuition at an accredited school. These will become available in August.
• Hiring preference for any agency working on public lands is granted to each member upon completion of their term.