Visitor and Community Engagement Specialist - AmeriCorps (1 opening)

Conservation Legacy Program: Arizona Conservation Corps

Site Location: Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge office (1611 North 2nd Avenue, Ajo, AZ 85321)

Term of Service:

Start Date: 1/4/2027 (anticipated)

End Date: 5/7/2027

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 675 Hours

Purpose:

This is an AmeriCorps position with Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC), which is an AmeriCorps program of Conservation Legacy. The member selected for this position will be serving at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge as an AmeriCorps member with Arizona Conservation Corps, and completing service projects for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

AZCC aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's, and is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with communities and conservation service 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, Tucson, and Phoenix. 

Partner Agency:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), working with others, is responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people through Federal programs relating to migratory birds, endangered species, interjurisdictional fish and marine mammals, and inland sport fisheries. As part of its mission, the USFWS is charged with enforcing Federal Wildlife Laws and Protecting Endangered Species.

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is named after Cabeza Prieta Peak, a granite peak topped by basalt. In 1936 there was a large effort put forth by the BSA and conservation groups to preserve the desert bighorn sheep. In 1939, FDR created the Kofa and Cabeza Prieta Game Ranges, both of which became Refuges in 1975. The primary wildlife management today focuses on the endangered Sonoran pronghorn though there is still focus on the bighorn through wildlife waters and aerial surveys. The refuge itself is 860,000 acres with 803,000 acres of designated wilderness. The southern border of the refuge, approximately 56 miles, straddles the international border with Mexico. The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically unique desert in the world and looking at the whole desert you’ll see Cabeza Prieta NWR is right in the heart.

Visitors can be limited by their vehicles in being able to reach the furthest extents of the refuge on
public use roads and visitation usually only reaches around 2,500 annually. Range of temperatures throughout the year can dip to 20 degrees at night in the winter and up to 120 degrees in the summer during the day. The Refuge is headquartered in the small community of Ajo, Arizona.

Description of Duties:

The selected member for this position will provide interpretation services at the visitor contact station and throughout the Refuge, with the goal of delivering enriching visitor experiences for the different types of visitors the Refuge receives. The member will work as part of a team to further develop the image of the station, focusing on a modern experience to better engage with and fill the interests and needs of our community, and helping to create a more meaningful program.

The member will be exposed to other USFWS areas such as biology, management, visitor services, and maintenance through daily work both on and off the refuge itself. There will be opportunities to work with others, pursuing different experiences, and there are other refuges that could be part of their overall internship experience. This exposure will offer opportunities to explore potential career paths with professionals in the USFWS.

Training will be provided by the USFWS in ArcGIS/ESRI, Eppley courses on interpretation, USFWS defensive driving, and IT Training.

Housing will be provided for the member during their term. This will be in a 3-bedroom manufactured home next to the USFWS office building. Other interns will be housed in the building, that can house up to 6 interns/staff/volunteers at a time. Amenities include laundry on site, Wi-Fi, and kitchenware provided.

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Evaluate and enhance visitor and community engagement at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
• Assist with creation of an ArcGIS product to provide visitors with a touchscreen-driven experience of the refuge.
• Edit the refuge website’s content to be more visitor-friendly and a helpful source of information.
• Evaluate visitor and community engagement programs for improved visitor and community experiences.
• Educate visitors on responsible recreation methods to avoid degradation of refuge land and resources.
• Assist with recruiting volunteers to help improve trail or wildlife water sources if needed.

Qualifications:

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• At least 18 years of age.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
• Interest and/or experience in visitor and community engagement.
• Interest and/or experience with public lands.
• Applicants must pass a criminal history background check and possess a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with ArcGIS.
• Experience with interpretation.

Physical Requirements:

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 Vanessa Morrison at vmorrison@conservationlegacy.org

Time Requirements:

Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week, but exact service schedules may vary. Flexibility is necessary as some tasks will occur outside of typical hours and on weekends. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service.

Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

Orientation and Training:

Member will receive an Arizona Conservation Corps Individual Placement Program New Member Orientation at start of service that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $2,817.14 with successful completion of position.
• Living Allowance of $540 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $100 per week.
• Public Lands Corps Certificate*
• Healthcare Coverage provided by The Corps Network and Cigna.
• Childcare Coverage.
• Qualifies for Student Loan forbearance and Interest Payment reimbursement through AmeriCorps.

*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, members must be between the ages of 18-30, or up to 35 if a military veteran, at the time the individual begins the term of service and must complete 640 service hours or more to qualify.

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Background Check:

A Department of the Interior (DOI) background clearance will be initiated prior to the selected intern’s start day, however, obtaining a PIV card is not necessary prior to starting. The USFWS will provide instructions for the DOI background clearance process.

Interns will have access to government facilities and systems, and will be supplied with access to gov’t vehicles, equipment, and materials needed to work on the projects and activities as outlined above. Interns must adhere to all government regulations and policies for operating equipment, vehicles, security awareness, and safety.

Supervisor Name:

This position reports to Rijk Moräwe (USFWS Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge Manager)