AmeriCorps Environmental Steward

General Description:

Gain meaningful experience exploring Maine through the lens of an individual conservation organization! Have you been waiting for a chance to learn about how a land trust operates? How a federal wildlife refuge creates and conserves habitat? How citizen science projects are created and accomplished?

Live, learn, and explore Maine’s conservation pockets with the Maine Conservation Corps (MCC). As an MCC AmeriCorps Environmental Steward, you can make an impact within an organization and the community by achieving specific Host Site goals as unique as each placement.

Environmental Stewards (ES) accomplish a wide variety of conservation projects ranging from water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, mobilizing volunteers to maintain hiking trails, banding and gathering data on songbirds, restoring eelgrass, teaching school kids about shellfisheries, mapping invasive species, and more. Gain experience and an adventure while making a difference.

This general description of MCC ES positions does not capture each host site's objectives. 

Location:

Individual sites will be posted on the MCC website as they are recruited. Applicants will be sent guidance through the process. All corners of Maine have been sites in the past, and exciting new opportunities present themselves each year. Training and orientation typically occur near the MCC office in Augusta, Maine. 

Time Requirement: 

Environmental Stewards are expected to serve a minimum of 40 hours per week. A regular schedule is determined by the Host Site and will include a minimum of 2 days off per week.  Regular schedules may be modified for special events. 

Essential Functions:

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Demonstrates good judgment and professionalism
• Demonstrates initiative, reliability, and flexibility
• Ability to serve both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to manage time effectively and produce quality results with attention to detail
• Demonstrates a desire to learn, serve others, and make a difference

Service Conditions: 

• Service involves frequent communication with multiple parties, and may include electronic, telephonic, and/or in-person communication
• Service conditions vary by site, but all Environmental Stewards should expect a portion of service, if not all to be outdoors

Benefits: 

• Weekly living allowance of $535 (before taxes) for 45 weeks
• AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395
• Health insurance, if eligible
• Certifications in the National Incident Management System, some members will also receive MCC Chainsaw Safety Certification
• Conferences such as the Maine AmeriCorps Member Conference and Volunteer Leadership Conference
• Networking opportunities
• Maine State Park Pass
• Some members may also be eligible for student loan forbearance and childcare reimbursement
• A small number of Host Sites also offer housing as part of their position