Northern Forest Canoe Trail – National Park Service Intern 2016

Post date: Feb 3, 2016 12:21:18 AM

Community Conservation and Recreation

Location: Waitsfield, Vermont and along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail Route

Dates: Spring 2016 (Dates are variable; see details below)

Overview

This is an opportunity to work and learn in the middle of some of the most important conservation work taking place in America today. The National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program provides assistance to community-based projects that conserve rivers, create trails, and protect natural areas for conservation and recreational enjoyment. While this internship is offered through the RTCA Program, the position will be working with the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

The internship will

• Provide an opportunity to work with the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) on a Long Range Management Plan
• Learn about the National Park Service RTCA Program
• Help nonprofits and local governments that partner with NFCT and NPS
• Build connections across many organizations and disciplines
• Help the NFCT expand its sustainability via increased GIS trail data.

Focus of Activities

The National Park Service is sponsoring an intern for the NFCT through Conservation Legacy’s the Environmental Stewards Program. RTCA is partnering with the NFCT, and this position will benefit the NFCT. The focus will be to further the NFCT’s Long Range Management Plan. The specific projects that the intern will be working on include:

• Developing a system to collect images and enhanced data for NFCT campsites. The NFCT has an Adopt-a-Segment Program where volunteers adopt a 10 to 15-mile section of the NFCT. We are getting prepared to add detailed information about campsites to our Trip Planner Tool, including site photos, lat/log, landowner information, if reservations are needed, if fires are permitted, use limits, etc. The intern will help develop this system and begin to populate the database.
• Integrate our user data into our ArcGIS program. The ideal product is an attribute table where we can add the vital user data taken from our sign-in sheets for both portages and campsites. The product will be a map that displays a gradient of line weights or point sizes based on:
  • Total number of sign-ins
  • Percentage of growth compared to the previous year and all previous years
• Create an interactive map listing all of the water gauges across the NFCT. Assist with outreach to American Whitewater to determine if we can use data that they have compiled.
• Support the NFCT Trail Director in developing updated landowner agreements. Tasks will include the development of stewardship plans for each private parcel, creating parcel polygons in ArcMap with developed attribute tables, and creating maps showing parcel data in relation to NFCT infrastructure.

The intern will focus on the NFCT and its long range management plan, but the intern will be introduced to the NPS RTCA Program and the office in Woodstock, VT. including:

• Learning about other RTCA projects in New Hampshire and Vermont
• Being introduced to the NPS site at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, where the RTCA office is located

Work Environment

The typical workday will be spent working with the Northern Forest Canoe Trail in our Waitsfield, Vermont office. Some trail reconnoisence work will be done along the NFCT Route from Fort Kent, Maine to Old Forge, NY.

Education and Qualifications

An ideal intern will have the following abilities or interests:

• Currently enrolled or recently graduated from college
• A passion for outdoor conservation and recreation
• Understanding and working knowledge of GIS
• Strong writing skills
• Skill in using online social media tools
• Finding and assessing information online and through personal interaction
• Ability to present information in writing and/or face to face
• Ability to work effectively with people from diverse communities and professional settings
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in GIS work, arranging meetings, dissemination of information, and in handling other project logistics;
• Outgoing personality with ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Experience and interest in GPS, graphic design
• A current driver’s license and the ability to drive
• All applicants will be subject to a background check

Term of the Internship

The exact starting and ending dates for this internship are flexible. The range is from March 1 through August 26, 2016. We are open to the intern beginning in March and working part-time through the summer, or working full time in the spring, or some combination thereof. Bottom line: there are funds for 12 weeks of full-time work, and we are open to discussing a modified schedule that would work for all.

Benefits

• $243 weekly stipend for 12 weeks of service (This is based on 40 hours per week; if we combine part-time with full-time, the weekly stipend will be proportional.)
• $1,527 AmeriCorps Segal Educatin Award upon successful completion of service (based on a 12-week, full-time equivalent)
• Potential forbearance of student loan payments, if appropriate.

To Apply

Send your resume, cover letter and three (3) references (name, relationship and phone number) via email or mail to: Lelia_Mellen@nps.gov, National Park Service, 54 Elm Street, Woodstock, VT 05091.

If you have questions about this opportunity, you may email Lelia at the above address or call (802) 457-3368 x14. Norhtern Forest Canoe Trail can also answer questions via: Walter Opuszynski, Trail Director, walter@northernforestcanoetrail.org or (802) 496-2285.

We will begin review applications immediately, and this opportunity will be open until the ideal candidate is selected.

#gis #recreation #conservation