Monarch Crew Member/Leader

Job Overview

Position: 2023 Iowa Monarch Habitat Project Crew Member (AmeriCorps, ages 18 – 35)
Location: Des Moines, IA
This is not a residential program; participants must secure housing preferably near the crew location
Service Term: 450- or 900-hour AmeriCorps position; May – August or May – December
Benefits:

• Living Allowance: $1,810/month
• Education Award: $1,718.25 – $3,247.50 (depending on service term), if eligible and upon successful completion of program
• Student loan forbearance (on qualifying student loans)
• Health insurance
• Childcare assistance
• Training, certifications, networking

About Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa: Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa, a nonprofit organization and AmeriCorps grantee, engages hundreds of youth and young adults each year in in meaningful service, leadership development, and environmental stewardship. Our vision is a world in which everyone has equitable access to nature, is equipped to succeed in career and life, and is empowered to make a difference in conserving natural resources. Our projects and programs embody our core values of safety, service, respect, equity, and community. In working toward our vision, we believe it is important to acknowledge that natural resources organizations, including Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa, have a legacy of supporting and benefiting from systems that have restricted access to public lands and careers for marginalized groups. To challenge this, we commit to using equity as a lens for the work we do and decisions we make, building a shared vision surrounding justice, equity, diversity, and Inclusion goals with our partnering organizations and communities and providing an equitable training environment and high-quality programming to all our participants.
Position Summary: A crew of five AmeriCorps members participate in on-the-job training to learn natural resources management skills and put those skills into practice studying monarch butterfly breeding habitat. The crew member position involves physically challenging, team-oriented AmeriCorps service. Habitat projects may include but are not limited to pollinator counts, milkweed stem counts, and maintaining and organization field data. Project sites vary throughout Iowa, including urban settings and wilderness. Service is performed exclusively outdoors and may involve camping for several days at a time.

When field data collection ends in early to mid-September, crew members duties will shift. Members will participate in habitat restoration projects in Iowa, completing natural resource conservation projects such as exotic species management, herbicide application, stream bank stabilization and erosion control, timber stand improvement, prescribed burning, trail construction & maintenance, tree planting, basic carpentry, wild land fire suppression and emergency response in partnership with public land management agencies. This position is led by an AmeriCorps Crew Leader and is supervised by two Regional Managers.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Complete habitat and natural resources service projects in cooperation with fellow members safely, effectively and efficiently and to the satisfaction and specifications of the project host
• Abide by Corps program safety regulations as well as applicable federal/state/municipal law and OSHA requirements; communicate any safety concerns and incidents
• Contribute actively to the team to complete projects, demonstrating a commitment to the Corps values of safety, service, respect, equity and community, as well as justice, diversity, and inclusion.
• Positive attitude, desire to learn new skills, interest in community service; represent Conservation Corps in positive manner in public
• Serve a minimum of 450 or 900 hours (depending on service term) and complete the entire service term per the start and end dates listed on the Member Service Agreement
• Complete and approve timecards and other required reports and paperwork in timely manner

Hours & Schedule
Schedules can vary, depending on crew location. Crew members should expect to be scheduled for at least 40 hours of service per week. A typical schedule is Monday – Thursday, 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM, including a mandatory 30 minute lunch break which does not count towards service hours. Up to 90% of projects will require overnight travel (4 – 12 consecutive days). Some special assignments (including wildfire response and other emergency response assignments) may require members to deploy for several weeks at a time.
Training & Development
The Corps provides orientation and skills training at the start of the program year, and additional region or project specific training throughout the service term that may include:

• AmeriCorps benefits
• Team building and conflict resolution
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Safety and risk management
• Power and hand tool safety and maintenance
• S130 & S190 Firefighter training and red card certification training
• First Aid and CPR
• MN Safety Council defensive driving
• Trailer operation and safety
• Invasive species management/herbicide application
• Plant identification
• Leave No Trace principles.

No more than 20% of total service hours will be spent on training and development activities.
Qualifications

• Ability and desire to work well with others in a team setting, outdoors and in all weather conditions
• Commitment to upholding Corps values of safety, service, respect, equity, and community
• Dedication to complete the full term of AmeriCorps service
• Relevant experience in fields of botany, wildlife, or another related field; experience identifying native prairie forbs in the Midwest
• Excellent verbal communication skills, attention to detail, ability to enter data accurately onto a mobile device and computer
• Ability to perform the Essential Service Functions, which include but are not limited to:

• • Long (10 hour) days of shoveling, digging, and swinging heavy tools repetitively
  • Long (10 hour) days of chainsawing / brush sawing
  • Long (10 hour) days collecting habitat data
  • Heavy lifting, bending, and carrying up to 50 pounds
  • Walking and working on steep or uneven terrain
  • Working in extremes of heat or cold, in direct sunlight, high temperatures and buggy conditions

• Flexible schedule to accommodate week-long out of town assignments and emergency response
• Must be a US Citizen, US National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien of the US
• Must pass a criminal history check consisting of a National Sex Offender Public Website check, a state criminal history check, and a fingerprint-based FBI check. Passing the criminal history check is defined as no positive hits on the NSOPW and no history of violent offenses on the state or FBI checks.
• High school degree, GED, or willingness to work towards obtaining a GED
• Iowa locations only: Must possess or be able to acquire an Iowa Department of Agriculture Commercial Pesticide Applicator License. Corps will provide training and support to obtain license
• Preferred: Experience identifying insects and their larval instars; knowledge of North American milkweed species (ability to recognize common and uncommon species in the field)

Other Information
In accordance with 45CFR 2520.65, AmeriCorps members may not perform prohibited service activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in the activities. Prohibited service activities are outlined in the Service Agreement section VII and AmeriCorps member manual.
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating an inclusive environment that values the diversity of its staff and members and does not discriminate against anyone. Employment/placement decisions with Conservation Corps will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Conservation Corps does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, military service, union membership, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status with regards to public assistance, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. Conservation Corps engages AmeriCorps members, ages 18-25, as defined under the American Conservation and Youth Service Corps Act, a subtitle of the National and Community Service Act of 1990. Reasonable accommodations available upon request.
Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Women, BIPOC, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa requires all employees and AmeriCorps members to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 OR submit a request for a medical or religious exemption