Job Type: Paid Internship
Salary Details: $1500/month educational stipend paid directly to intern
Deadline: Apr 15, 2023
Required Experience: 0 – 1 years

About Siskiyou Mountain Club
We are a small nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving trails in the backcountry of Southwest Oregon and Northwest California. Our trail crews have saved hundreds of trail miles from being lost, and we have adopted approximately 400 miles of trails in the most remote reaches in this region known for its vast expanse of public lands.

We are an equal opportunity employer and place high value on diversity throughout our organization. Please read more about our policies on civil rights and justice here. 

Summary
Our Wilderness Corps trail crews do the hard work it takes to achieve our mission of trail preservation. Interns make a commitment for the duration of their term, working a schedule of eight-days on trail, four-days off trail. They are led by field staff with multiple years of experience in backcountry trail work.

Days on-trail, or work hitches, our WCC crews backpack into remote sites to work on trail projects that are part of our landscape-scale strategy to restore our public lands through trail preservation. Crews cut logs, remove brush, and restore lost trails in the most remote pockets of this region acclaimed for its biodiversity and complex natural history.

It is a rigorous and immersive experience. Interns participate in a remote onboarding process leading up to their term, then track personal and professional goals with support from our staff. Interns participate in regular reviews that inspire progress and growth. Project locations are predetermined but can change depending on conditions. Each intern must complete our approximately 15-hour online curriculum before their term starts.

Spend 7 – 12 weeks living and working from the most remote and rugged wilderness areas the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Crews work a schedule of eight on-trail days up against four days off-trail. Backpack into project sites as far as 20 miles into the backcountry and work with a team to restore historic trails fading from America’s great backcountry.

Work with a dynamic team led by field staff with multiple years of field experience.

Compensation, housing, activities
Receive a $1,500 monthly stipend paid directly to participant, and the Club provides camping or motel rooms in Ashland, OR during off-trail days. During off-trail days, interns participate in activities like whitewater rafting, visits to our local national and state parks, and skills training.

Educational and curricular requirements
Complete (approximately) 15-hour online curriculum that includes Core Competency of the Wilderness Act, Leave No Trace, and background on trail work. Maintain daily journal and photo entries during backcountry hitches and participate in group activities on days off. Produce final portfolio of work.

Terms
Start dates are June 2 and June 26 with terms of 7 to 10 weeks, and interns participate in a 12-hour remote onboarding course prior to arrival. 

Training
We provide comprehensive curricular and field training. 

  • Basic backpacking and wilderness surival skills
  • Backcountry trails skills. 
  • Credentials: Receive industry-accepted certificates issued by Univeristy of Montana’s Arthur Carhart Wilderness Institute, the Center for Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics, U.S. Forest Service, and Siskiyou Mountain Club
  • 1st-aid and CPR, Leave No Trace, and USFS crosscut saw certification, pending eligibility
  • Certificate of 500 hours of Corps Service recognized by employers, the 21st-Century Conservation Service Corps, and the National Corps Networks

Field Work

  • Participate in eight-day backcountry work projects that require backpacking into project sites
  • Use of hand tools. Your days will be spent using long-armed loppers, pruning saws, crosscut saws, Pulaskis, and moving large materials
  • Produce work quality that meets SMC’s trail standards

Communication

  • Responsible for maintaining professional communication
  • Actively participate in briefings, debriefings, group activities
  • Relay information as needed

Curricular and enrichment activities

  • Complete online training in timelines provided
  • Work with SMC managers to develop season goals and benchmarks
  • Draft daily journal entries
  • Participate in required activities during off-trail days
  • Present final portfolio of work
  • Other duties as assigned

Required Skills and Experience

  • All arrivals complete a physical test
  • Ability to perform strenuous activity, including the ability to carry 50 pounds for 10 miles across rough terrain.
  • Must be able to work long hours with heavy tools on uneven terrain. Requires lifting, moving, and scooting large materials such as logs and rocks
  • Strong verbal communication
  • Punctuality and endurance
  • Ability to follow multi-step directions
    Effective at working independently and as a strong team member
  • Motivated and self-disciplined
  • Basic lightweight backpacking gear
  • The use of tobacco, cigarettes, vape, smokeless or otherwise, is prohibited
  • Electronic devices including cell phones, tablets, iPods, smart watches and mp3 players are prohibited for on-trail days

HOW TO APPLY
We take applicants through a screening process and two interviews. Please call 541-708-2056 or email info@siskiyoumountainclub.org. 

For more information and to apply: https://siskiyoumountainclub.org/wcc2023/