Position Title: National Park Service- Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance- Community Planner Fellow Individual Placement-AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps
Site Location: Individual Placements Program
800 S San Marcial St, El Paso, TX 79905
Terms of Service:
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Start Date: 08/03/2026
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End Date: 08/06/2027
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AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 hours
No housing or relocation stipend is available. Local applicants are highly encouraged to apply! Applicants may be able to work out of Albuquerque, NM, El Paso, TX or Austin, TX, reporting to a local NPS office.
Purpose:
Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps Mission
Our vision is to lead our Nations back to ecological and cultural well-being by engaging underrepresented Indigenous youth and young adults in conservation service programs that reconnect participants to the land, their cultural heritage, and their traditions. We work to remove barriers to participation, education, and employment by partnering with local community organizations, agencies, and institutes of higher learning to create paid service and career training opportunities, personal and professional development, and pathways to postsecondary education and employment.
- Ancestral Lands serves local tribal communities in the regions we operate. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages. Native American applicants are encouraged to apply.
National Park Service Mission
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The NPS cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program
The NPS operates programs in communities throughout the nation to connect people across the country to their parks, trails, rivers, and other special places. This fellowship position is within the NPS- Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program, which helps community groups, nonprofits, state and local governments, and tribes plan parks and trails, conserve and improve access to rivers and natural areas, and create recreation opportunities through locally led partnerships.
In addition to protecting and managing America’s national parks, the National Park Service also operates programs in communities throughout the nation to connect all Americans to their parks, trails, rivers, and other special places.
It is NPS-RTCA's goal to ensure that our program is supporting access to conservation and outdoor recreation for all communities across the identified states, regions and the nation and work along with communities where needs for outdoor recreation and conservation exists. Because RTCA works closely with multiple communities, stakeholders, and partners, this fellowship can reconcile, and build bridges for communities through outdoor recreation, conservation and stewardship projects.
This fellowship is a meaningful endeavor to help the National Park Service better engage and collaborate with communities in New Mexico, Texas and Potentially other states. Specifically, these target efforts are part of NPS' mission statement to "extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country." The NPS-Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance program is tasked with accomplishing this portion of the NPS mission.
It is NPS-RTCA's goal to ensure that our program is supporting access to conservation and outdoor recreation for all communities across the identified states, regions and the nation and work along with communities where needs for outdoor recreation and conservation exists. Because RTCA works closely with multiple communities, stakeholders and partners, this fellowship can reconcile, and build bridges for communities through outdoor recreation, conservation and stewardship projects by engaging in the planning process of a variety of projects in the areas mentioned above. Therefore, the focus of this internship will be coordinating outdoor, conservation and stewardship projects primarily in the states of New Mexico and Texas and serve other states as project needs are identified.
The variety of projects support the fellow through opportunities such as: building a developing collaboration and partnerships, conservation and recreation planning, community outreach and civic engagement, management and leaderships skills, and other technical skills such as facilitation, creative design, and communication.
Description of Duties:
The selected candidate (“member”) will support RTCA project managers in a variety of projects through assistance in coordination and collaboration, communication and reporting, collection of data, and project organization in New Mexico and Texas.
The fellow will be expected to engage with multiple partners (as appropriate) to support the development of projects and ensure that projects meet conservation/recreation/stewardship goals.
Potential projects
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El Paso Mission Trail - Heritage on the Move! Working Group: assist with conducting research, developing innovative techniques for working group engagement, support with community outreach and engagement, develop reports, templates and other materials to elevate the project deliverables.
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Las Casitas Pocket Park -Assist with the planning of community events, develop presentations and communication materials to present to City Council, work with city staff on a new vision for the park, create a concept map of the new vision, engage community residents into the plan of a new vision for the park, synthesize work into a final report.
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San Elizario Conservation and Recreation Masterplan - support with kicking off a new project, developing a workplan for the project, creating goals and objectives for the project, assist with facilitation of planning and community meetings, attend public events, conduct research and gather information into a final report.
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Albuquerque Alleyways Alliance (work in-progress) - This fellowship will give capacity to project partners to develop a unified vision and organizational development for the Alliance as well as establish a collaborative framework.
Qualifications:
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United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
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At least 18 years of age
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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
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Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
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Either have been licensed for 3 years or at least 21 years old, with a driving record consistent to drive agency vehicles.
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Ability to pass NPS Background check to be issued government technology.
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A combination of work (lived experience) and education (equivalent of bachelor's degree) with a strong background in design, community engagement, community planning, restoration and stewardship, recreation, partnership development, Hawaiian culture and history, cultural learning, interpretation, historic preservation or other.
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Knowledge of communities and tribes in New Mexico and Texas
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Knowledge of the history of New Mexico and Texas
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Experience in the field of outdoor recreation and conservation
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Willingness to identify and reach out to community members, champions, and other leaders
Other Qualifications
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Comfort in working with a variety of audiences and groups
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Confidence in meeting and interviewing people
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Skills in interviewing and collecting qualitative data
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Excellent customer service and communication skills
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Ability and interest in research and documenting findings
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Ability to work independently and with teams: responsible, resourceful, detail-oriented, motivated, good communication and writing skills, proactive, insightful, collaborative, great at time management and project management
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Enjoys working as part of a team and engaging people
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Graphic and communication skills
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Analytical and critical thinking skills
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Ability to work effectively with a variety of people
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Strong organizational skills
It is not expected that prospective candidates have experience in all these areas. An interest in developing these skills and some experience through work and/or education in at least one of these areas is required.
Our Commitment:
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 the hiring manager.
Time Requirements:
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Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday to Friday, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service
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Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
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A full-time schedule (40 hours per week) is preferred
Orientation and Training:
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Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
- Member will receive an orientation to ALCC and NPS
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Training will be provided on facilitation, planning, communication, conservation and recreation that come along during the fellowship
Benefits:
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Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7395.00
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Living Allowance of $600 per week.
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Additional Benefit of $400 per week.
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Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
- Childcare Coverage if Eligible
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Loan forbearance if Eligible
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Interest Payments if Eligible
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.
Supervisor Name and Contact Information:
G. Catlin "Cat" Ami Contact information: [email protected]
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.
