Position Title: Recreation Heritage Technician Individual Placement-Coconino National Forest – AmeriCorps (1 opening)
Conservation Legacy Program: Arizona Conservation Corps
Site Location: Red Rock Ranger District (8375 State Route 179, Sedona, AZ 86351)
Terms of Service:
- Start Date: August 10, 2026
- End Date: February 5, 2027
- AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 Hours
Purpose:
This is an AmeriCorps position with Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC), which is an AmeriCorps program of Conservation Legacy. The member selected for this position will be serving with Coconino National Forest as an AmeriCorps member with Arizona Conservation Corps and completing service projects with Coconino National Forest.
AZCC aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's, and is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with communities and conservation service projects on public lands. AZCC operates programs across Arizona that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. AZCC has program offices in Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson.
Coconino National Forest:
One of six National Forests in Arizona, the Coconino National Forest comprises 1.856-million acres in northern Arizona, with elevations ranging from 2,600 feet to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (Humphrey's Peak). Coconino National Forest contains diverse landscapes, including deserts, ponderosa pine forests, flatlands, mesas, alpine tundra, and ancient volcanic peaks. The forest surrounds the towns of Sedona and Flagstaff and contains all or parts of 10 designated wilderness areas. The Recreation and Trails program is focused on providing quality recreation opportunities and experiences.
The Coconino National Forest – Heritage Program (Archaeology) is responsible for identifying, documenting, protecting, and assisting with management of cultural and historic resources across the forest. The Program ensures that all land management activities comply with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other federal cultural resource regulations. Through archaeological survey, monitoring, records management, and technical reporting, the Heritage Program supports sustainable land stewardship by integrating cultural resource considerations into forest-wide planning, project implementation, and long-term resource management.
Description of Duties:
The Heritage Program on the Red Rock Ranger District works to identify, document, and protect the rich archaeological, historical, and cultural resources found throughout the Coconino National Forest. The program supports responsible management of public lands by ensuring compliance with federal cultural resource laws while facilitating recreation, timber, fuels, range, habitat restoration, and other land management projects. The overarching goal is to preserve cultural resources for future generations while supporting sustainable forest management and ecosystem restoration across the Forest.
The Heritage Intern will contribute to the Red Rock Ranger District by supporting cultural resource surveys, maintaining accurate heritage records, and assisting with National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance activities that allow critical forest management projects to move forward. Their work will help ensure that cultural resources are protected while supporting projects that improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, restore habitat, and enhance recreational opportunities across the District.
The Heritage Intern will typically spends a significant amount of time conducting cultural resources surveys, monitoring implementation of district-specific projects, and reporting the results to the District and Forest Archaeologists. They are expected to lead lower-level technicians and volunteers as either a crew lead and/or project manager for Section 106/110 projects.
Additional duties may include preparing survey results for environmental analysis reports, conducting cultural resource monitoring, producing site sketches and photo documentation, maintaining project records, and supporting interdisciplinary teams working on recreation, fuels, timber, range, and restoration projects. The Intern will help keep supervisors informed of field observations and site conditions while contributing to the protection and stewardship of cultural resources throughout the Forest.
The Heritage Intern on the Red Rock Ranger District will have many opportunities to explore different aspects of public lands management and gain valuable insight into a variety of career paths. The Intern will receive mentoring from Forest Service archaeologists and heritage professionals while collaborating with Recreation, Wildlife, Fuels, Timber, Range, GIS, and NEPA planning programs. Opportunities may include participating in interdisciplinary meetings, shadowing specialists, networking with partner organizations and tribal representatives, and learning about careers in archaeology, cultural resource management, environmental compliance, and federal land management.
Essential Responsibilities and Functions:
- As an advanced trainee, performs duties of limited scope and complexity in all aspects of archeology activities. Combines productive work with learning a variety of advanced skills, techniques, and procedures in order to increase ability to perform in higher level work and to assist employees at higher grade levels. Assignments are typically screened to eliminate difficult or unusual problems
- Receives formal and on-the-job training in more advanced skills, techniques and procedures by performing a variety of productive archeology work. Assignments may include the following:
- Conducts routine field reconnaissance searches in areas planned for such activities as timber harvesting, wildlife habitat improvement, road construction, and recreational development.
- Reports findings and prepares recommendations to be incorporated in environmental analysis reports concerning possible effects that proposed resource management activities may have on existing archeological remains.
- In conducting field searches, identifies and marks archeological sites, prepares site location maps, records findings, photographs artifact findings, and prepares sites sketches as necessary.
- Searches for and examines historical records as well as the findings of other archeological experts relative to the history, social structure, and living conditions of past cultures which inhabited the area.
- Working with higher-grade archeologists, conducts field investigations as part of a Forest-wide classification and protection program to be incorporated in long-range resource management plans.
- Professional knowledge of the theories, principles, and concepts of archeology, including reconnaissance, evaluation, and basic field survey procedures to conduct reconnaissance and surveys.
- Knowledge of the various cultures and ethnic groups who inhabited the region in past periods to evaluate archeological findings and conduct surveys.
Qualifications:
- United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
- At least 18 years of age.
- Must possess a Bachelor's degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, History, or a related field
- Must have a valid driver’s license and be insurable by Conservation Legacy (over 21 years old or driver's license for at least three years).
- US Citizen or Permanent Legal Resident.
- Experience in archaeological field surveys, excavations, and artifact analysis.
- Knowledge of archaeological methods, theories, and practices Familiarity with archaeological laboratory procedures and equipment.
- Ability to interpret and record archaeological findings accurately.
- Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
- Prior Southwest and Northern Arizona experience is preferred, but not required.
- Presented or developed interpretative talks related to Heritage and/or cultural resources.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Possess a Master’s degree or enrolled in an Archaeology, Anthropology, History, or a related field graduate. program in pursuit of a Master's degree.
- Previous experience working on archaeological projects in forested environments
- Experience with artifact conservation and curation
- At least 2 years of prior Southwest and northern Arizona experience
- Proficiency in using GIS software and other archaeological tools
- Led/developed interpretative materials or discussions for the public or in part of requirements for Bachelor or Master’s program
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:
- Typically, this position is expected to serve [blank-day] to [blank-day], but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service
- Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
Note: Stated are required by AmeriCorps. Programs may add additional qualifications
Orientation and Training:
- Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
Benefits:
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,697.50 with successful completion of position.
- Living Allowance of $700 per week.
- Additional Benefit of $300 per week.
- Public Lands Corps Certificate*
- Healthcare Coverage provided by The Corps Network and Cigna.
- Childcare Coverage.
- Qualifies for Student Loan forbearance and Interest Payment reimbursement through AmeriCorps.
*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, members must be between the ages of 18-30, or up to 35 if a military veteran, at the time the individual begins the term of service and must complete 640 service hours or more to qualify.
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:
This position reports to Dana Brown, District Archaeologist, Red Rock Ranger District.
Please submit a resume and cover letter and apply by clicking the APPLY link on this page.
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.
