Position Title: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS) Maintenance Individual Placement – AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps

Site Location: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge

7851 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: 11/02/2026
• End Date: 10/15/2027
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700-hour service term (50 weeks)

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.

US Fish & Wildlife Service

The mission of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is to carry out the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), which is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. In addition, it must further carry out the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWR System) and follow and incorporate the 8 Standards of Excellence for Community Engagement.

The Refuge’s vision is to use an innovative and collaborative approach to connect people with wildlife, plants, and the land by providing equitable and just ways to deepen personal relationships with nature. The Refuge balances healthy natural habitat management with opportunities for education, visitor engagement, youth employment, community involvement, and stewardship.

Program Overview:

Valle de Oro NWR was established in 2012 and is in the South Valley, 7 miles south of downtown Albuquerque. Valle de Oro NWR is built from the grassroots community movements led by the passionate people of Mountain View and involving partners and members of the local community. The Refuge is a designated Urban NWR slated to be converted from a former dairy farm into natural, native habitats of the Middle Rio Grande Valley to be an oasis – a safe place – for both wildlife and people. At this Refuge, a diverse group of staff, partners, and the community are collaboratively building a refuge from the ground up, keeping in mind wildlife, people, and more.

The Refuge is seeking a positive and adaptive individual to be a Maintenance Individual Placement (Intern) to serve as support for the Refuge’s Maintenance Program from October 2026 to October 2027. This individual will contribute to short- and long-term resource protection, infrastructure/facility maintenance and management, vehicle/equipment maintenance, habitat restoration maintenance, and other visitor amenities maintenance on/for the Refuge, especially as it continues to be built from the ground up. This position will be 100 percent with the Maintenance Program yet with ability to support the other programs.

Description of Duties:

Essential functions and responsibilities:

• Assist with vegetation management around the Visitor Center, the Maintenance Shop, and other buildings, mainly through mechanical and hand removal treatments through methods including but not limited to hand removal, mechanical removal using DR mower, weed eater, and/or lawn mower as well as maintain the Refuge’s irrigation system around other adjacent visitor and habitat/demonstration garden infrastructure;
• Assist Maintenance Team with projects including fencing repairs, trail maintenance, and maintenance of vehicles/equipment;
• Perform general and deep cleaning tasks to include stripping and waxing, high dusting, mopping, recycling, trash removal, power washing facilities, and fleet vehicle maintenance, and upkeep of routine and nonroutine facility tasks around the Visitor Center and the Maintenance Shop;
• Assists with room reservation system to include but not be limited to putting up room calendars, setting up rooms in a timely manner, cleanup, sanitization, day of coordination with those in the rooms, etc.;
• Supports other programs like Biology with irrigation (6am to 6pm hours, depending), removal of invasive plants through approved and a variety of treatment methods in designated habitat areas, and planting and/or watering of native plant species in designated habitat areas;
• Supports Visitor Services with coverage of the Visitor Center, welcome/front desk, and events, when applicable and appropriate;
• Continue to develop critical thinking, problem solving, and technical writing skills when working in a team setting or independently while applying and expanding on knowledge of landscape management, vehicle maintenance, risk management/safety, and other concepts while carrying out all tasks and activities.
• Provide support to build up the Refuge’s Maintenance Program.
• Complete other Maintenance Program responsibilities as needed.

Some General Qualifications:

• Knowledge of various tool use/safety and overall concepts and techniques of safety and risk management are preferred.
• Experience with or interest in maintenance, engineering equipment operation, wage grade, or related field and ability to be flexible and adaptive in field and shop conditions are preferred.
• Ability to understand manuals, drawings/specs, and technical guides are preferred but not required.
• The successful applicant must be reliable, punctual, and self-motivated and able to work independently or as a team with limited supervision after initial training and assignment of tasks.

Physical Requirements:

• The applicant must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds occasionally, up to 30 pounds frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds constantly. The applicant must be able to maneuver and operate in a mixture of office work and fieldwork. This includes frequently traversing uneven terrain and the ability to walk, balance, stoop, kneel, bend, reach, push, pull, and/or grasp in variable weather conditions and situations that may require a moderate amount of physical exertion.
• Applicant must have a visual acuity and valid license to operate motor vehicles and to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of work assigned. Applicant must be able to receive detailed information through written and/or oral communication and convey important spoken and/or written instructions accurately and effectively.

Qualifications:

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• At least 21 years of age, and no older than 30 years of age
• 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
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
• Valid driver’s license
• Periodic overnight work and non-traditional work hours, inclusive of weekends and evenings, 6pm-6am (required to work nights during irrigation)
• Participate in occasional offsite in person/virtual meetings, trainings, and presentations

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 Monday to Friday, 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.

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• Member will receive an orientation to Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge and US Fish and Wildlife Service

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395.00
• Living Allowance of $650 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $150 per week.
• Professional Development Fund of $2000.00, intended for essential trainings, workshops, conferences, including travel, per diem, and other relevant needs or supplies during your term.
• Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
• Loan forbearance if Eligible
• 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. Cat Ami, Program Manager, Contact information:gami@conservationlegacy.org

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.