PLEASE NOTE: All applications must be submitted through this link - https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/cva-member-application-2027

Position Title: Community Volunteer Ambassador – AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Joshua Tree National Park

74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: 2/22/2027
• End Date: 2/4/2028
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hours (50 Weeks)

Purpose:

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to provide institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. The Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) Program combines the strength of a national leader in conservation service with the National Park Service to train emerging leaders to assist park units in building lasting connections to communities.

Joshua Tree National Park offers a unique opportunity to live and serve in an iconic desert landscape where the Mojave and Colorado Deserts meet. The park is known for its unique rock formations, Joshua tree population, and dark night skies. The park hosts over three million visitors annually who come to hike, rock climb, stargaze, camp, enjoy the scenery, and volunteer!

Joshua Tree National Park has over 200 position-based volunteers and works with over 400 group volunteers annually. The volunteer program reported 27,095 volunteer hours in 2025. The park has about 20 volunteer programs with recurring volunteers, including PSAR educators who provide safety messaging, vegetation monitors who collect data on plants, visitor service representatives that provide information at visitor centers, and campground hosts who assist visitors and campers in the campgrounds.

The park also engages groups and the public in single-day volunteer service projects like litter cleanups and invasive plant removal. We host about four service projects open to the public per month - the CVA plays a big role in these! Public service projects are an important part of the volunteer program and gateway community engagement, allowing community members to “dip their toe into” volunteering without a long-term commitment. These public episodic events introduce us to new community members, create returning volunteers, allow our position-based volunteers to try something new, and facilitate new connections between the resource and new volunteers.

Description of Duties:

The CVA will be an integral part of the park’s volunteer program by increasing the park’s capacity for volunteers through meaningful service. The CVA’s service will support volunteer group service projects, volunteer recognition, community outreach, and parkwide volunteer program management.

This position is collaborative and varied. The CVA will mostly serve in the field with volunteers and in the community (about 70%) but will also perform administrative tasks in the office (about 30%). The CVA will serve closely with many park workgroups including vegetation, trails, and interpretation. They will have cross-training opportunities outside the volunteer program in the summer.

Responsibilities:

• Plan and lead weekly public volunteer service projects including litter cleanup, invasive removal, and trail maintenance
• Plan and lead volunteer service projects and programs for holidays and days of recognition like Veteran’s Day, MLK Day of Service, National Volunteer Week, National Trails Day, and National Public Lands Day
• Connect with the community through outreach activities including connecting with visitors in the visitor center, tabling at special events, and posting flyers at community hubs
• Strengthen volunteer engagement through partnerships with local community colleges by collaborating with college staff to plan volunteer projects and internships
• Perform targeted community outreach to residents of the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin to increase the park’s positive impact on our neighbors and facilitate park stewardship
• Facilitate placement of groups requesting service projects and lead or co-lead those projects when available
• Provide administrative support to the volunteer program, including creating effective spreadsheets, filing paperwork, managing volunteer data, reporting program statistics, and managing a volunteer.gov administrative account
• Lead orientation and training for volunteers and park staff
• Manage the volunteer uniform cache, including identification badges
• Facilitate volunteer recognition and engagement including monthly volunteer hikes, monthly volunteer potluck, annual volunteer appreciation picnic in February, National Volunteer Week activities in April, and hours-based recognition program throughout the year
• Respond to inquiries from the public, requests from current volunteers, and volunteer supervisor needs
• Collect and enter volunteer program data including service agreements, hours, inquiries, and project reports
• Wear CVA uniform when serving with volunteers, performing community outreach, or in other circumstances in which the CVA is representing the park in a public setting
• Manage government-furnished equipment in accordance with federal standards, including laptop and Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card
• Support overall volunteer program operations

Qualifications:

• Available to serve Fridays 8 am – 4:30 pm, Saturdays 8 am – 4:30 pm, and occasional Sundays throughout the position
• Have current driver’s license, safe driving record, and reliable personal vehicle
• Attended some college, but no degree required
• Able to plan, lead, and participate in service activities indoors and outdoors
• Comfortable with public speaking and presenting to groups
• Confident in asking clarifying questions, rather than guessing
• Organized and detail-oriented
• Professional writing and communication skills including writing emails and sharing technical information with new audiences
• Excellent time management skills including meeting deadlines and being on-time to shifts and meetings
• Excellent communicator
• Honest and dependable
• Enjoy teamwork and collaboration
• Able to hike 6 miles in 4 hours and lift and carry 25 pounds
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• Applicants must be between ages of 18-30 years old, or up to 35 for veterans, based on Public Land Corps Act of 1993 authorizing this AmeriCorps opportunity.
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Local applicants from the Morongo Basin or Coachella Valley
• Experience in community outreach, customer service, environmental education, and/or outdoor recreation
• Experience with Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and other collaborative Microsoft programs

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 Vanessa Morrison at vmorrison@conservationlegacy.org

Time Requirements:

• Typically, this position is expected to serve 40 hours per week, 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.
• Week-long, in-person training on NPS Volunteer Program Management and leadership schools.
• Year-long Continuum of Learning supporting participant professional development.
• $750.00 in Professional Development Funds for travel and training.

Additional Position and Community Information:

• Position requires a current driver’s license, safe driving record, and reliable personal vehicle
• Weekend service is required – Friday, Saturday, and occasional Sundays
• No park housing is available, so local applicants are preferred
• Cross-training opportunities with other NPS sites in the summer
• Occasional opportunities to teleserve
• Gain experience with all aspects of NPS operations due to the broad nature of our volunteer program

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395.00
• Living Allowance of $700.00 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $200.00 per week (if housing is not provided)
• Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
• Childcare Coverage if Eligible
• Loan forbearance if Eligible
• Interest Payments if Eligible
• 10 Federal Holidays, 10 Days Personal Leave, 10 Days Sick Leave

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.

Program Contact Information:

Please contact James Gasaway at the contact information below with any questions.

Stewards Contact information: James Gasaway, jgasaway@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.