Wilderness Steward Internship

S U P P O R T I N G S T E W A R D S H I P O F T H EA B S A R O K A - B E A R T O O T HW I L D E R N E S S A N D F O S T E R I N GA P P R E C I A T I O N O F W I L D L A N D S .

SUMMER 2021WILDERNESSSTEWARD INTERNSHIPwith the Absaroka-BeartoothWilderness Foundation and theU.S. Forest Service

Love being outdoors,connecting with others,and passionate about wildlands?

Come join our team thissummer! The ABWF is seekingtwo Wilderness Steward Internsfor summer 2021.

JobResponsibilities

Each steward will work with U.S. ForestService trail crews and ABWF staff andvolunteers in the Custer-Gallatin NationalForest’s Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

One position will be stationed in theGardiner Ranger District in Gardiner,Montana; the other will be stationed in theBeartooth Ranger District in Red Lodge,Montana. Both will include backcountryhitches as long as 9 days at a time,requiring hikes with heavy packs as muchas 12+ miles a day.

The Absaroka-Beartooth WildernessFoundation is seeking twoWilderness Steward Interns forsummer 2021 (May 15-Sept 15).

Work Duties

(a) Manual labor on a variety of wildernessstewardship projects including trailmaintenance, site restoration, and weederadication.(b) Visitor contact and outreach work includingeducation on wilderness ethics and regulations,and collecting visitor use monitoring data.(c) Logistical support of ABWF citizen scienceand volunteer engagement projects.(d) Positively representing the USFS and ABWFto a wide variety of wilderness visitors,volunteers, and community partners.

Your summer will entail:

Qualifications

(a) Ability to effectively and cheerfully do rigorous manual labor,outside in a high elevation, mountain environment, in weatherconditions ranging from cold wet snow to hot dry sun. Backcountryhitches will require up to 9 days living and working in remoteconditions with no modern facilities or conveniences.(b) Ability to live, work, and communicate as a team member withUSFS crews (5-6 trail crew professionals) and ABWF crews (6-7volunteers plus ABWF staff). The stewards must also workcooperatively with other ABWF and USFS staff including wildernessrangers, district rangers, trail crew supervisors, and forestmanagers; and in some cases may need to work independently bythemselves.(c) Wilderness experience – applicants MUST have previousexperience backpacking in remote environments, includingexperience planning, packing, and cooking for themselves on multi-day, overnight backcountry trips, navigating on and off trail, andhiking as much as 12+ miles a day in high elevation, mountainterrain. They MUST also have all of their own backpackingequipment (hiking boots, sleeping bag, tent, etc. – other equipmentlike trail work tools and bear spray will be provided)(d) Ability to work with a variety of trail maintenance hand tools,including crosscut saws, pick/adze, Pulaski, rock bar, shovel, andrake.(e) Desire to develop as a professional conservationist, gaining skillsand experience for both public sector (i.e., USFS) and private sector(i.e., nonprofit groups like the ABWF) conservation work.(f) A passion and appreciation for wilderness and its many values(recreational, cultural, ecological, economic, etc.) that they areexcited to share with other wilderness visitors.

Qualified candidates will have:

Compensation

Preferred candidates

(a) Previous experience working on a trail crew.(b) CPR, 1st Aid, and/or Wilderness First Responder certifications.(c) Ability to commit to the entire 16-week season that ends in mid-September.

will have:

To Apply:Send (a) cover letter, (b) resume, and (c) three

references to ABWF Executive Director Patrick Crossat [email protected] . Applications will be

accepted until the positions are filled.

Wilderness Stewards will receive a $1,000/month tax-free stipend, shared housing atUSFS bunkhouses (which include a mix of shared and individual rooms, showerfacilities, and shared kitchens and living areas), and meals while out on backcountryhitches.