Youth Conservation Corps Lead Member - Eldorado National Forest

YCC Crew Leader

Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the Eldorado National Forest, is seeking one Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Crew Leader.

The Crew Leaders will work on a variety of restoration projects including wilderness trail, campsite restoration, fuels reduction, invasive species removal, recreation site maintenance, archeological surveys, leadership, and job readiness skills.

Start Date: June 1st, 2026

End Date: August 7th, 2026

Location: Placerville, CA - Eldorado Supervisor's Office

The Eldorado National Forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada region within California and encompasses a total of 798,279 acres, which includes 193,027 acres of private ownership.

The Eldorado National Forest is bordered on the north by the Tahoe National Forest, on the east by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Humboldt-Toiyabe, and to the south by the Stanislaus National Forest. The Eldorado is within 3 - 4 hours of the San Francisco Bay Area and about 1 - 1 1/2 hours from Sacramento. It ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet in the foothills to more than 10,000 feet above sea level along the Sierra crest. The mountainous topography is broken by the steep canyons of the Mokelumne, Cosumnes, American, and Rubicon rivers. Plateaus of generally moderate relief are located between these steep canyons.

The forest is also home to 297 lakes and reservoirs (including both public and private acreage), which total 11,994 surface acres. 11 large reservoirs account for 9,000 acres. The rest are mostly small, high mountain lakes. Both the rivers and lakes provide excellent fishing opportunities. The Eldorado National Forest provides diverse recreational opportunities to the public. The Forest offers every visitor the chance to enjoy nature and be outdoors. In addition to two popular wilderness areas (Desolation Wilderness and Mokelumne Wilderness), the forest offers more than 70-day use and overnight developed recreation facilities across the forest for the individual, families and groups.

Position Overview

• Leading a crew of six YCC crew members
• Work on a variety of restoration projects including wilderness trail, campsite restoration, fuels reduction, invasive species removal, recreation site maintenance, archeological surveys, leadership, and job readiness skills
• Contributing as a team member on all assigned projects
• Required to properly and effectively complete assigned projects
• Responsible for civil treatment of team members and safety of oneself and others
• Responsible to on-site projects leaders and lining out the crew on work assignments
• Responsible for understanding how to motivate individual personalities and how to work with youth
• Must perform as a role model and be able to communicate orally and in writing
• Provides advice and counsel to enrollees in work related problems
• Promotes environmental literacy and facilitates personal and professional development for enrollees.
• Resolves complaints and refers disciplinary problems to the next level supervisor
• Responsible for safely driving enrollees to a variety of daily work locations using government vehicles. Drives often include long distances, windy mountain roads, and some unpaved forest roads.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $880/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Housing: USFS shared housing may be an option depending on room availability. If USFS housing is not available, the member will be responsible for finding their own housing. A housing reimbursement up to $100/week is available to help offset the cost of housing.

Travel Assistance: A reimbursable $500 allotment is available for costs related to relocating to the required project location

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general eligibility information on our website.

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request). Members must be 21 to drive due to ACE's insurance and liability requirements.
• Willing to undergo and must pass required criminal history checks.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Skills:

• Leadership skills and experience
• Members must have a high fitness level and be comfortable in various indoor and outdoor work environments, and at times adverse weather conditions
• Must have strong communication skills
• Must be able to work alone and in small groups with minimal supervision, and adhere to instructions, procedure and use initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently
• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a minimum of a bachelor's degree and/or have relevant field experience working in a Recreation or Natural Resource Management capacity and/or youth development capacity.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to ACE's online application page for this position on our website. Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC Associate Director, Jack Hall at jhall @ usaconservation dot org

If you meet at least 70 percent of the qualifications, we want to hear from you!

ACE participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information when you are enrolled in a program to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

EEO: Employment or Service with ACE is based upon ability, qualifications, attitude, and job-related factors. Every qualified employee, member, or applicant has the same opportunity for recruitment, hire, training, transfer, promotion, compensation, demotion, termination, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital or parental status, political affiliation, ethnicity, hair texture or style, arrest record, caste, hereditary status, endogamy, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.