Chesapeake Gateways Ambassador - Prince William Forest Park

National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways: 

Chesapeake Bay Gateways is a congressionally authorized partnership park established in 1998 that connects more than 300 parks, refuges, museums, historic sites, trails, water-access points, and communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The National Park Service provides partners with expertise, funding, training, and technical assistance to strengthen visitor experiences and connect people with the Chesapeake’s natural resources, cultural heritage, recreational opportunities, and communities. 

The Appalachian Conservation Corps and National Park Service are seeking three Chesapeake Gateways Ambassadors to serve at national parks within the watershed. Each Ambassador will work with an on-site NPS supervisor as part of their host park’s interpretive and visitor-services team while also participating in a regional cohort. Together, Ambassadors will share ideas, participate in training, learn from one another, and help strengthen connections among national parks, Network partners, gateway communities, and visitors. 

Host Park and Local Placement 

Prince William Forest Park offers recreational opportunities rooted in its legacy as the model for the 1930s New Deal-era recreational demonstration area program, which provided outdoor cabin camps for youth summer camping. The park also preserves, protects, and interprets a diverse array of natural resources, including the Piedmont forest ecosystem and over half of the watershed of Quantico Creek. Located 35 miles south of Washington DC in Prince William County, VA, Prince William Forest Park is the largest green space in the DC metro area and is located next to Marine Corps Base Quantico.    

The Ambassador will support the host park through a combination of public contact, program development, research, digital content, special events, community outreach, and other interpretive or visitor-service activities.  

Shared Responsibilities 

Responsibilities will vary by host park but may include: 

• Researching and interpreting connections among the host park, surrounding communities, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Developing and presenting formal and informal interpretive programs for visitors of different ages, backgrounds, interests, and abilities.
• Creating digital media, trip-planning information, interpretive materials, or other public-facing products.
• Supporting visitor-center operations, special events, roving interpretation, community programs, and partner outreach.
• Connecting cultural and natural-resource stories through interpretation, education, and visitor engagement.
• Developing interpretive content that may be adapted by other national parks or Chesapeake Gateways Network partners.
• Supporting engagement with young people, schools, community organizations, and audiences that may face barriers to outdoor recreation or heritage experiences.
• Collaborating with the other Chesapeake Gateways Ambassadors on shared projects, presentations, and professional-development activities.
• Documenting activities, accomplishments, visitor contacts, lessons learned, and recommendations for future programming.
• Participating in other National Park Service activities and projects based on the Ambassador’s interests, development goals, and the needs of the host park. 

Park-Specific Responsibilities 

The Chesapeake Gateways Ambassador at Prince William Forest Park will work closely with park staff to provide customer service, interpretation, and enhance park experiences for visitors of all ages.  The Ambassador will support or lead collaborative, interdisciplinary groups on specific projects such as: 

• Co-staffing the visitor center and entrance station to engage with visitors and ensure appropriate use/entry and quality experience  
• Co-developing science education and/or interpretive programs, such as water quality macroinvertebrate programs for Quantico Creek, geology walk programs, Piedmont Forest walks, birding programs, etc.
• Providing community engagement events for key audiences such as our local military (active and retired)
• Creating and/or editing website and social media content – especially to improves the thematic connections relevant to the Chesapeake Bay watershed between PRWI and other NPS or regional sites
• Creating exhibits for a “demonstration cabin” in one of the park’s historic cabin camps and designing updates for park waysides and signs
• Operating Spy Camp, a multi-day experiential learning day camp for children to engage in the park's history as a WWII Office of Strategic Services spy training area – teaching spy craft and survival skills in one of the parks historic cabin camps 
• Offering orienteering programs which teach visitors how to navigate in the forest using a map, compass, and terrain association 

Ambassadors will receive training in a variety of park functions: 

• National Park Service web author and digital content management
• Interpretation design and presentation of programming
• How to create and edit signs, site bulletins, and program flyers using design programs such as the Adobe Creative Suite  

Shared park housing is available for this position.  Housing options vary, but an Ambassador can expect park housing to consist of an individual bedroom with a shared kitchen, furnished living area, and communal bathroom.  The kitchen is fully functioning and includes a stove/oven, refrigerator, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and sink.  Basic pots/pans and utensils are available.  Housing will have heat and air-conditioning.  Residents have access to a washer and dryer and are responsible for all cleaning duties.  Repairs will be completed by NPS staff.  There is a housing manager available to address issues or concerns.  Rent (rate TBD) will be the responsibility of the Ambassador paid monthly to the NPS.   

Local housing is feasible as options are abundant – but expensive.  Adjacent communities to the park include Triangle, Dumfries, as well as the Southern tips of both Manassas, and Woodbridge.  30-45 minutes to either the South or North include the towns of Stafford, Fredericksburg, Alexandria, Arlington, and Occoquan.   

A “weekend” (working Sat/Sun) schedule is likely to meet the operational needs of the park and align with typical visitation patterns for programming/outreach.  Overnight travel is not expected.  Local travel to perform community engagement and / or work with other NPS sites is likely.   

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Some college course work completed in an environmental science (for example biology, hydrology, geology) and/or American History 
• Practical experience using digital communication (website or social media) to convey organization messages or priorities
• Comfortable with in-person public speaking/visitor engagement with a variety of age groups (including children) and knowledge levels
• Experience providing professional customer service to the public
• Able to walk up to 3-miles while leading or co-leading small groups across uneven terrain (dirt/rock trails) 

Minimum Requirements:  

To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 and 26 (or 35 if a US Veteran), and a US citizen that has received a high school diploma or GED. All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and federal criminal background check. Must be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award. In addition, applicants must:  

• Possess a valid driver’s license 

Time Requirements: 

• These positions are full-time, 40-hour/week. 

• Typically, this position is expected to serve Wed-Sun, 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. 

• Some overnight/weekend travel for special events. 

Benefits:  

• $760 week stipend paid bi-weekly ($600 living stipend $160 additional member benefit)
• Option to enroll in free health/vision/dental insurance
• $7,395 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award upon successful completion of 1700 hour minimum service term (can be used for paying off federal student loans or paying tuition for a Title IV accredited college)  
• $1,750 professional development fund for certifications, trainings, conferences, and travel reimbursements
• Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Certificate upon successful completion – non-competitive hiring status for two years when applying for federal positions.
• Possible federal student loan forbearance and interest payoff
• Member Assistance Program – 3 free sessions of support with a counseling or work-life balance specialist  
• Depending upon the academic institution and program, positions may fulfill internship requirements 
• Professional development opportunities (mentorship, resume support, alumni listserv, etc.) and exposure to natural resource career paths  

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. 

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.