WV Land Trust Stewardship in the Appalachian Outdoors VISTA Summer Associate-AmeriCorps

Position Title: Learn Stewardship Skills in the Appalachian Outdoors! – VISTA Summer Associate

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placement

Site Location:

West Virginia Land Trust

1045 Bridge Rd., Charleston, WV 25314

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: 6/29/2026
• End Date: 9/6/2026
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 300 hours (Minimum-Time)

Purpose:

West Virginia – southern West Virginia specifically – is one of the poorest regions in the country.  Southern West Virginia historically depended on coal as an economic engine, but the decline in the industry has resulted in job losses and the stagnation of local economies. In some places, public land is not available for recreation and WVLT properties are functioning to provide opportunities to get outside, or in some cases even repurpose mine lands to make them available for hiking, biking, climbing, and other non-motorized recreational uses. It is our hope that this VISTA position will not only provide a needed job to someone in our local community, but that the presence of this VISTA in our organization will help double WVLT’s capacity in this region, allowing us to continue and expand this much needed work. WVLT’s preserve’s serve as a driver for, or in addition to, community revitalization and economic development efforts. Several of WVLT’s preserves are connected to regional economic development and outdoor infrastructure development efforts, making WVLT’s preserves part of the bigger picture of improving quality of living locally and attracting visitors to our communities who are seeking recreational opportunities. Providing a free, publicly available space for outdoor recreation that is well maintained for both residents and visitors is a small way that WVLT can provide these communities with much-needed amenities, making them an attractive place to live and work into the future.

 
Description of Duties:

The Summer Associate will focus on capacity-building activities that produce internal planning resources, documentation tools, and community engagement materials. Duties may include compiling labor market research summaries, developing workforce resource inventories, creating community asset maps, organizing environmental data sets, drafting partnership coordination frameworks, designing planning templates and resource guides, and assisting with public-facing informational workshops, outreach campaigns, or site observations. Activities are designed to strengthen host organizations’ capacity, guide long-term workforce and environmental program development, provide tangible connections between planning tools and community needs, and support measurable outcomes in workforce access, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.

On a typical day, you will travel with WVLT staff to a nature preserve. We will spend the day maintaining the trails, mowing the grass, picking up trash, and generally keeping our properties enjoyable for visitation. You also may assist with marking boundaries which entails following a GPS and ensuring that our property is well-marked. You may meet with our partners and work with them on WVLT land, such as the City of Beckley or the New River Alliance of Climbers. 

For time spent indoors, you can work from your home or can utilize the Charleston, WV office where WVLT has office space ready and available for use.

Approximately 75% of the job will involve travel, sometimes for several hours in one day. WVLT does have a work vehicle, based in Charleston, that will be utilized as much as possible. Any time a personal vehicle is used for work, you will receive a mileage reimbursement of 72.5 cents/mile.

WVLT may also be able to rent a vehicle for specific purposes or projects.

 
Qualifications:

• Car recommended;
• Desired education level: High School Diploma
• Language requirement: English
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• At least 17 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.

Physical Requirements:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional 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. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Time Requirements:

• Typically, this position is expected to serve full-time, 35-40 hours per week, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service
• Permits working at another job during off hours 

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• Member will receive a Virtual Member Orientation (VMO) from VISTA on their first day of service. 

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,565.08
• Living Allowance of $957.46 (taxable) every other week.
• Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
• Childcare Coverage if Eligible
• Loan forbearance if Eligible
• Interest Payments if Eligible
• Recreational Opportunities
• Professional Development Opportunities

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate, performance will be evaluated on whether the Summer Associate has completed the required number of hours, whether the Summer Associate has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the Summer Associate 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:

Erin Adams

eadams@conservationlegacy.org

330 Harper Park Drive

Beckley, WV 25801

(304) 860-0578

Host Organization Contact:

Shannon Gillen
shannon@wvlandtrust.org
(304) 932-5741

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.