Individual Placement - Moab Trails Recreation Ranger

Position Summary 

The Bureau of Land Management, Moab Field Office (MFO) in partnership with Grand County, manages over 200 miles of world class mountain bike trails and 50 miles of hiking trails. This position will collect and design information on a variety of trail specifics that will assist all recreationists, specifically those reliant upon adaptive cycles, in enjoying the many opportunities on public lands. Data collection will be done along mountain biking and hiking trails by bike or foot, requiring strong mountain biking and hiking experience.

Hosting Organization

BLM Utah (UT)

Location 

Moab, UT

Schedule 

October 19, 2026 - March 19, 2027

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

• Planning and Familiarization: Collaboration with the BLM and Grand County Active Transportation and Trails Department and Trail Mix Committee to identify priority trails and the degree of information to be collected, education on the High Efficiency Trail Assessment Process and measurement tools for objective trail measurements and other data collection apps such as ArcGIS Field Maps
• Trail Information Design: Utilization of GIS to design interactive maps to share trail information with the public. Design of template trailhead signs including detailed priority trail information and general descriptions for non-priority trails with photographs compiling all information to be used in various information sources including BLM web pages.
• Priority Trail Work: Collection of detailed assessment information for up to 10 priority trails over 2 to 3 trail systems.
• Management of data for presentation on public information sources (i.e. signs, interactive digital maps).

Marginal Duties 

Non-priority Trail Work: Collection of general information and photographs for all mountain bike trails and trail systems. Management of data for presentation on public information sources.

Required Qualifications 

• Must be 18 or older by the position start date
• Must have the ability to legally work in the US
• Ability to pass SCA and federal background check
• Skills in mountain biking applicable to understanding trail dynamics and how they affect user ratings and ability levels
• Skills in or ability to quickly learn use of a High Efficiency Trail Assessment Process (HETAP) for inventory of objective information about trail conditions
• Skills in or ability to quickly learn GIS programs including ArcGIS Field Maps and other digital mapping platforms
• Organizational skills applied to data collection, management, and utilization; Skills in communication and collaboration
• Ability to work in challenging outdoor conditions that will include extreme heat, sun exposure, extreme cold, high winds, and precipitation
• Ability to perform manual, physical labor for up to 8 hours per day, bike 20 miles and hike 5 miles in a day

This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger. Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Knowledge or skills in adaptive recreation
• Skills in layout and content design utilizing programs such as Adobe InDesign
• Access to a mountain bike capable of traversing beginner to intermediate mountain bike trails
• Access to a vehicle capable of transporting a mountain bike

Hours 

40 per week

Living Accommodations 

Living accommodations will be a private bedroom in a shared house with other federal employees/interns in the city of Moab. Houses are fully furnished with shared kitchens, bathrooms, and washer/dryer. All expenses are covered in monthly rent with the exception of internet.

Compensation  

• $1,100 roundtrip one-time travel allowance (paid with first pay check)
• $700 weekly living allowance (paid bi-weekly)
• $500 monthly housing allowance (6 total)

All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes. 

Personal Vehicle Information

Required

Additional Benefits 

Defensive Driving Training

Off-Road Vehicle Safety

AmeriCorps: Not Eligible

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The Student Conservation Association, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members and is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere where lifestyles may grow personally and professionally.