Coastal Marine Clean Up Team

EPIC • Port Angeles, WA

12d

About The Position

Coastal Marine Clean Up Team Summary American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking Two Members to contribute to coastal marine debris clean up projects alongside NPS Staff. Join ACE traveling through the Pacific West region and Alaska. Enjoy free housing, skills training, and other benefits while helping to restore public lands from the Pacific Coast! For more information about ACE, please visit our website. Start Date: April 2026 Estimated End Date: Nov/Dec 2026 Location Details/Description: The ACE Coastal Cleanup team will work in Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska during their time aboard. Locations will be at National Park units such as West Hawaii parks, California parks (San Francisco Bay area, Channel Islands, Cabrillo, Redwood), Lewis and Clark, Point Reyes, Golden Gate, and Olympic. Alaska parks include Kenai Fjords and Katmai. Note: Specific locations are subject to change. The project is confirmed for California and Oregon; the Hawaii portion is pending. Position Overview: Two 45-week members will travel together to parks in the Pacific West and Alaska Regions to work with parks to create and manage volunteer teams to remove marine debris from the coast in beach cleanups to restore the ecological habitat for marine species. The members will work in the field as team leaders, facilitating projects for new teams at each location. The number of parks they will travel to is to be determined. ACE will provide travel assistance and engage vessel and aircraft contractors in Alaska to enable the members to perform their work in remote, difficult-to -reach sites safely. NPS will provide safety training and ensure that the members are supported at each step of the project. Park contacts will assist the members with on-site logistics. The team will start in Hawaii, be flown to Alaska, and then to Southern California and provided a vehicle for traveling up the coast to Washington. Some work will require travel/accommodation by boat. Food stipend will be provided throughout the contract, and whilst on vessel meals will be provided by the ship crew. Members serve in a team of two as they explore future outdoor careers, learn practical field skills, and develop confidence as emerging leaders in the field of conservation. Members are afforded opportunities to learn and train under the guidance of professional mentors within ACE, while gaining invaluable career perspectives working alongside staff from the National Park Service. 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 differe nt conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Requirements

• Members must be authorized to work in the United States. ACE does not provide sponsorship for employment visas.
• 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).
• Members must be 21+ to drive due to ACE's insurance and liability requirements.
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.

Nice To Haves

• Competitive applicants for this position should have relevant experience in subject areas such as leading volunteers, backpacking, or wilderness skills.
• Familiarity with leading a group of individuals successfully and the ability to create a productive, positive environment within a team.
• Interest in working outdoors in remote locations on projects requiring manual labor to make significant improvements to coastlines.
• Able and willing to work outdoors in often somewhat rigorous physical conditions.
• Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification, or related medical training.
• Experience or interest in volunteering in local communities

Responsibilities

• Marine debris removal from beaches/coastlines in the NPS network. This will focus on macro-pollutants such as plastics, trash, washed up fishing equipment, etc. There will be no microplastic targeting.
• Document the marine debris using NOAA's documentation or a modified v ersion of that, reported to NOAA.
• Be able to communicate progress of remote projects to ACE/NPS network.
• Leading volunteers local to project areas in removal projects; overseeing the team's workday, making sure safety procedures are followed, and facilitating teamwork.
• Act as a Project Manager, by communicating with agency park partners, ensuring successful and timely completion of work projects, and upholding a positive representation of ACE
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, end of term evaluations and output reports of the work performed.

Benefits

• Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $1000/week to offset the costs of incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly. A separate food stipend will also be provided during the contracted period.
• 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.
• Housing: ACE members will be accommodated in provided housing for the duration of the term. This may include living in NPS dormitories or hotels dependent on distance to project areas, or living on a vessel in close quarters. The members will provide their own blankets/pillow/sleeping bag/towels.
• Relocation Allowance: ACE members will have access to up to $500 each to be used for eligible relocation expenses.
• Gear Allowance: ACE members will have up to $300 to spend on eligible gear purchases. Eligible gear must be approved by ACE staff prior to purchase.
• Travel: ACE provides transportation to and from worksites including airfare or boat when necessary. A rental vehicle will be provided during time in the contiguous US. Both members must have a valid Drivers License. Personal vehicles are not accessible due to the nature of travel schedules.
• Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support. Specific training may include wilderness preparedness, leadership communication, and ecological restoration methods.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees