CSFS Forestry Assistant, Canon City Field Office

Colorado State University•Cañon City, CO

3d•$14•Onsite

About The Position

The AmeriCorps Member, based out of the CSFS Canon City Field Office (CCFO), will perform tasks focused on forest stewardship within Custer, Fremont, and Pueblo Counties. Member service will accomplish diverse tasks revolving around forest management and fire mitigation services across all property ownerships as directed. This is a three-quarter time national and community service position requiring, at a minimum, a total of 1200 hours during the year (approximately 40 hours/week). The member must be willing to work long hours with occasional evening and weekend duties (work based on a 40-hour work week). The position begins in March 2026 and ends in December 2026. A weekly schedule will be maintained Monday through Friday 8:00AM – 4:30PM. Members receive significant training and experience in community engagement, project implementation, leadership, diverse populations, and more. Up to 20% (or 240 hours) of total hours served may be spent in applicable approved trainings. Members will be supervised and supported by Danny Schell, CSFS, Supervisory Forester, as well as by Melinda Macpherson, RamCorps Program Manager, [email protected]. The cohort of members serving throughout the region will act as additional resources and support for each other. The member should participate in on-going trainings and events as required and requested by AmeriCorps, CSU Extension, and/or partner sites. Along with trainings and professional development activities, the member will have the opportunity to receive the following training as part of their responsibilities: S-130/190 Basic Wildland Fire Training if interested and desired S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaw Training or comparable on the job chainsaw instruction. UTV/ATV Safety Institute Training CPR/First Aid Training Other training opportunities as available and discussed with Supervisory Forester. This service position is based at Colorado State Forest Service CCFO. There is potential for collaboration with the La Veta, Salida, and Woodland Park Field Offices of the Colorado State Forest Service as well. The position will involve frequent days of service outdoors. The work sites are located in mountainous terrain at elevations ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 ft. Corps Members’ duties will include hiking off-trail in rugged terrain and inclement weather. It may also involve operating chainsaws and manual labor associated with hands on fire mitigation work and potential use of a chipper. Members will receive the appropriate safety training from the CSFS related to such activities. Other duties may be assigned include assisting in facility maintenance projects, shoveling and potentially plowing snow. AmeriCorps members are required to wear AmeriCorps identity items such as name tag, T-shirts, and lapel pins during all AmeriCorps service. It will be the responsibility of the member to have dependable transportation to and from host site, program/partner site, and programming activities. Members should represent AmeriCorps, Colorado State University Extension, Colorado State Forest Service, and program/partner site in a professional manner. Members are asked to accurately complete and submit enrollment paperwork and reports in a timely manner.

Requirements

Must be at least 18 years old at start of service.
Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license by the employment start date.
Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States.
Able to pass a National Service Criminal History Check (state, FBI, and National Sex Offender Public Website checks) per 45 CFR 2540.202.
High school diploma or G.E.D.
Must be able to perform strenuous outdoor work and carry backpacks with 25+pounds of work and personal gear across steep terrain in all inclement weather conditions.
Proven management and organization skills including: time management skills, computer skills: familiarity with MS Office 365, especially Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, and Zoom, learning and retaining complex information with accuracy and following procedures consistently and with attention to detail, working independently with minimal supervision.

Nice To Haves

One season of field experience in forestry, landscaping, or working outdoors—including the use of ArcGIS and GPS units in gathering and managing data.
Experience with use of ArcGIS, and GPS units in gathering and managing data.
Demonstrated ability to complete physically demanding tasks in extreme weather conditions.

Responsibilities

Assist in the delivery of forest management and fire mitigation services, including the tasks of layout, cruising, boundary delineation, marking of forest treatments, flagging or painting boundaries for project unit identification, using chainsaws and chipper as needed and directed for forest health and fuels reduction, checking on and working with contractors, and conducting post-treatment surveys for projects and grants.
Assist with ground truthing forest product sales and identifying available products.
Meet and work with private landowners and/or homeowner association representatives to provide management advice and information, as well as grant management needs.
Participate in and assist with local outreach and education events.
Collect forest inventories data through cruising and collect and manage spatial data using GPS and ArcGIS applications.
Assist CCFO with general labor and projects as directed and assigned such as facility and equipment maintenance.

Benefits

A living allowance of approximately $777.14 for (three-quarter time) per pay period on a bi-weekly cycle for an approximate total of $16,320.00 for the term of service.
Taxes are deducted and the living allowance is distributed by direct deposit to the member.
An education award of $5,176.50 earned upon successful completion of term of service.
It is possible to temporarily postpone repayment of qualified student loans through forbearance while serving as an AmeriCorps member.
Reimbursement for travel to required trainings and days of service.
Access to ongoing professional development trainings and resources through the university.
Experience working with professionals in the field with on the ground training.
Non-tangible benefits including making a difference in a community, valuable networking opportunities, and serving the local community in an identified area of need.
Alumni benefits include priority hiring with organizations that are part of Employers of National Service and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to eliminate educational debt.
A variety of training opportunities will be available to the member. Discussions of those opportunities with the Supervisory Forester will be available dependent on previously completed trainings, and member interest.
Local assistance with finding and acquiring housing is available through the CSFS Canon FO staff upon request.