Position Title: Youth Outdoor Engagement Program F.I.S.H. Fun in Salty Habitats – VISTA Summer Associate

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placement

Site Location:

Biscayne National Park

9700 SW 328th St Homestead FL 33033

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: 6/1/2026
• End Date: 8/9/2026
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 300 hours (Minimum-Time)

Purpose:

• Homestead has an agrarian history with a very large migrant population. While this demographic has changes in recent years, with many fields being turned into tract housing, opportunities to improve living standards for many local families are very limited. Service opportunities such as this provide unique professional development opportunities and expose the Summer Associates and the youth they interact with to the potential to work in the federal government, for a conservation organization, in the outdoor recreation field, or in visitor services.
• This Service Opportunity will enhance our staff capacity to accommodate over 20 summer youth camps and connect with over 800 local youth. The Summer Associate will also help our resource management team by providing extra hands during creel surveys and lobster season surveys.

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.

Summer Associate Tasks:

*Help conduct summer youth camp programs and engage local, underrepresented communities

*Educate visitors on the natural and cultural resources and conduct stewardship focused activities and general interpretive and educational visitor services.

*Work with other divisions to conduct creel surveys at local marinas, collecting recreational fishing data.

*Help staff the visitor center and share information about Biscayne’s natural and cultural resources with park visitors

*Assist with answering visitor, telephone, and written inquiries.

*Work with NPS staff to rove park sites.

*Assist with off-site special events, outreach programs, and other community engagement opportunities.

Qualifications:

• Desired education level: High School Diploma
• Language requirement: Spanish
• 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.

Note: Stated are required by AmeriCorps. Programs may add additional qualifications.

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
• Car recommended; Permits attendance at school during off hours; Permits working at another job during off hours; Uniforms provided and required;

Note: Stated are required by AmeriCorps. Programs may add additional requirements

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.

Note: Stated are required by AmeriCorps. Programs may add additional details

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

Note: Stated are required by AmeriCorps. Programs may add additional benefits.

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:

Jay Johnstone
jay_johnstone@nps.gov
(786) 335-3678

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.