Position Title: Beckley Area Trails Community Engagement – VISTA Summer Associate

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placement

Site Location:

Beckley Area Trails

3100 Robert C Byrd Dr, Beckley, WV 25801

Terms of Service:

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

Purpose:

• Raleigh and Fayette Counties are rural Appalachian communities experiencing long-term economic transition following coal industry decline. Poverty rates in both counties range between 18–20%, exceeding national averages. Median household incomes hover near $52, 000, and bachelor’s degree attainment rates (16–22%) trail national benchmarks. Many families experience limited access to stable, high-wage employment, and a significant percentage of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Persistent challenges include workforce outmigration, health disparities, limited transportation access, and reduced economic diversification.
• This project connects to poverty alleviation by strengthening the region’s growing outdoor recreation economy and building long-term community capacity. The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve has significantly increased tourism and recreation-based economic activity. By building sustainable programming, collecting user data, and supporting progress toward IMBA Ride Center designation, the project helps attract visitors, increase local spending, and create demand for small businesses such as outfitters, guides, lodging providers, restaurants, and retail shops.
• Additionally, free group hikes and rides reduce financial barriers to outdoor access for local residents, promoting health, community connection, and equitable participation. Strengthening stewardship education protects trail infrastructure investments, ensuring long-term sustainability of recreation assets that drive economic activity.
• By expanding participation, improving data-driven planning, and increasing visibility of the region as a recreation destination, this project supports economic diversification, workforce attraction and retention, and small business growth—key strategies for moving communities toward long-term economic stability and reduced poverty.
• This project builds capacity at Beckley Area Trails by creating sustainable systems for community programming, outreach, and data collection. The VISTA member will help design and formalize the structure of the Group Hike and Group Ride Program—developing event templates, volunteer coordination systems, promotional strategies, and participation tracking tools that can be sustained beyond the service term. The member will also implement survey processes and compile impact data to strengthen grant competitiveness and inform regional planning tied to IMBA Ride Center designation. By summer’s end, BAT will have stronger program infrastructure, measurable impact data, and improved outreach materials—positioning the organization for long-term growth and sustainability.

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.

The Summer AmeriCorps VISTA will expand Beckley Area Trails’ community engagement and stewardship programming in the New River Gorge region. The member will coordinate and promote group hikes and mountain bike rides; table at trailheads and events to share Leave No Trace ethics and trail etiquette; distribute and analyze user surveys; and capture photo/video content to strengthen storytelling, fundraising, and impact reporting. The VISTA will help grow participation and visibility as the region works toward IMBA Ride Center designation. Based in Fayetteville or Beckley, WV—minutes from a national park—the member will live and work in a welcoming Appalachian community with world-class outdoor recreation and strong regional partnerships.

Qualifications:

• 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.

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;

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:

Corey Lilly, Alyce Almond, and Jaxon Lee
info@beckleyareatrails.org & Corey.lilly@mail.wvu.edu
(304) 254-4520

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.