Individual Placement - Parks and Trails Assistant

Position Summary 

The SCA Parks and Trails Assistant is a member of Scenic Hudson’s Parks and Community Engagement Team. The team works to protect and enhance the natural and historic resources of the conserved lands, and create access to nature and maintain safe places that welcome everyone. Scenic Hudson is the largest Hudson Valley environmental organization credited with starting the modern grassroots environmental movement. Scenic Hudson’s mission is to “sustain and enhance the Hudson Valley’s inspirational beauty and health for generations to come”. Since 1963, Scenic Hudson has been protecting the Hudson Valley’s natural beauty, communities, wildlife, family farms, and clean water and air. We’ve conserved 53,000+ acres in and created or enhanced more than 45 parks and preserves in rural and urban communities where people can connect with nature and each other.www.scenichudson.org https://www.scenichudson.org/explore-the-valley/our-parks/

 

Location 

Poughkeepsie, NY

 

Schedule 

January 26, 2026 - November 23, 2026

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

The SCA Parks and Trails Assistant will help to maintain and steward Scenic Hudson’s network of parks and other conserved lands through weekly inspections, and maintenance and improvement projects. Work will include frequent and regular visitation to the parks (50% independently, 50% supervised) to ensure a high level of cleanliness and order that is a hallmark of our parks. This includes inspecting and maintaining park gateways, trail systems, infrastructure and other amenities, often requiring the use of hand and small power tools. When in the field, the Parks and Trails Assistant is expected to engage visitors in a friendly manner to answer questions and to provide basic information about Scenic Hudson’s mission and the ecological and historical resources of the parks. The assistant will monitor trail conditions and develop work orders that will be entered into our database. They will communicate any issues found in the field to other parks team members, and report findings and work outcomes at weekly team meetings. The candidate will also assist with Scenic Hudson programming and events that may require them to work occasional evening and weekend hours. Routine visitation of Scenic Hudson parks (60% of workload) will include work such as: -Ensuring the park is clear of litter and the trailhead kiosks, interpretive signs and other park signs are clean of debris, cobwebs, and dirt -Monitoring and maintaining all park trails -Inspecting and repairing infrastructure (i.e., benches, bridges, boardwalks, kiosks, entry signs) -Reporting and responding to issues of vandalism and graffiti -Learn to identify park and trail improvement projects and implement them with other team members -Assist with the management of parks and other conserved lands including but not limited to removing potential safety hazards, monitoring and securing boundaries, mowing and gateway maintenance - Assist members of the Science and Stewardship Team to control invasive plants and other related projects - Perform administrative duties (timesheets, meetings, etc.), participate in safety training, enter field observations into our work log (20% of workload) -Assist with public events and programming in Scenic Hudson parks as needed (10% of workload) -Participate in all SCA Corps-wide trainings and service projects, as well as project evaluation and reporting (10% of workload) Goal 1: Develop a keen eye for detail regarding the condition of park infrastructure and trail conditions, ability to identify hazards/issues, and plan and complete appropriate repairs/solutions. Goal 2: Develop valuable skills in safely using hand and selected power tools for carpentry and landscaping work. Develop communication skills to effectively work with others. Goal 3: Through professional development (working within the SCA network and the Scenic Hudson work experience), develop a plan for post-term employment.

 

Marginal Duties 

Other duties as assigned

 

Required Qualifications 

• Valid driver’s license of at least 3 years with a clean driving record.
• Ability to pass a federal background check
• Minimum of Associate’s degree or one year’s work in the field of environmental science; land, natural or recreational resource management or related field
• Ability to perform physical work outdoors in a variety of settings including urban and semi-remote locations in varying weather conditions independently and as part of a group.
• Interest in recreation resource management, trail work, and public access issues
• Must be physically able to walk 4+ miles a day over varied terrain and lift up to 50 lbs.
• Position requires frequent exposure