Conservation Corps - Los Padres Backcountry Trail Recovery Team

Crew Member: Los Padres Trail Recovery Team 2

Los Padres National Forest

Conservation Begins Here.

Are you ready to serve in one of the most rugged and beautiful landscapes in the Western U.S.? Do you want to make a tangible difference in our natural spaces and communities while learning skills to kickstart your conservation career? Join the Student Conservation Association (SCA) as a Crew Member for our Los Padres Trail Recovery Team and embark on a journey that blends purpose with adventure.

Schedule

September 1, 2025 – November 22, 2025

·     Member Training: September 1, 2025 – September 14, 2025

·     Project Dates: September 15, 2025 – November 22, 2025

Why Join Us?

This isn’t your average 9-to-5 job. As a Crew Member, you’ll be part of a team working on trail recovery projects in Los Padres National Forest, on lands still healing from recent wildfires. You’ll work with hand tools to rebuild damaged trails, clear debris, and install trail structures — while building the future of conservation with a like-minded crew. Living and working outside will help you develop a unique relationship to the outdoor world. Share sunrises with big trees and explore vast landscapes with your crew. Now is the perfect opportunity to dedicate your time and energy to a project that helps the planet and people.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Required Qualifications

·     Must be 18 or older by the position start date;

·     Must have the ability to legally work in the US;

·     Ability to enroll in AmeriCorps Education Award Program;

·     Ability to pass SCA background check;

·     Must be able to attend Crew Member Training: 9/1/2025 - 9/14/2025;

·     Full engagement in all work projects and community activities;

·     Must uphold project, crew community, basecamp, vehicle, and general safety standards;

·     Commitment to teamwork, learning, and problem-solving;

·     Ability to work in challenging outdoor conditions that will include extreme heat, sun exposure, extreme cold, high winds, and precipitation;

·     Ability to perform manual, physical labor for up to 10 hours per day, hike 5+ miles in a day and occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more;

Preferred Qualifications

·     Camping and/or backpacking experience;

·     Experience using hand tools;

·     Strong interpersonal skills and community living experience;

·      For driver eligibility, must be over 21 years old, possess a valid driver’s license for 3+ years, a Motor Vehicle Record that meets SCA standards and complete SCA driver training;

Your Impact

Rebuild trails – You’ll play a key role in ensuring that recreation users can safely enjoy our national forests, helping them connect to the outdoors.

Promote fire recovery – Keeping people on trails gives surrounding areas a chance to recover and minimizes future impact.

Create community – Create and maintain a cohesive community with other participants from across the country.

What We’re Looking For

Crew members will develop skills that will make them good candidates for entry-level seasonal positions with land management agencies like the US Forest Service and the National Park Service. Work will involve physical exertion and be performed outdoors, in varying weather conditions. SCA is looking for members open to new experiences, willingness to perform hard physical labor and enthusiasm for sharing space with others. Experienced candidates will have a foundation in outdoor living (hiking, camping and backpacking) and experience working outside, but this is not a requirement. Eagerness to learn in challenging conditions, actively contributing to maintaining a community, and adaptability in dynamic work environments are equally important qualities we are seeking in candidates.

Conservation work is unpredictable. Crews will have to navigate inclement weather, from waking up in single digit temperatures, to all day sun exposure. It is possible to experience thunderstorms, extreme winds,