Field Leader- 2025 Buckeye Trail Corps

Position Summary 

The Student Conservation Association (SCA), the nation’s largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and adults, is seeking candidates to lead the Buckeye Trail Corps in 2025.  

 

This team of four will be working on constructing new trail on the Buckeye Trail by hand-building a natural surface trail through the forest. The trail will be built to Forest Service Standards and will help in the important work of creating a 100-mile backpacking network in Perry, Athens, and Morgan County, Ohio. This project aims to increase tourism in southeast Ohio by highlighting the natural beauty and history in the region.  

 

The SCA Buckeye Trail Corps is a team-based program designed to introduce crewmembers to trail building. The team will begin their program with a field-based training program close to the project site. Guided by an experienced Project Leader, Corps Members will learn and practice hard and soft skills that are essential for a successful trail project. After training, the Buckeye Trail team will work on a variety of projects focusing on trail building along with other teams to meet the Buckeye Trail’s ambitious construction plan. Trail projects involve working with hand tools and occasionally small equipment.  

 

Fieldwork is physically and mentally demanding. This is a backcountry trail team, and crew members can expect to camp part of the season, until they move to indoor housing with the change in season. Campsites may include backcountry camping with no amenities or frontcountry camping with access to potable water and showers when practical. 

 

Crew will consist of 3 young adult members (18 years of age or older) and 1 Project Leader. The team will have access to one SCA vehicle for transportation. Members who live local to the project sites are able to commute to work from home. Whether camping or commuting, the team will meet daily at a predetermined location and be driven to their work site each day by the Project Leader.  

 

Location: Shawnee,OH

 

Schedule 

Training Start and End Date: August 4, 2025 - August 15, 2025

Program Start and End Date: August 4, 2025 - December 5, 2025

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

• Act as a Crew Supervisor, by facilitating teamwork, managing field-based tasks, and guiding crew dynamics;
• Serve as an Advisor, by training members in technical conservation work skills, mentoring personal and professional development, and teaching environmental stewardship;
• Act as a Project Manager, by communicating with agency park partners, ensuring successful and timely completion of work projects, and upholding a positive representation of SCA;
• Perform tasks as a Program Administrator, by organizing logistics, completing documentation, managing a budget, and communicating with SCA staff;
• Work collaboratively with a team of four others to complete priority projects determined by NPS partner staff;
• Work variable hours, possible long days and possible weekends, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, in varying weather conditions, and under physically demanding circumstances;
• Use technical equipment such as hand or power tools. 

Required Qualifications 

• Experience working with youth or young adults, teaching, or environmental education a plus;
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience managing group dynamics;
• Experience with outdoor conservation work skills or related skills preferred – i.e. trail maintenance, trail construction, habitat restoration, chainsaw, carpentry, landscaping, or gardening;
• Experience with various types of equipment in a safe and efficient manner (hand tools, power tools, two-way radio, etc.);
• Ability to perform manual, physical labor for up to 10 hours per day, exposed to the elements, and must occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more;
• Wilderness First Aid certification, or ability to obtain a Wilderness First Aid certification before start of season;
• Must be able to attend Crew Leader training: 8/4/2025 – 8/15/2025; - Must be a minimum of 21 years of age;
• Must have the ability to legally work in the US;
• Must have a valid driver’s license for 3+ years and MVR that meets SCA standards.

Hours 

40 per week

 

Living Accommodations 

This crew will live and work togethe