Community Volunteer Ambassador - First State National Historical Park

Program Details: 

Stewards Individual Placements provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. The Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) Program combines the strength of a national leader in conservation service with the National Park Service to train a diverse group of emerging leaders to assist park units in building lasting connections to local communities. 

 

Community Volunteer Ambassadors (CVAs) support Volunteer-in-Parks programs at National Park Service sites nationwide. This ranges from National Park, National Monuments, National Battlefields, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas, and more. The Community Volunteer Ambassador Program was developed to support NPS sites in connecting with their local communities through service and to provide young adults with a professional development opportunity within the National Park Service. CVAs provide capacity for NPS sites to establish community partnerships, develop new volunteer opportunities, and build volunteer program resources.   

 

Site Information 

First State National Historical Park (NHP) consists of 6 units that are spread throughout the state of Delaware. Together these 6 units tell the National story of early colonization through ratification. First State NHP consists of a very small yet mighty staff. The park’s permanent staff is made up of a Superintendent, a Facility Chief, a Chief Ranger, and a Law Enforcement Ranger. In addition, the park has, a Term Park Biologist, a year-long Acting Project Manager, a year-long Acting IEV coordinator, a shared AO, and a year-long VISTA Steward. In the summertime, the park typically hires at least one seasonal Park Ranger in Interpretation and one seasonal Facility personal. 

 

First State currently supports 3 main volunteer positions, Trail Stewards, Stream Stewards, and Spotted Lanternfly Inventory Volunteers. The Trail Stewards assists with monitoring trail conditions, trim back smaller vegetation, report hazards, and collect litter. The Stream Stewards monitors the quality of streams by managing and taking care of water quality testing sensors that are strategically located throughout the park. The Spotted Lanternfly Volunteers, assist the park Biologist with the current study and maintenance of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly. In total, we have 29 volunteers that assist with these three positions. However, we know that there are a decent number of trail users that visit often to collect litter on their own time. We have also seen an increase of request for large trail projects, but we have not had the staff capacity to support them. We also have two annual clean ups that bring in roughly 150 volunteers for single events. 

 

Position Summary 

The selected CVA will work along side the park's current VISTA Steward to grow the park's volunteer program. While the VISTA Steward is focused on growing the park's volunteer program at the Brandywine Valley unit, the CVA will focus on the remaining 6 areas of the park which includes the new Welcome Center.  

 

The two major focus areas of the CVA will be to 1) Work with the park's 5 operating partners to access current volunteer roles and ways to leverage new volunteers. 2) Work with park staff to determine ways to leverage volunteers in and around the park's new Welcome Center such as working the desk or providing tours.  

 

Together with the park's VISTA they will create a system for gathering park volunteer hours, updating agreements and JHA's and create a annual volunteer appreciation event for all park volunteers. 

 

Position Responsibilities:  

CVA's responsibilities include: 

 

CVA Minimum Requirements: 

 

Preferred Qualifications 

 

Benefits: 

 

Additional Information 

 

How to Apply 

Please visit Community Volunteer Ambassador (cvainternships.org) to review “Member Positions” by region and find instructions on how to apply.  

 

The CVA position will start on Monday, February 6th, 2023, and run for 50 weeks until Friday, January 19th 2024. Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/cva-member-application. Application form requires a resume, cover letter, professional references. 

 

Please ensure your cover letter addresses how your experience aligns with the CVA program, your experience working with diverse populations, and position details for this park/position. You may submit one application for multiple positions by selecting all sites you are interested in. 

 

Applications Deadline 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. First review will occur in early November. Final deadline is Friday, December 9th. 

 

For Application Questions: 

Please contact Geoff Elliot, Program Director at gelliot@conservationlegacy.org 

 

Stewards Individual Placements Program does not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.