The Green Mountain Club is still hiring caretakers and trail crew members for the 2016 field season! We hire seasonal staff every summer and fall to live and work on the Long Trail System. The available positions are Backcountry Caretakers and Long Trail Patrol members.
Position Descriptions:
Long Trail Patrol
Overview: The Long Trail Patrol was established in 1931 as the official trail crew of the Green Mountain Club. The focus of the crew is to work on heavily used and blown out sections of trail that require intensive trail structures and advanced technical skills.
Crews consist of six members, including a Crew Leader and Assistant Crew Leader. Crews work in all weather for 40 hours per week in the field. Crew members provide their personal camping gear and food. Day-off housing is available. Transportation to the work site, tools and some group equipment (stove, pots, first-aid supplies and tents) are provided.
Crew Member Qualifications:
- Ability and desire to live and work in the field, during all weather conditions
- Ability to work an eight hour day doing physical work and to carry heavy equipment
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well with a group
- General willingness to interact with hikers and trail users
- Ability to follow safety protocol, share in equal work and camp duties, work with volunteers, practice Leave No Trace ethics, and follow the direction of your crew leader
- Tool use and trail building technique is desirable (on-site training also occurs)
Crew Leader Responsibilities & Qualifications:
- Ability to set weekly work schedules for the crew, supervise works in progress, complete weekly work logs and reports, follow and enforce safety protocols, and problem solve in the backcountry
- Ability to work independently and lead the 6 person crew
- Ability to be the on-site liaison with partner organizations, such as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Green Mountain National Forest, Forest, Parks and Recreation, and private land owners
- Wilderness First Aid certified (GMC offers a course during training)
Backcountry Caretakers
Overview: Caretakers employ hiker education and backcountry stewardship in order to promote Leave No Trace principles and to protect our natural resources. During the months of peak hiking activity, caretakers are stationed at overnight campsites associated with vulnerable natural areas. Caretakers Maintain ten to twenty miles of trail, encourage Leave No Trace camping techniques, collect trail-use data, keep site and privy in good condition, and serve as the GMC liaison with partners. Caretakers live at their assigned sites from June to October and are on duty 24 hours a day, with days 2 days off a week. Caretakers are responsible for their own food and fuel. Green Mountain Club will provide tents or shelters, training, tools and equipment.
Locations:
Southern Vermont: Caretaker sites in Southern Vermont are on the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail within the Green Mountain National Forest. These sites are near back country ponds, which are fragile natural that are heavily used by hikers and campers. There is a Coolidge Range Ridgerunner who roves among four shelters and about 30 miles of trail in central Vermont, including Killington Peak.
Northern Vermont: Most caretakers in northern Vermont live and work on Camel’s Hump and Mount Mansfield. The summits of these mountains are especially sensitive because they are alpine ecosystems that support many rare and endangered species. Four to five caretakers work on each of these mountains because of the high visitor numbers. Northern caretakers participate in summit duty multiple times a week where they educate visitors. There are also caretakers at Sterling Pond and Battell Shelter on Mount Abraham.
Qualifications:
- Strong backpacking and outdoor skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups of trail users
- Ability to be self-motivated to live and work in a remote area with little supervision
- Experience with composting, Leave No Trace principles, and simple accounting desired
- Knowledge of natural history, teaching and interpretive skills desired
- Knowledge of the Long Trail system (and Appalachian Trail for southern sites) desired
- Wilderness First Aid certification (class available during training)
Caretaker Qualifications:
- Maintain ten to twenty miles of trail, encourage Leave No Trace camping techniques, collect trail-use data, keep site and privy in good condition, and serve as the GMC liaison with partners
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