Trails Recreation Technician

Position Title: North Zone Recreation Technician (Trails) (Position Announcement PDF)

Position Service Site: Ottawa National Forest – Kenton, MI

Service Time: June 2 – August 22, 2025 (450 hours total, 40 Hours/Week)

Benefits: Living stipend total for the whole term = $6,000 ($500 per week) Education Award of approximately $1,900 upon successful completion of service. To find out more about the Award, https://americorps.gov/members-volunteers/segal-americorps-education-award/find-out-more. Housing is available.

Requirements: Valid Driver’s license

Recommended: Personal Vehicle

LOCATION OVERVIEW: The nearly one million-acre Ottawa National Forest is in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, known for its remote character, picturesque lakes and streams, vast northern hardwood forests, and abundant wildlife. Ottawa offers numerous recreational opportunities, including stream and lake fishing (blue-ribbon trout streams), deer and small-game hunting, canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, birding, and cross-country and downhill skiing.

The half million acres of the southern portion of Ottawa contains numerous glacial lakes home to bald eagles, ospreys, loons, smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, and other native fish and wildlife species.  Some of the highest-quality streams and rivers in the Midwest are also found in Ottawa, with several now designated as Federal Wild, Scenic, or Recreational Rivers. Rivers on the forest drain into Lake Michigan and Lake Superior watersheds, with several Lake Superior streams and numerous waterfalls. Three designated wilderness areas are in Ottawa, Sylvania, McCormick, and Sturgeon River Gorge.

SERVICE DESCRIPTION: North Zone Kenton Recreation Technician position (primarily focused on Trails):

The Trails position is demanding and requires lifting and hiking with tool packs weighing up to 50 pounds. It may involve overnight trips and can encompass complex trail and campsite projects. Responsibilities include backcountry maintenance using chainsaws, crosscut saws, and axes, essential tools for maintaining wilderness and hiking trails. Additionally, incumbents may conduct monitoring and inventory work to support the objectives outlined in the Forest Plan.

The North Zone Recreation Technician may be trained/certified in:

• Chainsaw/Cross Cut certification
• First Aid and CPR
• ATV/UTV certification
• Defensive Driving
• Trailer Towing
• Radio/SPOT device
• Avenza

 RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Monitor the condition and use of trails, perform maintenance to standards, and report issues
• Monitor Campgrounds, Day Use Areas, and other recreation use areas and report and correct safety issues
• Assisting with Monitor wilderness areas for use and maintenance needs and report issues
• Member uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently. Detailed instructions are provided for new assignments.  Unfamiliar situations or deviations from established practices require mentor guidance.

HOUSING: If housing is available, Members should be prepared to live in communal housing with other program/organization/agency members. Members should expect to have roommates and must inform staff of any housing preferences or required accommodation.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum age requirement is 18 years old
• Ability to work independently
• Excellent communication skills
• Understanding of or willingness to learn various conservation practices
• Passionate about outdoor recreation
• Possess a valid driver’s license
• Physical demands and service environment regularly require the service member to be outdoors in wooded areas and on uneven natural paths
• Physically able to work long days outside in inclement weather, hike on and off trail
• Able to carry up to 50 pounds of equipment
• Work in a variety of weather conditions, such as temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, high winds, intense sunshine, rain, and snow
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation
• Ability to multitask and shift schedule and priorities to meet changing conditions
• Upon hire, a criminal background check will be conducted. Service with WisCorps will be considered probationary until all results are returned and have been reviewed

WisCorps provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran per applicable federal, state, and local laws. We are committed to assuring equal employment opportunity and equal access to services, programs, and activities for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability, and need to access information in an alternative format, or need it translated into another language, please contact us at 608-782-2494, by email at [email protected] or Wisconsin Relay 711.