American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, is seeking four (4) Environmental Restoration Team Members to assist the CA BLM's Eagle Lake and Applegate Field Office staff with assessing, restoring, and repairing rangeland, wildlife habitat, and recreation sites within the remote area.
For more information about ACE, please visit our website.
Start Date: May 2026
Estimated End Date: 26 weeks after start date
*a 26 week minimum commitment is required *
Location Details/Description: Cedarville, CA
This position will be based in Cedarville, CA, with the team working out of both the Applegate Field Office in Cedarville, CA, and the Eagle Lake Field Office in Susanville, CA, located in the eastern region of Northern California. These offices are overseen by the BLM Northern California District Office. The BLM's Eagle Lake and Applegate Field Offices manage about 2.7 million acres of public lands in northeastern CA and northwestern NV. These offices cover a diverse landscape, encompassing the full range of the Great Basin, from rugged playas to lush aspen ridges. This position is located in a very remote, but beautiful part of northeastern California and northwestern Nevada that will often require long-distance travel to worksite locations. From Cedarville, though, you will have close access to many incredible recreational opportunities nearby, including hot springs, hiking and backpacking the alpine lakes of the South Warner Mountain Wilderness, and expansive high desert landscapes. There are small grocery options available within walking distance of the barracks in Cedarville and multiple grocery stores available in Alturas, approximately a 30-mile drive away. A personal vehicle is not required for this position, but is highly encouraged, as it also makes the applicant's days off much more enjoyable. There is no public transportation available in the area.
For more information about the Eagle Lake and Applegate Field Offices, please visit the Northern California District Office website.
Position Overview: This opportunity will be focused on improving rangeland and restoration of Sage-steppe ecosystems. The member will assist the Eagle Lake and Applegate field offices with various fieldwork throughout the field offices.
Duties for this position will likely include, but are not limited to:
- Herbicide application (primarily in spring and early summer)
- The 2025 team spent 8-10 weeks applying herbicide
- Range inventory (walking and inventorying fences, mapping roads, assessing the condition of stock ponds and troughs, etc.)
- Riparian/wetland fence construction and maintenance
- Water development maintenance (troughs and water pipelines)
- Small-scale juniper removal with reciprocating saws (or chainsaws if desired, and following proper training and certification)
- Riparian/wetland low-tech restoration (primarily in Sept/Oct)
- Small-scale vegetation planting, and broadcast seeding (primarily in Sept/Oct)
- Simple wildlife, vegetation, and livestock monitoring
- GPS data collection with ESRI Survey 123, Field Maps, and Quick Capture
- GIS data quality control with ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro
- Recreation site maintenance
- Trail work
Opportunities for cross-training and experience with BLM programs like recreation, archaeology, wildlife, botany, forestry, fuels, and others are possible during this project. These opportunities are greatest outside of the normal 4-day work week, but will be made available as logistics allow during the work week. Fieldwork will be conducted largely in remote backcountry areas of the field offices with multi-day camping trips or "hitches" lasting 4 days. This will be completed with government-provided tools utilizing various travel methods, including hiking, 4x4 driving, and UTV (side-by-side) driving.
This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promote exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups. The BLM has a desire to recruit for future seasonal, career-seasonal, and permanent positions from this team across a wide range of positions as interest and funding allow. The BLM plans to assist team members with training and education on the process to improve their chances of applying for federal jobs.
Schedule: Monday - Thursday or Tuesday - Friday, equating to 4-10-hour days, for the duration of the project. Interns will be expected to camp during the duration of their workweek at or near work sites each week.
Position Benefits
Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $700.00/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly. The living allowance is a fixed rate determined by the BLM and ACE and is not flexible.
Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served after the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please see the ACE website for more information on PLC eligibility.
Housing: Barracks-style housing will be available in Cedarville, CA, at the BLM Field Office. Alternative housing situations are possible, but would be at the discretion of the individual.
Gear Assistance: ACE members will have up to $500.00 to spend on eligible gear purchases. Eligible gear for this position includes camping equipment, work-related gear/apparel, etc. These purchases must be approved by ACE staff before being made.
Member Travel Assistance: ACE members will have access to up to $600.00 to be used for eligible travel at the beginning and end of their term of service. Further details regarding the distribution of these funds will be provided during the interview process.
Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position-specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies, procedures, and networks for support. Specific training from the BLM may include S-212 chainsaw training, 4x4 off-road driving, and UTV operation (ROHVA). Additional training will be provided for all projects, including herbicide application, GPS data collection, fence construction and maintenance, and habitat restoration.
Qualifications
Required:
- Member must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required by U.S. government contracts.
- Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
- Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a strong, effective team member.
- A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
- Willing to undergo and must pass the required two-part criminal history check.
- Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
- ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning-of-term feedback forms, end-of-term evaluations, and, for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
- To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website.
BLM Requirements:
- Willing to undergo and must pass a DOI security background check.