Lakes Region Conservation Corps Site Descriptions
The Lakes Region Conservation Corps has programs at 8 different sites, all of which host half-year Summer/Fall members from May to October. Currently, only the Squam Lakes Association and Green Mountain Conservation group host full-year members from January to November. Applications for half-year positions open in January, while full-year positions open late Summer.
Each host site operates independently and offers a unique service experience. Learn more about available host sites below.
Camp Hale: 1 Position Available May - October 2024
Located on Squam Lake in Sandwich, NH, Camp Hale is a licensed and ACA accredited summer camp which offers youth the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of the White Mountains. By taking them out of their comfort zone and exposing them to new possibilities, youth develop leadership skills, independence, and resilience.
AmeriCorps members play a crucial role in helping youth develop an environmental awareness and providing opportunities for direct service. Members will lead environmental education programs on a variety of topics including terrestrial invasives, local ecology, and conservation initiatives.
In addition to creating and executing a curriculum, members have the potential to lead groups of campers in direct service projects including the removal of invasive plants and trail building. Members will preserve and add mileage to the Thunderbird Trail project started in 2019.
Members will also be crucial to the environmental sustainability of our campgrounds as needed, including identifying environmental hazards, developing soil erosion prevention procedures, labelling the large variety of plant life on camp, and creating trail maps.
The Nature Conservancy: May - October 2024 Positions Filled
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and water on which all life depends. Since 1961, we’ve been working in New Hampshire to do just that. Together with partners, local landowners and members, we have helped to protect nearly 300,000 acres and 680 miles of rivers and streams in the Granite State.
Come explore the wilds of New Hampshire and work with us to manage The Nature Conservancy preserves throughout the Granite State. From salt marsh monitoring to maintenance of accessible trails, and lots in between, you’ll work in innovative ways with state-of-the-art tools in a collaborative fashion with TNC staff, community volunteers, and conservation partners. The AmeriCorps members perform and participate in a wide variety of land management and stewardship tasks, including preserve operations, maintenance and management, rare species or habitat monitoring, and communications with the public. AmeriCorps members will gain many skills needed to become successful steward of the land and will make a lasting impact across the state.
Mount Washington Observatory: 1 position available May - October 2024
Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS) is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region.
AmeriCorps members help serve MWOBS’ mission by developing and offering educational programs for K-12 students and adult learners both in and out of the traditional classroom. Members gain valuable experience learning how to engage youth in locally-relevant STEM education through school-day, after-school and field trip programs while connecting with visitors to the region interested in learning about the unique, extreme conditions experienced on Mount Washington. MWOBS seeks two AmeriCorps members to serve as educators based out of the Observatory’s North Conway Village administrative office, with travel and occasional overnight stays at the Mount Washington summit weather station.
Newfound Lake Region Association: May - October 2024 Positions Filled
The Newfound Lake Region Association is a mission-driven, member-supported environmental nonprofit committed to protecting Newfound Lake and its watershed. The Association – through education, programs, and collaboration – promotes conservation and preservation of the region’s natural, social, and economic resources.
Newfound’s AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards advance the mission of the NLRA while developing skills and experience necessary for a career in conservation through hands-on training and service learning. Over a five-month term of service, crew members serve alongside NLRA staff and volunteers, gaining experience in watershed management, public engagement, professional communication, environmental education, and freshwater ecology. The work of Watershed Stewards includes collecting water quality data, leading environmental education programs, preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species, engaging with the public and other community members, and implementing projects throughout the watershed that improve water quality. NLRA’s AmeriCorps members support growing environmental stewardship in the Newfound Watershed and leave a measurable impact upon program completion.
Squam Lakes Association: May - October 2024 Positions Filled
The Squam Lakes Association is a non-profit conservation organization that works to conserve the natural beauty, peaceful character, and resources of the Squam watershed. Through conservation, education, and low-impact recreation, the Squam Lakes Association promotes the protection, careful use, and shared enjoyment of the Squam Lakes Region.
Full-Term members serving with the Squam Lakes Association experience the seasonality of conservation work in the beautiful Squam watershed. There are three assistant tracks Full-Term candidates can apply for: Watershed Resources Assistant, Education & Outreach Assistant, and Trails & Access Assistant. Members will complete projects and tasks relevant to their assistant position, in addition to: campsite caretaking, SCUBA diving to remove invasive variable milfoil, facilitating winter access with snow removal, managing volunteers, acting as an ambassador for the LRCC and SLA, supporting SLA operations, and more.
Squam Lakes Association members receive numerous certifications that help elevate them as conservation leaders within the community, including SSI Open Water Diver certification, NAUI Weed Control Diver certification, Wilderness First Aid & CPR, and NH Commercial Boating License. Housing is provided for members serving at the Squam Lakes Association.
Squam Lakes Conservation Society: May - October 2024 Positions Filled
The Squam Lakes Conservation Society (SLCS) is a small regional land trust with a mission to preserve Squam's unique quality and character by protecting lands for present and future generations. SLCS will host two LRCC-SLCS members from May through October as part of the greater Lakes Region Conservation Corps (LRCC) to help achieve this mission. These positions will complete training with other Lakes Region Conservation Corps members, but the day-to-day service for the two SLCS members will be through SLCS.
LRCC-SLCS members will serve on a variety of projects, including managing SLCS preserves, monitoring conservation easements, removing invasive species, refreshing boundary marking, assisting landowners with their land management goals, and advancing land conservation projects, including using GIS and assisting in baseline documentation reports for newly conserved land. Members will also help develop and utilize social media networks to advance SLCS's mission and help organize training programs for our volunteers. Members will get exposure to all levels of land conservation in a community that places a premium on protecting its natural resources. SLCS is a nationally Accredited Land Trust and an active member of the Land Trust Alliance and the NH Land Trust Coalition. Click the Learn More button below to see full details.
Green Mountain Conservation Group: May - October 2024 Positions Filled
Green Mountain Conservation Group (GMCG) is a community-based, charitable organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of natural resources in the Ossipee Watershed.
GMCG’s AmeriCorps members will assist in our research, education, and outreach endeavors. Such tasks include but are not limited to: water quality monitoring on tributaries and lakes in the Ossipee Watershed with our citizen science programs, collecting and analyzing data on our new microplastics initiative, helping to organize and run our Volunteer Biological Assessment Program (VBAP) with local schools, coordination of GMCG’s Youth Water Literacy programs, designing/promoting water and resource conservation programs, and helping to develop our “Less Plastic Initiative”.
Members will also have the opportunity to assist with the development of interpretive trails on GMCG properties, and receive training in order to participate in the 2022 Saco River Stream Crossings Assessment Project.
Lakes Region Conservation Trust: May - October 2024 Positions filled
The Lakes Region Conservation Trust (LRCT) is an independent, nonprofit, member-supported land trust dedicated to the permanent protection, stewardship, and respectful use of lands that define the character of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and its quality of life. LRCT currently protects over 29,000 acres of land, including the Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area and Red Hill Conservation Area. LRCT is a nationally Accredited Land Trust and an active member of the Land Trust Alliance and NH Land Trust Coalition.
LRCT’s AmeriCorps members are an integral part of LRCT’s conservation mission and will serve as Conservation Land Stewards. Land Stewards will work on a variety of projects, including maintaining LRCT’s 95+ miles of trails, removing terrestrial invasive plants, assisting and leading guided hikes and paddles, monitoring LRCT preserves and conservation easements, working on special property management projects, and organizing and conducting volunteer work days. Housing is provided at Mead Base Conservation Center, located in the northern part of the Lakes Region and at the foot of the White Mountains. LRCC-LRCT members will receive training in land conservation methods, conservation and recreational land management, and education and outreach.
Is your organization interested in joining the LRCC as a host site? You can submit a form expressing your interest here!