Company Profile
American Conservation Experience
Company Overview
Founded in 2004 in Flagstaff, Arizona, American Conservation Experience (ACE) has emerged as a national leader in recruiting, coordinating, and training volunteers to undertake practical environmental restoration projects in America’s national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other public lands. Originally formed under the conservation corps model, which remains the central and largest program in our organization, ACE now provides a range of voluntary service programs for both American and international participants.
American Conservation Experience (ACE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities that harness the idealism and energy of a volunteer labor force to help restore America’s public lands. ACE is grounded in the philosophy that cooperative labor on meaningful conservation projects fosters cross-cultural understanding and operates on the belief that challenging volunteer service unites people of all backgrounds in common cause.
Company History
Since 2004, ACE has demonstrated that American participants gain a powerful, enriching experience in the outdoors when their efforts are shared with an international community of like-minded youth. ACE’s Conservation Corps members are assigned to projects serving alongside our Conservation Volunteer participants as often as possible, and live in shared housing with our international participants between projects.
National Parks, National Forests, Wildlife Refuges, wilderness areas and other public lands throughout the United States are imperiled by a combination of dynamics that threaten habitat, endanger vital ecosystems, and compromise the non-negotiable right of the next generation to explore the natural world. While population growth leads to habitat loss, sacrifice of open space, and acute pressure on native wildlife and plant species, America’s land managers face a chronic shortfall of funding to restore our nation’s most treasured lands.
A popular ethic of service and volunteerism is sweeping through the nation and the world. American citizens and their international counterparts are eager to support the cause of environmental conservation, representing a virtually unlimited labor force that properly harnessed, coordinated, and supported, has the potential to revolutionize the capacity of America’s land managers to accomplish restoration work on a scale never before envisioned. However, the national infrastructure to support and manage this unprecedented wave of volunteer dedication has not been fully developed. ACE is committed to capturing this growing worldwide spirit of service by providing the professional level of coordination, training, and supervision necessary to translate idealism into accomplishment for the benefit of America’s National Parks, Forests, Wildlife Refuges, and other protected lands.
Notable Clients
marcel@usaconservation.org
Benefits
AmeriCorps Benefits
Conservation Corps members come from across the United States and share a common interest in natural resource protection or land management. Our Corps Members are 18-25 years old and serve on crews for three (450 hr) to six (900 hr) months. Members will receive an AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of their term of service. The Education Award can be applied to qualified existing student loans or towards future education expenses at accredited universities, community colleges, trade schools, or other vocational institutions. The total amount of an Education Award depends on the length of service completed. Please see the AmeriCorps website for this year’s Segal Education Award amount. AmeriCorps members are also eligible for forbearance of student loan payments during their service (certain restrictions apply), and may also apply to have the accrued interest paid for by the Corporation for National and Community Service at the end of their service.
Living Stipend
As well as receiving the AmeriCorps Education Award, Conservation Corps members will be provided a living stipend during their term of service. The living stipend will vary depending on the specific position applied for and location worked in, please inquire during the application and interview process for exact details. The living stipend will be taxable by both federal and state government.
Travel
While the Corps Member is responsible for the costs of arrival to and departure from their service location (including any holiday season breaks), ACE does handle all logistical planning and costs related to getting to and from ACE projects.
Housing and Food
ACE is committed to making volunteerism in service to America’s public lands accessible to as many young adults from diverse socio-economic backgrounds as possible. We understand that dedicating 3-6 months of service can be a tremendous personal and financial investment and strive to create a supportive environment that eliminates many of the economic barriers associated with moving to a new part of the country.
ACE Conservation Corps members are provided with hostel-style housing shared with participants in our Conservation Volunteer program on off days. ACE houses are equipped with furnished kitchens and living spaces, however members are required to supply their own bedding (most Corps Members simply use their sleeping bag when off-project). Due to the number of Corps Members sharing each ACE house, cleaning and caring for the living space is shared amongst everyone.
ACE provides every Corps Member an individual tent to use during their term of service with ACE. Corps Members are expected to care for and maintain the tent provided to them and return it to ACE in good condition at the end of their term of service.
ACE also provides all meals and snacks for Corps Members when on project, however Corps Members are responsible for their own meals during off-days (when not on project). ACE will make reasonable accommodations for those with dietary restrictions or requirements.
ACE members can save over $600 per month due to ACE accommodations with free housing and food.
Please note that Conservation Corps and Conservation Volunteer crews are sometimes assigned to long term projects lasting for up to 4 weeks with off days spent camping on site. Particularly during the summer in California we offer backcountry opportunities for members who live and work for up to 5 months in remote camps, only returning to ACE Housing for one or two weekends off during the field season.
Career Development
ACE is committed to providing the most valuable and professional experience possible for all participating Corps Members. The ACE team is proud of creating and managing one of the best outdoor youth programs in the nation and consists of highly trained staff members invested into the success of the Corps Members and the organization as a whole.
Placing safety as our number one priority, ACE’s Safety Coordinator develops and oversees extensive safety policies and trainings throughout the organization. Depending on length of service, program location, and seasonal availability, ACE Corps Members will receive trainings on many topics delivered by ACE Senior Staff members. Many ACE staff have taken the initiative to receive nationally recognized teaching/training credentials in various disciplines (i.e. Chainsaw, Wilderness First Aid, Leave No Trace). ACE in-house trainers provide a lot of personal care and attention during training sessions by having small classroom sizes, individual time, and immediately following up with ACE Corps Members in the field. The ACE staff is accessible to answer questions along with providing further information on avenues for advanced training. The vast majority of ACE staff completed AmeriCorps terms and volunteer commitments through ACE, and their backgrounds and experience serve as a direct benefit for ACE corps members while also providing a glimpse into possible future opportunities.