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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Build Up Accessibility LiDAR Member – AmeriCorps

Stewards Individual Placement Program
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Position Title: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Build Up Accessibility LiDAR Member – AmeriCorps

 

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

 

Site Location: Empire, MI

 

Terms of Service:

  • Start Date: 6/2/2025, Preference will be given to applications received by 3/7/25
  • Duration: 12 Weeks
  • AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 Hours

 

Purpose:

Stewards Individual Placements (STE) provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our cultural resources. Participants work with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits building institutional capacity, developing community relationships, and supporting ecosystem health.

 

The Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) is dedicated to providing diverse and underrepresented youth with a professional experience and exposure to technical fields, helping the National Park Service to recruit and develop entry-level talent to build a more technically skilled and inclusive workforce. While also providing meaningful and relevant technical internships for racially and ethnically diverse students and military service members. The goals of this program include, supporting high-priority projects in parks, regional offices, and Washington support offices. Increasing relevancy, diversity, and inclusion in the NPS workplace. While establishing a pipeline for converting talented and diverse students, recent graduates, and service members into career positions in the NPS.

 

The HPTC utilizes historic preservation projects as the main vehicle for teaching preservation philosophy and building crafts, technology, and project management skills. Our experiential learning approach emphasizes flexibility in addressing the unknown conditions encountered during the project and ensures that the goals of preservation are met.

 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is committed to improving the universal accessibility of its unique glacial landforms and ecosystems, vast cultural landscapes, and rare maritime historical sites along the Lake Michigan coastline. Using cutting-edge mobile LiDAR and 260 video technology, this project will document accessibility of the popular Empire Bluff trail and historic Maritime Museum. This data will be used to implement both physical and virtual accessibility solutions. As well, a design concept will be created for the Lake Michigan overlook portion of this trail, that serves to improve accessibility and better protect the vulnerable bluff.

 

This position will support the NPS Mission of extending the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation. This project connects directly to the NPS mission to provide experiences for ALL Americans, including people with disabilities. The project will enable the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Friends of the Sleeping Bear Dunes to better understand, support, and deliver inclusive experiences for people with disabilities.

 

In general, member will develop concept design plans and visual support drawings for recommended site improvements, develop maps, plans and graphics required for existing condition analysis and planned recommendations, as well as compile and present the final report and its findings to NPS staff and leadership. The individual selected for this opportunity will develop and contribute to both physical and virtual inclusive park experiences for people with disabilities at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. They will work closely with park staff to inventory and develop recommendations that improve trail and historic structure accessibility. The selected individual will:

 

  • Survey and provide detailed documentation of existing accessibility conditions at the popular Empire Bluff trail using LiDAR
  • Develop site design solutions for the Lake Michigan overlook at the Empire Bluff trail terminus
  • Survey and document existing conditions at the historic Maritime Museum and assist with virtual accessibility project
  • Present final conceptual drawings and plans to Park and Partner Group Leadership

 

Description of Duties:

  • Using a Mosaic Xplor backpack LiDAR unit, member will hike the Empire Bluff trail gathering point cloud data and video imagery. Data will be processed and at a minimum the following presented graphically, using ARC GIS or similar:
  • Total trail length (in linear feet)
  • Length of trail segments meeting accessible standards (in linear feet)
  • Location of the first point of exception to accessible standards
  • Running slope (average and maximum)
  • Maximum cross slope
  • Minimum clear tread width
  • Surface type, firmness, and stability
  • Tread obstacles that limit accessibility
  • Elevation (trailhead, maximum, and minimum)
  • Total elevation change
  • Member should have demonstrated experience working with Arc GIS and point cloud data and producing similar products, but will be trained to use the LiDAR
  • Risks include hiking 1.5 miles on varied terrain wearing a 12+ pound backpack.
  • Member will create an accessible design proposal for the Empire Bluff overlook at Lake Michigan. They will work with the accessibility members of our partner group, Friends of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, to incorporate accessibility of their tracked wheelchair. The design will also serve to mitigate the environmental consequences of increased visitorship and social-trailing. At the minimum, presented designs will be rendered using AutoCAD or similar; member will also have access to a Fusion3 EDGE 3d printer for physical representations.
  • Roads and Trails staff will advise and train member on trail design and accessible design principles, while focusing on solutions that can be realized from a technical and financial standpoint.
  • Minimal risks associated with desk-bound computer use.
  • Member will document interior and surrounding grounds of the Maritime Museum in the historic Glen Haven village using the LiDAR backpack. Similar accessibility assessments will be made, and building dimensions documented using AutoCAD or similar. Data and imagery will also be used for virtual accessibility deliverables, in the form of virtual walk-throughs.
  • Member should have demonstrated experience working with AutoCAD and producing similar products, but will be trained in use of the LiDAR backpack.
  • Minor risks associated with walking on uneven grounds and interior structures while wearing a 12+ pound backpack

 

Minimum Qualifications:

  • United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
  • Applicants must be between ages of 18-30 years old, or up to 35 for veteran, based on Public Land Corps Act of 1993 authorizing this AmeriCorps opportunity.
  • Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant and agrees to
  • obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
  • Must be current student working to complete post-secondary degree (Associate’s or higher)
  • Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
  • Demonstrated leadership skills and experience
  • Strategic thinking ability
  • The ability to self-start/work independently
  • Flexibility/resourcefulness/entrepreneurial mindset
  • The ability to adapt new skills, ideas, technologies, and processes to the public sector
  • Willingness to collaborate with others, work in a team environment, and coordinate and lead meetings related to project.
  • Ability to engage and work with park staff to develop park and conceptual plans and implement a planning process.
  • Willingness to work in the field as work will require on site analysis and data collection.
  • Seeking an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited institution of higher learning.

 

Direct Hire Authority: This position is classified as a DHA (Direct Hire Authority) Internship. DHA positions target exceptional, current upper-level undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in pursuing careers with the NPS. DHA positions will be rigorous internships that develop the participant’s technical and creative thinking abilities, leadership skills, and problem-solving capabilities.

After successful completion of the internship and all DHA program requirements, and after graduation from the member’s degree program, the member will be eligible to receive DHA non-competitive hiring eligibility.  

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with AutoCAD or Civil3D
  • Experience with GIS and LiDAR
  • Experience in site design and park planning.
  • Seeking an undergraduate or graduate degree in landscape architecture, civil engineering, or related field.
  • Special consideration will be given to individuals between their 3rd and 4th year of their undergraduate degree or graduate students about to enter the final year of their degree program.

 

Physical Requirements:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

 

Time Requirements:

  • Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday through Friday, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service. Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
  • This position is classified as a DHA (Direct Hiring Authority) Internship. Applicants must be a current student enrolled in an associate’s degree or higher from an accredited institute of higher education. Proof of enrollment will be required before an official offer is made. Applicant must successfully complete the internship and graduate from their degree program to receive DHA eligibility status. 

 

 

Orientation and Training:

  • Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited andunallowable activities.
  • Involvement in dynamic team, get experience in and have impact on a national program in the National Park Service
  • Exposure to many individuals in youth programs, historic preservation, and training world of National Park Service
  • Ample professional and individual development opportunities to be determined by intern and supervisor

 

Benefits:

  • $520/wk living stipend + $320/wk additional benefit (equivalent to $21/hr)
  • Segal Education Award upon completion of required hours
  • Park Housing Available
  • Travel to National Park Service sites available
  • Networking across the National Park Service

 

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

 

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

 

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

Kevin Record

Program Coordinator

krecord@conservationlegacy.org

(681) 666-3621

 

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with AmeriCorps requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.