Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team

Duration: 12 months; Starting Date: 5 start dates annually

30 sites in 8 states (PA, MD, OH, WV, VA, TN, KY, AL)

Ability to work effectively with a wide range of people Motivated to identify needs and find resources to meet those needs. A strong desire to help improve the quality of life for the people of Appalachia. Excellent writing and public speaking skills. Computer literate.

Temporary

Please submit an online AmeriCorps application (available at https://recruit.cns.gov/) to Listing ID: WV011721-2. Also, please send your resume as an e-mail attachment to Jenny Becksted, osm-vista-leader@wv-esec.org

Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team, 501 Elizabeth Street, Charleston, WV 25311, United States

The OSM/VISTA Watershed Team is the result of a unique partnership between the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and AmeriCorps VISTA, which seeks to place full-time VISTA volunteers in community watershed associations throughout Appalachian Coal Country.

The work of each OSM/VISTA is built around a set of Core Goals:

1. Build capacity in the watershed organization
2. Organize the water quality monitoring critical to future funding
3. Reach out to youth and adults in their community to create awareness about watershed issues
4. Engage in economic revitalization efforts
5. Find the funds to keep all this critical work moving forward

OSM/VISTAs play a key role in educating the young people of their communities about litter prevention, acid mine drainage, and other water quality issues. They create newsletters, write press releases, and speak one on one with members of the community, to inform them of important issues and recruit their help with various projects, such the removal of litter from stream banks and dump site clean-ups. The majority of the watershed associations are located in rural communities with a history of coal mining. The OSM/VISTAs work within these economically depressed regions to promote tourism, economic development, and pride within the community. They are involved in community revitalization projects and watershed festivals and events. OSM/VISTAs are often responsible for organizing stream monitoring programs for their watersheds and researching long-term solutions to environmental problems, such as acid mine drainage. In all of their efforts, the OSM/VISTAs strive to improve the quality of life, create a healthier environment, and promote economic development in their watersheds.

See benefits

Living allowance (approximately $750/month), health insurance, childcare if eligible, student loan forbearance (interest paid for a year deferment by the federal government), choice of $1200 stipend or $4725 education award (upon successful completion of

Open: applications taken on a rolling basis