Join Environmental Corps

If you are between the ages of 17 and 28, like to work hard, and would like to contribute to the restoration and preservation of parks and public lands in Texas and beyond, Environmental Corps may be for you! Being an Environmental Corps member is a unique and wonderful opportunity to serve local Texas communities while gaining career experience and learning about the natural environment.

Our members:

Are between the ages of 17 and 28
Range from current high school students to recent college graduates
Serve for terms of 3 months, 6 months, or 11 months

Here are just a few of the benefits:

Training in landscaping, trail building and maintenance, and chainsaw use/maintenance
Leadership development and career development oportunities
Health insurance
Paid daycare for those with children
Living allowances of up to $525 bi-weekly for crew members, or up to $675 bi-weekly for crew leaders.
AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,000 for 300 hours of service, $2,675 for 900 hours of service, or $5,350 for 1700 hours of service
Opportunity to work towards a High School Diploma or GED during your term with E-Corps

Positions Available

Service Learning Academy Crews (SLA)

SLA crews are open to applicants who are still earning their high school diploma or GED, and are led by AmeriCorps crew leaders that have experience with conservation work and/or education. SLA crews complete service projects and jobs training activities for part of the week and work on their high school diploma for part of the week. Crew leaders help to mentor the students both on-site and in the classroom. Crew members enrolled in this program receive a 300 hour AmeriCorps Education Award upon completion of their term of service.

Environmental Corps Crews

Environmental Corps (E-Corps) Crews are open to applicants already having a high school diploma or GED (or even a PhD). Members serve an 11 month term and earn a 1700 hour AmeriCorps Education Award. Crew project sites are in the Austin and the Central Texas area, as well as in other parts of the state and region. For example, this past year crews worked on projects in San Antonio, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Joplin, Missouri.

Trails Across Texas Crew (TAT)

The TAT crew is , like our local crews, open to applicants already having a high school diploma or GED. However, this crew works almost exclusively on priority trail projects in Texas State Parks. This crew travels extensively and can be out of the Austin area for up to 2 weeks at a time. Members serve terms of 6 months, earning a 900 hour AmeriCorps Education Award.

Bastrop Fire Recovery Crew (BRC)

The BRC crew is , like our E-Corps and TAT crews, open to applicants already having a high school diploma or GED. However, this crew works exclusively on the fire recovery efforts in Bastrop State Park. Projects include but are not limited to felling of hazardous trees, installation of erosion control barriers, rebuilding of park structures, clearing and restoration of trails, re-vegetation and restoration of the forest through replanting and control of invasive plants.This crew will be housed in the park, in park staff bunk houses. Members serve terms of 6 months, earning a 900 hour AmeriCorps Education Award.

For additional information on crews, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Application Dates

Positions are posted on the AmeriCorps website up to 3 months prior to program start dates. Applications may be submitted from this time until the positions are filled, but keep in mind that positions are usually filled well before the start of the program. Please refer to the crew calendar for program start dates.

General 2012 application dates are as follows:

Trails Across Texas and Bastrop Recovery Crew Members – March 15 – May 31

All positions will remain open until filled.