Position Summary 

Placements will assist Tongass National Forest staff with visitor services at Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Site. This will include greeting visitors while checking their tickets, providing mandatory safety briefings for all visitors, and spending time at the observation deck to answer visitor questions, provide informal interpretation, and ensure the safety of both visitors and bears. Placements will also collect important visitor and bear data, learning to identify individual brown.

The position will start with approximately four weeks in Ketchikan before traveling to Hyder.

Location 

Ketchikan, AK

Schedule 

June 7, 2026 - September 27, 2026

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

Placements will ensure that visitors have a positive and meaningful experience by providing educational information, managing crowd flow, and preventing negative bear-human interactions. Other duties include collecting visitor and bear data, maintaining the cleanliness of the facilities. This position requires physical exertion, including walking over wet and rough terrain while occasionally carrying up to 30 lbs, standing for extended periods, and working in adverse weather conditions.

Marginal Duties 

Other duties include trail maintenance, cleaning toilets, painting, and various tasks as needed at the site. Placements will also help by taking photos of bears to expand the bear identification book. For those interested, there may be opportunities to create social media posts or write short articles for the Forest Service public relations team. Additionally, placements might participate in community outreach and interpretation activities.

Required Qualifications 

· Must be comfortable with public speaking in front of large crowds.

· Able to handle stressful situations while remaining calm and able to prioritize responsibilities.

· Willing and able to represent the Forest Service in a professional and positive manner.

· Able to write legibly.

This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger. Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority.

Preferred Qualifications 

· Experience interacting with the public or working in a customer service setting.

· Experience working in outdoor settings under adverse weather conditions.

· Strong interpersonal, oral, listening, and written communication skills.

Hours 

40 per week

Living Accommodations 

Housing is a shared 2-3 bedroom apartment in Hyder. Placements will spend a week or two in Ketchikan for training purposes at the beginning of the term. Housing is Ketchikan is a bunkhouse adjacent to the ranger station. Both living situations may require sharing a room.

Hyder is a very remote community near a US/Canada border. There is no grocery story on the Hyder side, but it is on the road system and the placements would need to have US Passports to access the grocery store on the Canadian side and may have groceries brought to them from staff.

Compensation  

$450/week living allowance

$1500 one-time roundtrip travel stipend

$500 duty-related reimbursements (for Personal Protective Equipment)

All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes. 

Personal Vehicle Information

Not needed

Additional Benefits 

Bear Safety

Interpretive Skills

AmeriCorps: Not Eligible

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The Student Conservation Association, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members and is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere where lifestyles may grow personally and professionally.