Field Crew Leader; Backcountry, Forestry, Fuels, Trails

Gain professional career skills, become an effective leader, and launch your natural resource career!

Montana Conservation Corps believes that through conservation service and authentic connection, you can sharpen your ability to create change and join the next generation of leaders for a better world. At MCC, we focus on the growth of our participants, positively impacting our public lands, and transferable career skills.

MCC participants join our program as Ameri Corps Members serving a term of service with Montana Conservation Corps. Ameri Corps is an independent agency of the United States government that engages over 5 million Americans in National Service across various programs. MCC is a service oriented organization that provides career skills training alongside personal development.

Location:

Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula MT

Ages: 21 or over

Program Dates: 02/22/2027-10/21/2027

Living Allowance: $1,360 biweekly ($2,720 p/month) before taxes are taken out

Ameri Corps Education Award: $5,176.50 upon completion of the program

Health Insurance:
Provided at NO COST

Member Assistance Program:
Free 24/7 access to confidential behavioral health counseling, financial assistance, medical/legal advocacy, and more!

Supportive coaching staff invested in your success.

Community Cohorts:
We offer community spaces to build community, connection, and support during the season. The groups meet regularly and are open to all participants who identify within the respective community.

Food Per Diem while on Projects

Access to Pro Deals

Housing options may be available in specific regions; talk with a Program Manager to learn more!!

As a Crew Leader (CL), you will oversee 3-5 adult crew members on 4-9 day overnight conservation projects on some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. Some crew leaders will lead a crew solo, some will lead with a co-leader, and some will have an assistant crew leader. The crew you will oversee will be made up of adults who come from a variety of backgrounds and locations throughout the country.

Crew Leaders will be responsible for helping to facilitate crew member growth, manage conflict on their crew, and support the crew in completing quality project service in the field.

Crews will camp for the full duration of a hitch (i.e. 4-9 day project assignment), oftentimes in remote locations on varied terrain and in all weather conditions. Camping accommodations vary, including car-camping and remote backcountry settings away from a vehicle. Not all CLs will serve on all types of projects. Crews may be deployed for natural disaster relief. Projects & Crew types may shift during the season.

• Field Crews:
  Duties may include building or maintaining trails, treating or removing invasive species, building fences, operating chainsaws to reduce wildfire risks by thinning trees, among many other types of projects.
• Forestry Crews:
  Duties may include Tree Species , Timber Stand Assessment, Tree Marking, Timber Sale Boundary Marking, Tree Planting, Silviculture Prescriptions, Reforestation Plot Surveying, Chainsaw Operations/Maintenance, Precommercial Thinning, Fireline/Fuelbreak Operations, and more.
• Field and Fuels:
  These crews will likely have a high proportion of chainsaw use, fireline construction and other forest health monitoring activities. This may also include wildland fuels mitigation projects and trail maintenance and construction.

As a Crew Leader, you will participate in a 3 month dynamic and immersive leadership development program crafted over two decades to enhance your confidence, resilience, and technical capabilities. You will engage in activities that will help you explore communication styles, develop emotional intelligence, master conflict resolution, and learn facilitation techniques to teach to different learning styles, and apply your knowledge to new scenarios.

Through feedback, reflection, and discussion, you will leave with actionable strategies to become an effective leader.

You will also receive extensive technical training to cover a range of essential skills for outdoor professionals, including federally recognized certifications in chainsaw and crosscut use (depending on crew type), defensive driving, and Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA). You will gain expertise in backcountry travel, trail maintenance, Leave No Trace principles, habitat management, and natural resource management. This…