OSMRE AmeriCorps Member at West Virginia Mine Wars Museum

• Location Conservation Legacy,Matewan, WV, 25678,United States
• Job Category Conservation , Ameri Corps, Mine Reclamation
• Industry Environment, Economic Development , Service
• Employee Type Ameri Corps

• Phone

Position Title: OSMRE Ameri Corps Member at West Virginia Mine Wars Museum

Terms of Service: 10 weeks

• Start Date: 09/28/2026
• End Date: 12/04/2026
• Final date to receive applications: 08/24/2026
• Number of Positions Available: 1
• Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 300 Hours

Stewards Individual Placements, a division of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with Ameri Corps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural and cultural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to build institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). Established in 1977 under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), OSMRE's primary mission is to ensure that coal mining activities are conducted in an environmentally responsible manner and that the land is restored to beneficial use following mining operations.

The office provides oversight and assistance to state and tribal regulatory programs, promotes reclamation of abandoned mine lands, and supports research and training to improve reclamation techniques. OSMRE is committed to balancing the nation's need for coal as an energy source with the need to protect and restore the environment.

The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum was founded in 2015 in Matewan, a National Historic Landmark town in Mingo County, West Virginia. The Museum’s mission is to preserve and share stories, artifacts and lessons about the struggles of coal miners and their families for workers’ rights, civil rights, and justice in the early 20th century. As a people’s history museum, we lift up the legacy of the multi-racial, multi-lingual effort to unionize the coalfields, when white mountaineers, Black migrants from the South, and immigrants from eastern and southern Europe joined in solidarity.

We foster connections between the Mine Wars era and injustices that confront working people today in Appalachia, the nation, and across the globe. The Museum educates youth, builds community partnerships, and promotes regional economic development.

Stewards Individual Placements, in partnership with the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, is seeking a Preservation & Tourism Development Steward to support Courage in the Hollers – a multi-site labor heritage trail connecting seven Mine Wars-era communities across southern West Virginia. The trail preserves and interprets the history of the coalfield labor struggles that shaped the region and connects that history to present-day community identity and economic development.

To achieve the goals of this position, the Ameri-Corps Member will:

• Historic Preservation Support - Support the National Register of Historic Places nomination process for the Clothier site in coordination with the WV State Historic Preservation Office
• Research and document the history of the Clothier site (deeds, historic photographs, newspaper archives, oral histories)
• Draft and assemble supporting materials for the National Register nomination in coordination with museum staff, Clothier community members, and WV SHPO
• Attend SHPO review meetings and respond to requested revisions
• Photograph and document current site conditions
• Trail Community Outreach — Build and sustain relationships with all seven Courage in the Hollers trail communities, with focused, sustained outreach to Racine
• Represent the museum at community meetings and events across the seven trail towns
• Build relationships with town officials, civic organizations, and residents
• Design and carry out a targeted outreach effort in Racine to raise…