Traditional Trades Advancement Program – Landscape Stewardship Corps – Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking two members to contribute to landscape stewardship and historic preservation projects at Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site.

The Traditional Trades Advancement Program-Landscape Stewardship Corps is intended for enthusiastic individuals who possess an interest in gaining experience in the field of landscape preservation or horticulture. No education or experience in the field is necessary.

For more information about the National Park Service’s Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) – Landscape Stewardship Corps, please visit our website.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

Start Date: March 3, 2025 (flexible)

Estimated End Date: September 1, 2025, or 26-weeks after start date

*a 26-week minimum commitment is required*

Location Details/Description: Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site (LONG) is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a short walk from Harvard Square. The site preserves the remarkable Georgian house whose occupants shaped the nation. It was a site of colonial enslavement and community activism, George Washington’s first long-term headquarters of the American Revolution, and the place where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his canon of 19th-century American literature. At the beginning of the 20th century, Longfellow’s oldest daughter, Alice, hired two female landscape architects, Martha Brookes Hutcheson and Ellen Biddle Shipman, to redesign the property’s garden in the then-fashionable Colonial Revival style. This design remains today.

LONG is easily accessible by public transit, bike, and on-foot.

For more information about Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site please visit the NPS website.

Position Overview: ACE members will work with Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site gardeners and dedicated volunteers to care for cultural landscapes throughout the park, including the Colonial Revival garden. Project work will include planting, pruning and trimming trees, turf management, and other horticultural practices as well as documenting the garden alongside the park’s social media team to share the garden and historic landscape with remote visitors. ACE members will also receive guidance from NPS staff with a wide range of skillsets to support job readiness and career exploration.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Schedule: The ACE member’s daily schedule will adjust to account for seasonal changes:

March 3-May 29: Monday-Friday, 7:00AM-3:30PM then June 1-September 1: Sunday-Thursday, 8:45AM-5:15PM

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $720/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility or view general eligibility information on our website.

Housing: In addition to the living allowance, a housing allowance of $250/week will be provided to offset the costs of housing, dispersed bi-weekly.

Professional Development Stipend: $1,000 of professional development funds will be available to participants for pre-approved uses.

Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position-specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support. Specific trainings include OSHA-10 and Introduction to Preservation Horticulture.

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required by U.S. government contracts.
• Members must have a High School Diploma or GED.
• Members must be ages 18-30 (up to 35 if a U.S. veteran).
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A current and valid form of ID (will be required to provide copies of ID’s upon hiring)
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website located on our Indeed homepage.

Preferred:

• Deep interest in historic preservation, horticulture, arboriculture, and/or the environment.

• Commitment to learning and following safety procedures, including demonstrating situational awareness.

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands: Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, hiking, carrying, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talking and hearing. Manual dexterity required for use of various tools, computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment. Required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus.
• Weight Lifted or Force Exerted: Frequently moves up to 15 lbs., ability to move up to 50 pounds.
• Environmental: Outdoor and indoor conditions. Work environment conditions can change frequently, working under adverse weather conditions and in various climates.
• Noise Environment: Moderate to high noise such gas-powered chainsaws and other hand and power tools.
• Travel: This position may require domestic travel.

Environmental Conditions/Hazards: The ACE member(s) may encounter environmental conditions/hazards including extreme heat or cold, biting insects, and potentially dangerous wildlife. The member is expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow staff/members or resources.

Vehicle and Equipment Use/Safety: If a vehicle is required for the accomplishment of the duties, one will be provided by the NPS or ACE. Any tools required for the accomplishment of the duties will be provided by the NPS. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), typically provided by the NPS, will be mandatory for any activity that requires it. Strict adherence to NPS and ACE equipment training, certification and safety protocols is required.

To Apply: Submitting a resume and cover letter is optional. Please share contact information for three professional/academic references to ACE’s online application page for this position on our website. Early consideration will be given as applications are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position, please feel free to contact ACE EPIC Historic Preservation Project Manager Kyle Ellison.