Individual Support Specialists

The Student Conservation Association is hiring Individual Support Specialists for a physically demanding position at the Hoonah Ranger District in Alaska. Responsibilities include maintaining recreation sites, assisting with timber programs, and engaging with visitors in a remote environment. The role requires outdoor experience, physical fitness, and the ability to work in challenging weather conditions. This is an entry-level position from May 4 to July 25, 2026.
Individual Placement-Alaska- Recreation, Wilderness, and Timber Support Technician 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars Position Summary This position will be hosted at the Hoonah Ranger District on the Tongass National Forest based in the town of Hoonah, Alaska. This position is primarily field-going with duties involving working in inclement weather, dealing with bugs, and working in brown bear habitat. Work can be very physically demanding, including off-trail hiking in heavy brush and carrying 40 + pounds for distances of a few miles in steep terrain, being in rainy conditions with low daily temperatures around 60 degrees, living in a remote native community without connections via roads to the outside world. Working around firearms is required but you will not be required to operate firearms. This position will act as a technician, maintaining recreation sites, assisting the timber program, helping with various land stewardship activities, learning new skills, and supporting the Forest Service's mission of active forest management. Location Hoonah, AK Schedule May 4, 2026 - July 25, 2026 Key Duties and Responsibilities The Support Tech's primary responsibilities will include assisting HRD Recreation personnel with visitor services, recreation site maintenance, and wilderness monitoring. Responsibilities may involve a mix of public engagement, facilities maintenance, and resource management, including greeting forest visitors, providing information on amenities, regulations, Leave No Trace principles, and local ecology. Recreation site maintenance may include maintaining cabins, trails, picnic sites, signs, and restroom facilities. Routine tasks may involve tool and equipment maintenance and general groundskeeping. Physical tasks may include lifting and the use of hand/power tools. Resource management support may include assistance with conducting site inspections, collecting field data, conducting trail surveys, wilderness character monitoring, conducting visitor surveys and some office support. This position requires physical activity and will often require boat, float plane, and UTV travel to conduct fieldwork in remote locations and hiking on wet uneven terrain. The tech will use a variety of tools including weedwhackers, loppers and other equipment. Marginal Duties This position will also work on a 1-2 person crew in the implementation of timber sales, fleet & facilities, and roads management. Tasks would include:
forestry inventory, timber sales layout, along with timber trespass, cruising, traversing, and road layout projects. They will carry out routine activities and assist in other work. The Support Tech will help with marking timber, painting/taging boundaries, and traversing boundaries to determine acreage for timber and fuelwood sales. They will have the opportunity to learn a lot of traditional forestry skills. Required Qualifications Incumbents should be an "outdoorsy" person with some experience of working outside and recreating outside. Must be physically fit and have some mental fortitude to work in unpleasant environmental conditions in remote places without all the modern convivences. This is an entry level position and life experience, and individuals' personality is a large portion of the consideration. 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 Pursuing education in the field of natural resources or outdoor recreation is a plus. Hours 40 per week Living Accommodations Forest Service housing in Hoonah is provided. Hoonah, Alaska is a Tlingit village of 800 people located 30 miles from the state capital of Juneau. We have a small airport and a ferry terminal; there is no road connection. Chichagof island on which Hoonah is located on the northeastern shore of port Fredrick, a large embayment on the east side of the island. Food is expensive and options are limited, while we do have restaurants. Cell service is only available in town, but there is internet. We do receive cruise ships at the north end of town with around 500,000 visitors a year - this is Hoonah's largest industry and commercial fishing and forestry makes up the rest of the economy. We have a very high number of bears on the island and they are always around, even in the city limits. Hoonah is connected to about 130 miles of gravel logging roads accessing about 30 percent of the island. Fishing, hiking, & boating are the main activities in the summer season. It rains a lot and it is possible to have periods of rain lasting one week. The average summer temperature is around 60 degrees, although days of 80 degrees are common. There are also mosquitoes and biting flies that can be intense at times. Compensation $450/week living allowance $1300 one-time roundtrip travel stipend $400 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 Defensive Driving Training 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.