Volunteer Application Instructions

hesapeake Conservation Corps

Volunteer Application Instructions

The Chesapeake Conservation Corps is designed to engage young adults in environmental and energy conservation projects, accomplishing bay restoration, and developing valuable career skills at the same time.
Deadline

April 17, 2015 at 5:00 pm

Duration of Corps Volunteer Service

12 months

Submit Your Application via Email:

tbaker@cbtrust.org
Partners:

Increasing community and individual stewardship is a critical component of efforts to restore local streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay. The Trust has long focused on stewardship, awarding over $65 million in grants in our 30-year history to engage residents of the Bay watershed, from the Delmarva Peninsula to the mountains of western Maryland, in efforts to restore and protect our natural resources.

Host organizations include non-profit organizations, local government organizations, and state government organizations. A list of organizations interested in serving as Host Organizations for the upcoming program year can be found at www.cbtrust.org/ChesapeakeConservationCorps after March 6th, along with full volunteer opportunity descriptions. Potential Volunteer applicants are strongly encouraged to contact one or more of these organizations to discuss potential service opportunities.

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  Watershed restoration, including stream restoration, rain gardens, and other low-impact development projects;
  
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  Implementation of specific nutrient reduction activities, such as innovative stormwater practices (rain gardens, bioretention cells), planting of bay grasses and oysters, installing living shorelines;
  
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  Working with communities to improve their environmental impacts and activities and to encourage environmental stewardship.
  

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  Implementation of community greening and urban tree canopy projects that create energy savings;
  
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  Assistance to schools in becoming “green schools” and reducing energy costs;
  
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  Promotion of energy efficiency of households and public structures within neighborhoods through energy audits, weatherization, and other on-site energy conservation measures – e.g., “green street” energy projects;
  
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  Implementation of clean energy projects in communities to enhance the use of renewable energy, reduce carbon emissions, and mitigate climate change;
  
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  Improvement of the energy efficiency of housing for elderly and low-income households;
  
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  Implementation of clean energy projects in communities to enhance the use of renewable energy, including free and low-cost energy audits.
  

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  Implementation of agricultural best management practices to prevent or reduce nutrient runoff;
  
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  Working in partnership with the agricultural community on outreach and engagement projects to encourage stewardship;
  
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  Working with forestry programs to increase the amount of forested acres in the watershed;
  
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  Working with urban tree canopy programs.
  

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  Development of interactive environmental education and energy conservation for elementary and secondary school students and the public;
  
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  Development of curriculum targeted at training high school students and apprentices to obtain skills necessary to create and implement clean energy projects in their communities and to compete for jobs in the emerging clean energy sector;
  
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  Assistance to schools to become “green schools” through hands-on projects with their students;
  
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  Building infrastructure to promote environmental education including outdoor classrooms, nature trails, and schoolyard habitats.
  

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  Development of environmental outreach tools and materials for a specific target audience;
  
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  Implementation of community-based restoration and conservation demonstration projects to engage citizens and encourage individual behavior change that will benefit watershed health;
  
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  Implementation of environmental and/or energy conservation awareness programs and projects to engage and educate citizens about the Bay and their local watersheds.
  

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  Participate in any partisan political activity while engaged in the performance of duties as stipend volunteers.
  
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  Participate in any regulatory or statutory enforcement activities while engaged in the performance of duties as a member of the Corps Program.
  
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  Undertake a project if the project would replace regular workers or duplicate or replace an existing service in the same locality.
  

1. 
   The Corps Volunteer is expected to work with his or her Host Organization and the Trust to structure a work plan based on a 40-hour per week volunteer schedule.
   
2. 
   The Corps Volunteer is expected to participate in six trainings during the service year to promote team building among the cohort of Corps Volunteers, develop an understanding of the overall Corps Program, share information about best practices, and advance knowledge on particular environment and energy topics.
   
3. 
   The Corps Volunteer is expected to submit quarterly status reports to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and a final report at the end of the service term.
   
4. 
   The Corps Volunteer will be required to attend and present a poster describing his or her proposed year’s activities at the Chesapeake Watershed Forum at the end of September 2015, at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
   
5. 
   The Corps Volunteer will be required to participate in all other program components. A calendar of program events and dates will be provided to Corps Volunteers at the start of the program year.
   

1. 
   The Host Organization is expected to work with the Corp Volunteer matched to the organization by the selection committee and with the Trust to structure the volunteer’s work plan based on a 40-hour per week volunteer schedule.
   
2. 
   The Host Organization is expected to provide a Corps Volunteer with desk or office space and access to a computer with internet access, to provide parking or reimbursement for parking on-site, and to provide mileage reimbursement for program-related travel, including travel to program training activities. Host organizations must have office space.
   
3. 
   The Host Organization is expected to cover the Corps Volunteer under the Host Organization’s general liability insurance for volunteers in an aggregate amount of at least $500,000 and list the Chesapeake Bay Trust as an “Additional Insured.” The Trust is willing to be flexible and work with government agencies that may have difficulty with this responsibility.
   
4. 
   The Host Organization is expected to submit quarterly status reports to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and a final report at the end of the service term.
   
5. 
   The Host Organization is strongly encouraged, but not required, to provide costs (travel, registration, and lodging, if required) to enable the Volunteer to attend one professional conference during the service term. Please indicate whether you will provide such match in your application form, which may be a factor considered by Volunteer applicants as they review the potential Host Organization options.
   
6. 
   Host Organizations that have been matched with a Volunteer for the past two consecutive program years (Program Years 2013-14 and 2014-15) must provide 10% of the Volunteer stipend ($1,600). By submitting an application to serve as a Host Organization, Host Organization applicants who match this criterion are committing to provide this resource if a successful Volunteer match is made. If selected, the 10% cash match would be due on August 17, 2015.
   

Host organizations must submit an application (see form below) that describes the types of environment, energy, agriculture, forestry, and/or education activities in which the Corps Volunteer will be engaged with estimated quantified deliverables (e.g., number of students reached, number of volunteers engaged, square feet of rain garden implemented, number of homes for an energy audit). The strongest Host Organization applicants will offer matching resources, will describe work skills training they can offer a Corps Volunteer, and will have strong partnerships with other organizations in which the Corps Volunteer will be engaged. Eligible Host Organization applications will be reviewed by Trust program staff and will be posted for potential Volunteer applicants to view, so keep both audiences (program staff and potential Volunteer applicants) in mind when crafting your application.

1. 
   The Trust will provide the Volunteer with a stipend of $16,000 for the one-year service term.
   

2. 
   The Trust will provide an orientation event and approximately six mandatory training experiences during the service term.
   

3. 
   The Trust will make available the opportunity for Volunteers to apply for Chesapeake Conservation Corps Mini Grants for projects associated with their service work of up to $1,250.
   

4. 
   The Trust will provide registration costs for each Volunteer to attend the 2015 Chesapeake Watershed Forum, attendance at which will be required of Volunteers. The Trust will also provide registration costs for each Volunteer to attend the 2016 Watershed Forum, after the completion of the year of service, to (a) present a poster describing his or her year of service and (b) serve as a mentor for the next class of Chesapeake Conservation Corps Volunteers.
   

Chesapeake Conservation Corps

Volunteer Application Form

Last Name:  . First:  . Middle .

Email:  .

1. PERSONAL

Yes

Are you a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident alien?

Yes

No

GED

Some college

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Some graduate

Master’s

Doctorate

Year highest level was completed:  .

Potential Host Organization

College

Internet

Job Fair

Former Corps Volunteer

Word of Mouth (other than former Corps)

Other 

Please indicate your 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd choices for the issue area(s) in which you would like to work. See “Corps Volunteer Eligible Activities” section above for detailed explanation of each:

      Environment/Watershed Restoration

      Energy Conservation

      Agriculture

      Forestry

      Environmental Education

      Community Engagement

      Any of the Above

Have you had contact with any of the potential host organization(s)? If so, please list organization name(s):_ .

Please indicate the geographic regions in which you would be willing to serve:

Upper Central MD 1 (Frederick, Carroll, Montgomery, Howard Counties)

Upper Central MD 2 (Baltimore County, Harford County)

Baltimore City

Lower Central MD (Anne Arundel, Prince George’s)

Southern MD (Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s Counties)

Upper Eastern Shore (Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline Counties)

Lower Eastern Shore (Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset)

If yes, for what have you been convicted, when, and where?  

Do you have any pending charges or are you under any type of investigation? Yes No

If yes, please explain:  

10. REFERENCES
Two references are required. References should be teachers, employers, or community members who know you well. They cannot be related to you. At least one should be someone who has supervised you in either a paid or volunteer position.
Please provide the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of your references:
1. Name:  . Phone  .

Email:  .

Email:  .

If possible, please submit letters of recommendation from these references. Letters of recommendation are definitely encouraged. Letters should describe your work competence, leadership potential, and your ability to build relationships. If you are not able to obtain letters of recommendation, your references may be contacted by phone and/or e-mail.
Please check one:

 Letters of recommendation are enclosed with my application.

 Letters of recommendation will be mailed separately.

 Contact my references by phone.

Please complete the required section below. This information will be kept separate from the application and confidential. We use this information for contact and reporting purposes only.

Street Address .

City/State/Zip Code  .

County . Phone (H)  . (C)  . (W)  .

 Male

 African American

 Asian or Pacific Islander

 Caucasian (not Hispanic)

 Hispanic

 Native American or Alaskan Native