Arizona State Parks & Trails Visitor Surveyor Intern - Phoenix, AZ

Arizona State Parks & Trails Visitor Surveyor Intern – AmeriCorps (3 openings)

Conservation Legacy Program: Arizona Conservation Corps

Site Location: 1100 W. Washington St., Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Term of Service:

• Start Date: 3/10/2025
• End Date: 2/13/2026
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hours 

Purpose:

This is an AmeriCorps position with Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC), which is an AmeriCorps program of Conservation Legacy. The member selected for this position will be serving at Arizona State Parks & Trails as an AmeriCorps member with Arizona Conservation Corps, and completing service projects for Arizona State Parks & Trails.

AZCC aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, and is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with communities and conservation service projects on public lands. AZCC operates programs across Arizona that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. AZCC has program offices in Flagstaff and Tucson. 

Arizona State Parks and Trails:

Established in 1957, Arizona State Parks and Trails’ mission is to connect people with the outdoors and history of Arizona to build a lifetime of memories. Its vision is Arizona State Parks and Trails is the national leader in sustainable outdoor recreation for current and future generations.

The agency manages more than 64,000 acres of land and includes the State Trails Program, outdoor-related grants program, statewide outdoor recreation planning, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of Outdoor Recreation, and the Off-Highway Vehicle Program. The agency not only promotes physical and mental health and wellness within Arizona communities, but also helps drive the economy, and enhance and protect local communities and cultures.

Currently, the agency manages 33 state parks that include camping, hiking, boating, fishing, history, and one memorial state park. Rockin' River Ranch State Park, opened in 2024, is the most recently added park.

Description of Duties:

Arizona State Parks and Trails (ASPT) conducts a visitor survey approximately every five years, using Field Interviewers. The selected Field Interviewers will assist ASPT in collecting visitor survey data by administering questionnaires to park visitors. Surveys will be administered by Field Interviewers at the identified parks throughout the 2025 calendar year at various locations in parks, including trailheads, visitor centers, campgrounds and parking areas that provide adequate space to conduct interviews. ASPT will help determine surveying locations for each park along with instructions on how to survey visitors, and survey goals per quarter. Surveyors will approach park visitors, introduce the project and administer the survey. Each park will be surveyed for at least a one-week period during each quarter of the 2025 calendar year (Jan-Mar; Apr-Jun; Jul-Sep; Oct-Dec) or until park survey goals are met.

The ASPT visitor survey project is designed to gather insights on user experiences, expectations, and suggestions regarding park facilities and services. By understanding visitor perspectives, the project can help identify areas where improvements are needed, particularly in at-risk ecosystems.

The visitor survey is a crucial tool to assess and prioritize actions that can lead to the restoration and protection of park resources, including the appropriate protection of the acres of land managed by ASPT, which includes more than 100 miles of trails, and 17 waterways within the state parks system.

The intern will have the opportunity to interact with various professionals within the parks system, including park rangers, environmental educators, park volunteers, business analysts and planners. This will provide firsthand experience of the daily responsibilities and challenges faced in different roles, allowing the intern to gain valuable insights into potential career paths.

The intern will also have the chance to survey at several different types of parks, which will broaden their understanding of the various park types and their unique challenges. These interactions can enhance the intern's skill set and expose them to specialized fields within park services.

By integrating these components into the intern's experience, they will gain a well-rounded perspective on potential career tracks in environmental and park management fields.

The intern will receive information on the parks, who their primary contact will be at each park, and expectations related to their positions. The intern will also receive training on how and who to approach to conduct the surveys.

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Coordinate project schedule for survey collection at each location.
• Introduce yourself to each park employees and volunteers upon arrival to the park.
• Coordinate with project lead on the target number of visitor survey contacts and target surveys returned.
• Systematically and politely approach park visitors to ask for their participation to complete a visitor survey in order to meet park survey goals.
• Travel to various Arizona state parks throughout the state, coordinate with project leads on appropriate park locations to survey visitors.
• Coordinate with project lead on whether overnight park accommodations are required.
• Record number of visitor surveys distributed, visitors completing the survey, refusing the survey, etc.
• Keep records of survey collection activities.
• Record time spent traveling to parks, arrival time, time spent conducting visitor surveys, time leaving the park, time returning home.
• Record any additional information that will make surveying at the park more effective/efficient in the future.
• Ensure that all survey tools are available; keep track of inventory and communicate to project lead when more materials are needed.

Qualifications:

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• At least 18 years of age.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
• Ability to represent Arizona State Parks & Trails in a positive and professional manner.
• Must be willing to travel throughout Arizona with overnight stays (camping, staying in cabins or lodges) at Arizona State Parks.
• Customer service experience working with the public.
• Interviewing and data collection skills.
• Must be able to work independently with limited supervision.
• Ability to approach visitors from all demographics (gender, race, religion, accessibility) to ask their participation in surveys while being courteous and being a positive representative of Arizona State Parks.
• Must be self-motivated, organized and detail-oriented with the ability to keep detailed records of all work activities and administrative tasks.
• Be able to remain outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, for several hours at a time.
• Applicants must pass a criminal history background check, and should possess a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual in Spanish.

Physical Requirements:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Time Requirements:

• The interns will be expected to serve morning, afternoon and weekend hours through December 31, 2025. The positions will be approximately 40 hours per week, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service.
• Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an Arizona Conservation Corps Individual Placement Program New Member Orientation at start of service that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395.00 with successful completion of position.
• Living Allowance of $620 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $100 per week.
• Healthcare Coverage provided by The Corps Network and Cigna.
• Childcare Coverage.
• Qualifies for Student Loan forbearance and Interest Payment reimbursement through AmeriCorps.

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Supervisor Name:

This position reports to Katharine Schinzel with Arizona State Parks & Trails.

To Apply:  

Please submit a resume and cover letter along with the online application by clicking the APPLY link on this page.

If you have questions, contact AZCC’s Individual Placement Coordinator Preston Sands at psands@conservationlegacy.org. 

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with AmeriCorps requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Salary : $100 - $620