American Conservation Experience (ACE)

AMERICAN CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE (ACE) PROVIDES TRAINED, SUPERVISED, COST EFFECTIVE LONG TERM VOLUNTEER CREWS TO ACCOMPLISH ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECTS FOR FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, AND CITY LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES. VOLUNTEERS SERVE IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS IN NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS, WILDLIFE REFUGES, WILDERNESS AREAS AND OTHER PUBLIC LANDS WHILE LEARNING CONSERVATION AND LEADERSHIP ROLES. ACE IS GROUNDED IN THE PHILOSOPHY THAT COOPERATIVE LABOR ON MEANINGFUL CONSERVATION PROJECTS FOSTERS CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND OPERATES ON THE BELIEF THAT CHALLENGING VOLUNTEER SERVICE UNITES PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS IN COMMON CAUSE. ACE PERFORMS CONSERVATION PROJECTS THROUGH CONTRACTS WITH VARIOUS AGENCIES INCLUDING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, AND BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. THE FOUR LARGEST ACE PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE CONSERVATION CORPS, THE CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS, THE EMERGING PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP CORPS AND YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CONSERVATION. 1. CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM - ORIGINALLY FORMED UNDER THE CONSERVATION CORPS MODEL, WHICH REMAINS THE CENTRAL AND LARGEST PROGRAM IN THE ORGANIZATION, ACE NOW PROVIDES A RANGE OF VOLUNTARY SERVICE PROGRAMS FOR BOTH AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS. ACES CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM IS FOR AMERCIAN PARTICIPANTS, AGED 18-25 WHO ARE CONSIDERING LAND MANAGEMENT AS A CAREER PATH OR POTENTIAL COURSE OF STUDY. CORPS MEMBERS SERVE IN PROFESSIONALLY SUPERVISED TEAMS AS THEY EXPLORE FUTURE OUTDOOR CAREERS, LEARN PRACTICAL SKILLS, AND DEVELOP CONFIDENCE AS EMERGING LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF CONSERVATION. CORPS MEMBERS ARE SUPPORTED DURING THEIR 3-12 MONTH SERVICE TERMS WITH COST OF LIVING STIPENDS, FOOD ON PROJECTS, AND FREE COMMON HOUSING ON OFF DAYS. 2. CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER PROGRAM - CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS SERVE IN SMALL TEAMS ON DIRECT SERVICE PROJECTS FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, AND OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. BY ATTRACTING A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF CONSERVATION-MINDED VOLUNTEERS, ACE CONTRIBUTES TO THE BREAKDOWN OF CULTURAL BARRIERS WHILE ADVANCING ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS ON A GLOBAL SCALE.3. EMERGING PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP CORPS PROGRAM (EPIC) - ACE EPIC Internships and Fellowships program provide recent graduates with focused, hands-on opportunities to work alongside and under the guidance of agency mentors and to apply their knowledge of resource management on actual projects and programs as they develop and emerge as the next generation of resource and land managers. ACE EPIC operates in coalition with partners such as the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other conservation focused groups to place interns within the operating structure of these organizations. Within the agencies and organizations, interns gain practical experience, implement the principles of managing public lands, and continue learning under the guidance of experienced agency mentors as they develop into the next generation of natural resource managers. Internships and fellowships not only provide a framework to build a skilled workforce for the 21st century but also allow youth to explore, connect, and preserve Americas natural and cultural resources as they gain professional skills and cultivate their careers in the resource management field.4. YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM (YCCP)- The ACE YCCP works with local communities nationwide to engage teens (ages 15-18) and young adults (18-24) in meaningful summer and long term field-based conservation projects that incorporate higher education and practical field training to address and accomplish critical environmental and conservation projects. These localized programs work closely with the communities in which they operate to provide meaningful experiences allowing participants to learn about different careers in conservation while gaining practical work experience and emerging as leaders in their communities.