AmeriCorps Cape Cod is a full-time residential service program dedicated to addressing the critical environmental and disaster preparedness and response needs on Cape Cod. As an AmeriCorps Cape Cod Member, you will have the opportunity to explore various sectors of the environmental and disaster preparedness field; gain valuable skills through training and hands-on service experience; foster personal and professional development; build leadership skills; provide valuable and quality service for the environment and community of Cape Cod.
Service Activities
AmeriCorps Cape Cod (ACC) targets its activities around the following focus areas to better serve the Cape Cod community.
Natural Resource Management: shellfish propagation, herring run clearing, heathland restoration, wildland fuels reduction, invasive plant species removal, trail building and restoration, sand dune restoration and community garden maintenance.
Disaster Preparedness and Response: help organizations like the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee prepare for disasters like hurricanes, fires, and widespread power outages; deploy to assist in emergency shelters operations across the Cape; respond to marine mammal, ocean sunfish, and seal, and sea turtle strandings.
Environmental Education: engaged in educating the public on many environmental and safety issues including fire safety, recycling, and vermicomposting.
Community and Volunteer Engagement: provide capacity building for local municipalities and non-profits by assisting with volunteer recruitment and retention programs.
Community Need Addressed
Barnstable County's history, culture, and economic vitality are connected to the quality and preservation of its water, beaches, dunes, estuaries, marshes, and conservation lands. These natural resources that make Cape Cod attractive are continually under threat from human impact and natural hazards such as coastal flooding, erosion, drought/ extreme heat, hurricanes, blizzards, nor’easters, tornados, oil spills, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and even tsunamis.
The region's expanding year-round population and economic development, along with its aging demographics and influx of tourists, are placing unprecedented negative impact on the region's natural resources. The median age of Cape Cod residents is 51, making it the densest region of elderly in the state (30% of the population is over 65 and that number is increasing). As the population increases, the primary source of drinking water, a sole-source aquifer, is threatened by high levels of nitrogen from septic waste. According to the Cape Cod Commission, 82% of all homes on Cape Cod dispose of their wastewater through septic systems that leach nitrogen directly into the groundwater. A natural solution to cleaning up waterways from nitrogen loading is through shellfish propagation and broadcasting. Additionally, there has been a coordinated effort from federal, state, and local governments and nonprofits to ensure that the region's land is preserved through publicly held deed restrictions. Forty percent of the land on Cape Cod is publicly held, which includes 43,607 acres of the Cape Cod National Seashore. This land requires routine maintenance to preserve trails, to restore native habitat, and to protect these areas against wildfire. According to the 2012 Barnstable County Wildfire Preparedness Plan, Cape Cod is the second most hazardous wildfire zone in the country. One reason is the existence of the widespread Atlantic coastal pine barrens consisting mostly of scrub oak and pitch pine. These species have adapted over time to thrive in nutrient-deficient sandy soil and regrow after a wildfire. When pine barrens are unmaintained, a thick undergrowth proliferates and adds more fuel to a forest fire, causing tremendous ecological damage and economic losses. AmeriCorps members provide the essential myriad services needed to support large scale water and land projects.
Cape Cod is highly vulnerable to natural hazards. It is a peninsular sandbar that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and is connected to the mainland by two bridges. In the event of a natural disaster, large-scale evacuation would be extremely difficult. The aging population typically has less mobility or options to leave their homes, creating a critical need for a strong year-round sheltering operational system. AmeriCorps members in collaboration with Barnstable County Regional Emergency Preparedness Team to provide this essential service and keep the population safe.
Position Outcomes
Barnstable County AmeriCorps Cape Cod (ACC) trains and deploys 24 full-time residential members. Members will leverage at least 400 volunteers in partnership with all 15 Cape Cod towns, plus over 85 regional, federal, state, local, and nonprofit service partners to affect lasting, measurable changes in the community through environmental and disaster services focus areas. Barnstable County provides members with housing, program vehicles, hand and power tools, and in-depth training to equip members with skills to effectively address the critical environmental and disaster needs of the Cape Cod region.
ACC's Environmental Stewardship activities are water and land based. Water based projects aim to improve water quality by removing nitrogen. These projects are conducted with town shellfish officers and include the growing and broadcasting of shellfish along the estuaries and tidal flats of the region. Shellfish are efficient filter feeders that help remove excess nitrogen from waters by incorporating it into their shells and tissue as they grow. Members also construct the shellfish grow out bags and maintain gear needed for healthy shellfish growth. Land stewardship projects include trail-building and maintenance, sand dune restoration, beach grass planting, heathland restoration for migratory birds, fuels reduction, invasive species removal, and community garden building. Members use hand and power tools provided by Barnstable County with oversight by regional experts to complete these projects. In efforts to assist with managing Cape Cod’s conservation lands as well as reducing the high level of wildfire risk, members are also trained to utilize a Wildfire Mitigation trailer as a natural resource management tool.
These activities will result in improved water quality and land conservation through nitrogen reduction, river herring population growth, reduced wildfire risk through fuels reduction, heathland restoration, improved migratory bird habitat, dissolved oxygen reduction, saltmarsh restoration, and accessibility to public conservation lands through trail creation.
Member service will result in improvements made to 200 acres of parks or public and tribal lands and the improvement or creation of 80 miles of trails or waterways.
The region's stability depends on the community's preparedness and resiliency when faced with a natural disaster. A strong regional sheltering system is critical, and AmeriCorps members, coordinated by the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC), play a vital role in protecting the population by serving as staff within shelters. All members will be trained in disaster preparedness and response through the BCREPC, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The residential nature of the program means members will be ready and available to respond with transportation, as needed, to regional and statewide disasters and emergencies. In the event of a disaster local or statewide, members are on call and prepared to open and staff regional and statewide emergency sheltering operations. Members serve as a specialized corps who receive advanced training in wildland fuels reduction, shelter operations, incident command systems, and disaster response case management. Members will also prepare for and respond to disasters, such as severe weather events, stranded marine mammals, and water quality issues that can cause catastrophic shellfish deaths. Barnstable County AmeriCorps Cape Cod (ACC) has responded to various natural disasters in recent years. Some include the three back-to-back Nor’easters in 2018 as well as the three tornados that touched down in the summer of 2019.
Benefits
Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Housing, Living allowance, Stipend, Student loan forbearance, Training
Benefits our AmeriCorps Cape Cod Members receive:
Housing during the term of service
A living stipend with the option for health care benefits
A Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $6,895 from the National Service Trust upon successful and satisfactory completion of the program.
Additional benefits include extensive orientation and training in the following:
Power Tool & Carpentry Tool Use
Local Plant Identification
Land Management
Wildfire Mitigation
Shellfish Propagation
Shorebird Fencing & Monitoring
Environmental Education
Volunteer Management
Event Planning
Disaster Preparedness & Response
First Aid & CPR
Leadership & Teambuilding
Education Benefits
Credential or Certification
Power Tool & Carpentry Tool Use
Local Plant Identification
Land Management
Wildfire Mitigation
Shellfish Propagation
Shorebird Fencing & Monitoring
Environmental Education
Volunteer Management
Event Planning
Disaster Preparedness & Response
First Aid & CPR
Leadership & Teambuilding
Skills you will gain
Leadership, Project Development and Implementation, Natural Resource Management Skills, Disaster Response and Preparedness Skills
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment