What's this all about?

The Big Dig-2005 is a 7 -week program of trailbuilding (May 15 - June 30, 2005) combined with environmental education, history, culture, and musical sessions, which will take place in the Rock, Possum, and Soddy gorges of Hamilton County, Tennessee (in the southeast corner of the state, near Chattanooga). The footpath has been designed, the corridor itself is flagged, and ready to build. The result of this program will be 35 contiguous miles of new trail added to the Cumberland Trail State Park system, increasing our completed system from 150 to 165 - on our way to 300!

We need student participation, both as volunteers and as staff members. Student participation as staff members, supplementing our volunteer leadership, is the particular subject of this information sheet.

What will we do for the staff?

1. Housing will be provided at a church lodge … air-conditioned dorm-style rooms with several common gathering rooms under the same roof. Recreational opportunities at the lodge include tennis, basketball, swimming (lake), and large areas in which to romp.

2. Food will be provided - breakfast, trail lunch, and a hot dinner each night.

3. Students will earn a $900 stipend for their work during the program.

4. Educational programs will abound. Students will learn about our natural world through presentations by local historians, environmental scientists, and naturalists from Tennessee.

5. Culture and Entertainment - Learn about local culture and bluegrass music of the mountains.

6. And … the most priceless thing we offer: immersion in the Cumberland Trail Experience.

What will we ask of our staff members?

1. May 15, 2005 - Come to Soddy Daisy, Tn.

2. May 15 - 21 - Train you in trailbuilding skills, in addition to training in first aid and CPR. We will also take you on some orientation trips out to the trail corridor and ask help in marking off team sites. It's gorgeous out there … we call them the "Gorgeous Gorges."

3. May 22 - June 25 - For this 5 -week period:
   • 4 days per week leading trailbuilding crews - we'll give advance leadership training and teach you how to organize a trail workday.
   • 1 day per week staying at the housing facility (a church lodge with lake and huge grounds), helping with tool maintenance, food prep, and other camp duties as detailed in the following job description.
   • 2 days per week (we insist!) are yours to enjoy

4. 4. June 26 - 30 - These are our closedown days. Staff will help us tie up loose ends, document the achievements of the program, and store our equipment.

As you can imagine, our excitement level regarding The Big Dig III is high. We look forward to having 80 volunteers per day on the trail during the 5-weeks of building activity, and our core group of volunteers are already making plans and scheduling vacations so they can participate as much as possible.

If you are looking for a fun summer job, or just a 7-week getaway from the same old routine, we'd love to have you to be a part of building the "Trail of Dreams."

Our deadline for applications is April 8, 2005, but we'd like to begin filling these positions as soon as possible.

Dates
Trail Leader: May 15 - June 30, 2005 (approximately 7 weeks).

Camp Host & Assistant Coordinator: May 11 - June 30, 2005 (approximately 7.5 weeks).

Job Summary
Big Dig Staff members will work with CTC to organize and lead volunteers participating in The Big Dig, CTC's newest and most ambitious program. Sandwiched between a setup week and a closedown week, active trailbuilding will continue for 5 weeks with as many as 80 volunteers per day for the construction of the Rock/Possum/Soddy Segments of the Cumberland Trail State Park. The Big Dig Staff will be composed of three positions. The Assistant Coordinators (Wagonmasters) will assist the Program Coordinator with teaching and managing the Big Dig Staff. The Trail Leader will be our traditional "in the field" person that will be teaching and leading volunteers in trail construction. The Trail Leader will report to the Assistant Coordinator. The Camp Host will be the "meet & greet" person that will assist the Program Coordinator with program support.

General responsibilities
Trail Leader: 60% On-trail Leadership, 15% Base Camp Support, and 25% General Program Support.

Camp Host: 80% General Program Support, 15% Base Camp Support, and 5% On trail Leadership

Assistant Coordinator: 80% On-trail Leadership, 15% Base Camp Support, 5% General Program Support

On-trail Leadership
Staff member will provide on-trail leadership as a MuleSkinner for volunteer participants of The Big Dig - on average, four days per week during the May 22-June 25 timeframe. This includes, but is not limited to: instructing volunteers in trailbuilding techniques, directing the team in its assigned task, keeping team motivated and on task, maintaining quality control for work projects, insuring safe work practices, and assisting CTC staff with educational sessions. Cumberland Trail Conference Wagonmasters will be onsite to help supervise staff.

Base Camp Support
Staff member will rotate through a base camp support detail, providing support to the field crews from camp - on average, one day per week during the May 22-June 25 timeframe. This support will involve camp maintenance, kitchen duties, transportation, communication, equipment checkout and maintenance, volunteer safety, and educational program support.

General Program Support
Staff member will work with the Program Coordinator and the Camp Host in various levels of program coordination, including: program preparation and setup, trailbuilding training techniques, and registering volunteers (May 16-20). The final few days of the program, (June 27-30) will involve writing final program summaries, and closedown of the project.

Base Camp
The Big Dig will be based out of Dogwood Camp, Soddy Daisy, TN. Staff members will live onsite for the duration of the program.

Work Location
Trail construction will be in the Rock, Possum, and Soddy gorges of northwest Hamilton County, near the communities of Sale Creek, Bakewell, and Soddy Daisy.

Qualifications
Prior volunteer experience with the Cumberland Trail Conference will be helpful. Applicants must be 18 years of age and must have completed high school.

Individual Considerations
Strong work ethic
Demonstrated leadership skills
Good physical condition
Comfort in backcountry setting
Teambuilding skills

Remuneration
A stipend of $900 will be paid for the 7-week period.

Food/Lodging/Transportation
Housing, food, and transportation will be provided at no cost to the staff member.

Application Requirements
Complete the Big Dig Staff Application
Return the application to CTC with a Resume

Application Deadline
April 8, 2005
Applications, however, are being accepted immediately. Only 14 positions are available.

Mail or Fax application and resume to
Cumberland Trail Conference
19 E. Fourth Street
Crossville, TN 38555
(931) 456-6259 (phone)
(931) 456-4934 (fax)
cumberlandtrail@rocketmail.com

Name___________________________________SSN________ Address____________________________________________ City_____________________State________ZIP___________ Home Phone___________________email________________ Educational Background: List all education you have received since high school. List most recent first

Name of school

City,State

Dates Attended

Major

Degree/Graduation Date

a

b

c

Trail Building/Leadership Experience On a separate page, answer these questions fully List any trailbuilding experience you have. Give a brief description of work completed, its location, and the agency or organization with whom you worked. Describe your team leadership experience, if any. Describe any community service projects in which you have participated, other than trailbuilding

Please provide three references Name and title: ____________________ Daytime Phone: _______ Address_____________________ City, State,ZIP__________ Name and title: __________________ Daytime Phone: _______ Address_____________________ City, State,ZIP__________ Name and title: __________________ Daytime Phone: _______ Address_____________________ City, State,ZIP__________ Work Experience Fill in the appropriate boxes, describing any previous work experience you may have.

Job #1

Organization

Address

Phone

From/To (mo./yr.)

Hours/week

Title

# you supervised

Direct Supervisor

Reason for Leaving

Describe Duties

Job #2

Organization

Address

Phone

From/To (mo./yr.)

Hours/week

Title

# you supervised

Direct Supervisor

Reason for Leaving

Describe Duties

Job #3

Organization

Address

Phone

From/To (mo./yr.)

Hours/week

Title

# you supervised

Direct Supervisor

Reason for Leaving

Describe Duties

Signature_______________________________Date_________

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For more information, contact us at:

Cumberland Trail Conference
19 East 4th Street
Crossville, TN 38555
(931) 456-6259
or email us at cumberlandtrail@rocketmail.com

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Send email tocumberlandtrail@rocketmail.com if you like

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