The D&L Blog

The D&L is accepting applications for an enthusiastic person to join our team as a year long VISTA intern.  VISTA is an AmeriCorps program with the goal of alleviating poverty.  The D&L has partnered with Community Stewards and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to fund a project entitled “Healthy Trails, Healthy Towns”.

This project seeks to alleviate poverty in legacy coal mining communities.  Both Carbon and Luzerne Counties are areas recovering from the environmental and economic impacts of legacy coal mining.  In 2015 10.9% of the population in Carbon County and 15.8% in Luzerne County were below the poverty level and both have unemployment rates higher than the national average.  In addition both counties have higher rates of death, heart disease, and respiratory disease then the Pennsylvania average.

This project uses trails as infrastructure to improve the health and economy of legacy coal mining communities.  Trails can improve local communities’ economies and help alleviate poverty by providing sustainable tourism and improving the health of residents. The VISTA intern will work in the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor with a focus on Carbon and Luzerne counties. The VISTA will help build capacity of the local communities by implementing our D&L Trail Town Process and Get Your Tail on the Trail Program (TOT) to improve the economy and health of residents.

For more information about the internship including the stipend and benefits available, read the full position description. If you still have questions, contact the Trail Programs Manager.

Please visit the AmeriCorps website to apply: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=76392&fromSearch=true

Applications accepted until noon on October 13, 2017. Work will begin in late November.