Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Natural Resource Management Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Petersburg National Battlefield, Petersburg, Virginia

Can this position be fully remote: No

Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

Duration: 12 Weeks (not flexible)

Flexible Start Date: Yes

Start Date: 05/12/2025

End Date: 08/04/2025

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 Hour

BENEFITS

  • Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,956.00 upon successful completion of position.
  • Living Allowance of $565.00 per week.
  • Relocation Allowance of $400.00 distributed as a one-time lump sum.
  • Student Loan Forbearance if applicable (administered by MyAmeriCorps, directly).
    • Student Loan Interest Payments if applicable (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly).

APPLICATION TIMELINE

The position will close after receiving 75 applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, 19 January, 2025, whichever occurs first. The review of applications will begin after Sunday, 19 January, 2025.

PURPOSE

This Natural Resource Management Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will contribute to the National Park Service preserving natural resources, cultural resources, and values for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of current and future generations. This position will contribute toward the restoration of grasslands, conservation of breeding birds in the northeast, climate adaptation to increased river flooding and collection of valuable data that will drive resource management decisions.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

PETE relies heavily on using GIS analysis and geospatial data to properly manage, monitor, maintain, treat, and map all facets of the park. While the park has collected and retained extensive data, it needs assistance to effectively continue that work.

The 2025 SIP member will assist in multiple tasks including IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) projects at PETE such as, Rising Water: Managing Floodplains in the Northeast in an Uncertain Future as well as Native Grassland Habitat Restoration. Stream erosion and incision at PETE will serve as a case study for the Inflation Reduction Act Project Rising Water: Managing Floodplains in the Northeast in an Uncertain Future, which aims to provide tools to inform river management in a changing climate. The member will assist by collecting field data to evaluate stream erosion and head cuts and the associated impacts to natural and cultural resources.

The other IRA Grasslands project aims to restore degraded grassland areas within the national park. Grasslands are one of the fastest declining ecosystems and PETE will be transitioning one of our fields into native grassland pollinator habitat. The member will assist by collecting field data and monitoring the site as necessary to track changes in biodiversity over time.

Additionally, the member will assist with a multitude of ongoing projects but with a primary focus on annual breeding bird surveys in forested and grassland communities. Tasks will include but are not limited to:

  • Locating and flagging breeding bird points via GPS
  • Conducting 50+ breeding bird point count surveys and managing the data
  • Studying stream erosion, head cut migration, and the cause of stream degradation by collecting field data and performing GIS analyses
  • Conducting field surveys of dragonfly larva
  • Monitoring 4 ground water wells
  • Assisting in field work associated with transitioning parcels of land into native grassland pollinator habitat
  • Conducting camera trap surveys and creating a species presence/absence list
  • Creating volunteer job descriptions for projects and post them to the park’s website as needed
  • Identifying and fixing trail maintenance issues

Other specialized projects and opportunities may arise to help in other divisions and if the member has interest, they will be allowed to branch out to see how others operate.


KEYWORDS: Resource Management, Data management, Grassland Restoration, Stream management, Breeding Birds

DELIVERABLES

At the end of this position, the member will have collected and organized an abundant amount of biological park data, and the member will also have helped create protocols to monitor problematic erosion areas.


QUALIFICATIONS

  • United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
  • Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of 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.
  • Prior to starting the position, agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check for the employer of record, Conservation Legacy, and a separate government security background check for the NPS site location.
  • The applicant must be available to participate for 12 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Education background in biology, botany, environmental sciences, hydrology, geomorphology, forestry, wildlife sciences or other similar focus areas.
  • Field experience with species identification (plants, birds, herps, mammals, invertebrates)
  • Experience with GIS and GPS
  • Willingness to work in less-than-ideal environmental conditions (backwoods, ticks, chiggers, heat, snakes, spiders, etc.)
  • Ability to work independently
  • Good attitude and ability to adapt on the fly
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

Field setting: The park is composed of open meadows, fields, and forested areas. Summers are very hot and humid so proper clothing will be imperative for work and non-work life. The members work will be heavily based in the field hiking, surveying lands, carrying equipment up to 40 pounds, and collecting data. The environment will sometimes be less than ideal with high heat, snakes, ticks, chiggers, and other biting/stinging insects. So, the ability to properly gauge themselves during the day will be important.

Office setting: Work in the office will be necessary to create spreadsheets and manage data among other administrative tasks.

All common amenities (grocery store, restaurants/breweries, gym, pharmacies/doctor etc.) are available within in a 25-mile radius from the park and park housing. It is recommended that members have a car to get to and from these places as well as to and from the office.


VEHICLE AND DRIVER’S LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

  • Applicant must have a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
  • A personal vehicle is recommended for this position.

HOUSING

Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant. Park housing has a kitchen, living room, and dining room which is shared with other members. Bedrooms are private. The house is furnished but the members will need to bring their own bedding, personal items, toiletries, and any other special things they need or want in the house.

Kitchen has pots, pans, plates, and utensils. Washer and dryer are also in the house.


HOW TO APPLY

Apply online, all Scientists in Parks positions are listed at: https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/. Complete the application for this position, highlighting why you are interested in the position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position. Be prepared to upload your resume and unofficial transcript as part of completing the application questionnaire.

Once you begin applying for a position, the application must be completed in one sitting. You cannot save and return later to complete it. Applicants can apply for up to five Scientists in Parks positions per season. You need to complete a separate application for each position in order to be considered. You should receive a confirmation email after successfully submitting an application. Sometimes institutional email filters/settings can redirect or block emails related to the application. We recommend watching spam, junk, and promotional email folders in case your email service delivers messages there. Please visit How to Apply for additional resources and information about applying (i.e., learn what materials to have ready for applying, find a worksheet that previews application questions, etc.). Learn more about Scientists in Parks at: https://www.scientistsinparks.org/.


ADDITIONAL DETAILS


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.


TIME REQUIREMENTS

  • This position is expected to serve full time each week, but exact service schedules may vary.
  • Lunch breaks will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service hours.
  • Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

ORIENTATION AND TRAINING

  • Orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
  • Pertinent training from the NPS site location throughout the term of service.
  • Access to free professional development webinars led by Conservation Legacy staff or the Ecological Society of America.
  • Opportunity to join one (or more) SIP Affinity Groups. Groups include: DEIJ Change Makers, Women+ in Science, BIPOC, or Pride in STEM.
  • Opportunity to present the outcomes from the SIP position at national scientific meetings held by the Ecological Society of America and Geological Society of America.

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.


Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to provide institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. Stewards in partnership with the Petersburg National Battlefield will host a Natural Resource Management Assistant.


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 the application or recruiting process, please send a request to Scientists in Parks using the email address at the base of the home page, under “Questions? Contact us!”

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