POSITION DETAILS
Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Air Resources Division, Cumberland Piedmont Network, Denver, Colorado
Can this position be fully remote: Yes
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 26 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 05/11/2025
End Date: 11/09/2025
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 Hour
BENEFITS
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,697.00 upon successful completion of position.
- Living Allowance of $665.00 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 Ecology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will address ozone pollution. Ground-level ozone pollution is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is about to review its current ozone regulations. This project's analysis will provide important information to park managers and to regulators about current effects of ozone pollution in protected parks. Previous regulations have improved summertime ozone pollution in the Southeast. However, wildfires or heatwaves create short, intense periods of air pollution that can affect sensitive plants. The member will produce scripts to analyze the ozone injury data and to analyze future data collected. The member will communicate results of the analysis via a presentation at the National Atmospheric Deposition Program fall meeting.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The member for this project will work with datasets on air pollution and plants. They will accompany staff on plant ozone injury surveys in the Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN). Most of the member’s time will be spent remotely to organize, clean up, and analyze the data. This position will also include three travel opportunities: two trips to the Cumberland Piedmont Network for training and surveying vegetation for air pollution effects, and one trip to present the project at a scientific conference. We are looking for someone with strong programming and data analysis skills, and an interest in ecology, biology, or environmental science.
The Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) collects data in 14 national parks in the Southeast to support natural resources conservation. This region has high plant and animal biodiversity, but it has also historically received heavy air pollution (i.e., acid rain and ground-level ozone). The CUPN has been conducting surveys since 2008 on plant leaf injury caused by ozone pollution, but the data have not been analyzed. The member for this project will organize and analyze the plant injury data, as well as data from ozone monitors, to answer questions about how plants respond to air quality in the Southeast. The member will also accompany CUPN and Air Resources Division (ARD) staff on field surveys to evaluate current levels of ozone injury to sensitive plants. As time allows, the member will also work with data from other CUPN projects to address hypotheses about how air pollution and climate change affect natural resources in the Southeast.
KEYWORDS: data analysis, data cleaning, plants, pollution, ozone
DELIVERABLES
The first priority for this position is the trend analysis for the CUPN Ozone Leaf Injury Protocol and for ozone monitors in the network. Deliverables for this project may include executable scripts for further analysis, online data dashboards, manuscripts, conference papers, or presentations to park managers and regulators.
As time allows, additional analyses will address scientific questions developed by a team of ARD and CUPN staff. These questions will focus on the impacts of air pollution on natural resources. The data analyzed may include forest monitoring, cave biota, cave meteorology, or mercury biomonitoring.
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 26 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
A successful member will have prior experience writing scripts in R, Python, or other programming language to clean and organize data. Experience or coursework in statistics will be helpful. Ideally the candidate would have a Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, mathematics, biology, or a related field; and either be already enrolled in or considering a Graduate program. The member must be able to work independently, as the majority of the position will be conducted remotely.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
The bulk of the work for this position will be completed remotely using a computer provided by the National Park Service. The member will work with two offices within the National Park Service, the Air Resources Division and the Cumberland Piedmont Network, and meet weekly with a project mentor from each program.
The Air Resources Division (ARD) has 22 full time staff including scientists, policy experts, engineers, and data analysts. Our mission is to protect air quality in parks and resources that may be harmed by air pollution in parks. We deal with a variety of issues, including pollution effects on lakes and streams, soil, vegetation, wildlife, visibility, and scenic views. ARD staff work remotely in positions around the country and hold weekly and monthly meetings for communication and collaboration. The member will participate in these meetings and in ARD projects to learn about how National Parks manage and respond to air pollution.
The Cumberland Piedmont Inventory and Monitoring Program is one of 32 National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring Networks across the country established to facilitate collaboration in natural resource monitoring. It is comprised of 14 national park units with diverse cultural and natural resources distributed across eight states (AL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA) and six different physiographic regions, with its main network offices situated at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. The objectives for Cumberland Piedmont Network are centered around monitoring aquatic, cave, and terrestrial ecosystems at these parks.
VEHICLE AND DRIVER’S LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
- Applicant will not need to drive a government vehicle.
- A personal vehicle is not required for this position.
HOUSING
Park housing is NOT available. The member will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area. Position will be remote, so housing will not be provided.
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 Air Resources Division, Cumberland Piedmont Network will host a Ecology 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!”