Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Biology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Denali National Park and Preserve, Denali Park, Alaska

Can this position be fully remote: No

Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

Duration: 20 Weeks (not flexible)

Flexible Start Date: Yes

Start Date: 05/05/2025

End Date: 09/22/2025

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 675 Hour

BENEFITS

  • Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $2,817.00 upon successful completion of position.
  • Living Allowance of $565.00 per week.
  • Relocation Allowance of $1,050.00 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 Biology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will be central to an important and unfolding resource management challenge directly connected with climate change and forest health in the subarctic, an area that is experiencing rapid unfolding effects of accelerated climate warming. This position will assist in activities with direct relevance to ongoing research, assessment and management activities and is an outstanding opportunity for a highly motivated individual with expertise in forest entomology and pathology, vegetation dynamics and ecology to participate in a meaningful project that will result in immediate, tangible results. Given the expanding dynamics of forest insects in natural areas across the US National Park system, this experience will be highly relevant to future similar work occurring over wide areas.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

This position is a unique opportunity to participate in an integrated research, detection, monitoring and management effort focused on an expanding outbreak of spruce bark beetles and resulting possible substantial dieback of white spruce trees in the front-country of Denali National Park and Preserve. The incumbent will work closely with Park vegetation program staff to detect the occurrence and distribution of spruce bark beetles and their impacts to forest resources in a heavily visited and utilized area of the Park (as well as more remote areas). This work will involve a diversity of activities focused on forest vegetation including establishing new vegetation plots to detect the progress of beetle effects on trees, remeasurement of existing vegetation plots to determine change over time, using remotely sensed imagery to detect and map beetle impacts and measuring and mapping of potential hazard trees as the beetle population influences large trees in developed areas, among other study objectives.


KEYWORDS: Forest ecology, climate change, disturbance ecology, insect outbreak, Forest management, GIS, long term monitoring, vegetation analysis, remote sensing, landscape ecology, botany, Alaska, Forest health, ecological succession

DELIVERABLES

The work performed in this position will focus on mapping, measuring and describing the spatial and temporal patterns of an unfolding outbreak of spruce bark beetles in Denali National Park and Preserve in real time. This will require considerable fieldwork both in trapping insects and recording observations and in vegetation plots of affected areas. In addition, data entry and analyses of these sets of observations will be required as well as writing-up summaries of field results and analyses. During non-field portions of the position, research and literature reviews will be performed by the member to assist in the interpretation and understanding of the results of our summer fieldwork. Producing maps for management actions such as hazard tree mitigation and other activities will be performed. All in all, a diverse and interconnected set of activities will be the responsibility of the member in this position.


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 20 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
This position requires completion of an undergraduate degree in the biological sciences, with a strong emphasis on coursework, knowledge and experience in subject areas relating to insect ecology, forest entomology, forest health and pathology, plant biology, and forest ecology. Applicants pursuing a graduate degree in any of these fields will be preferred, and the possibility of utilizing work on this project as part of a graduate degree program in forest entomology or related fields is strongly encouraged. This represents a unique opportunity for the right candidate with strong interests and skills in entomology and vegetation ecology and management to develop their skills and resume relating to these timely and important issues.

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

Denali National Park and Preserve in Interior Alaska and offers unparalleled opportunities for hiking, backpacking, and otherwise enjoying a wild landscape through long subarctic days. Basic food and community services are available a few miles from provided housing and in Healy (15 miles away). Larger city services are 120 miles away. Fieldwork may be physically challenging, consisting of long days recording vegetation plot data in remote, trail-less areas. It is important that crew members have good common sense for working in the remote back-country, get along well in sometimes stressful small group situations, and possess attention to detail and a passion for botanical fieldwork and research. Fieldwork days will be spent hiking over trail-less terrain, with a 40 lb. backpack, likely encountering downed trees, thick shrubs, steep slopes, and stream crossings. Assignments may involve backcountry camping, where daily tasks will include long periods of standing, hiking, or climbing. Weather can be hot or cold, and very wet. Bugs can be voracious. Exposure to wildlife (i.e., grizzly bears and moose) is common, and precautions are taken

seriously. Office days will be spent in a collaborative shared office environment. Although supervision and support are available, it is critical that applicants be self-motivated, innovative, and willing to ask for help promptly when assistance is needed.


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. Housing will be provided at no cost to the participant and is a short and pleasant walk from the office. Housing consists of a comfortable 20’ x 20’ cabin shared with one other person. The kitchen, dining, and living space are shared and bedrooms are private. In-cabin running water may be available during the summer months but is not guaranteed. Otherwise, water is available in the nearby communal bathroom and shower house. Periods of fieldwork may involve remote tent camping in the backcountry, or sleeping in cabins, dorms, and wall tents along the Denali Park Road corridor or in or in route to other interior Alaskan parks, namely Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Backpacking for up to 9 nights may be required. Backcountry camping gear (backpack, tent, sleeping bag, stove, cooking pots) for work-use can be supplied by the park. The Park will provide a bed and mattress, but the member will need to provide their own bedding (e.g. sleeping bag or sheets and blankets) and a pillow.


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 Denali National Park and Preserve will host a Biology 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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