POSITION DETAILS
Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Climate Change Response Program, Inventory and Monitoring Division, Fort Collins, Colorado
Can this position be fully remote: Yes
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 06/02/2025
End Date: 06/01/2026
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hour
BENEFITS
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395.00 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).
- For 52-week-long positions only:
- Healthcare Coverage
- Childcare Coverage
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 the impact of climate change on parks. Park management decisions are ideally informed by best available science. However, the climate crisis is forcing park managers to make decisions without science in the face of rapid, unprecedented change. This position will develop a repeatable and rapid science response protocol that integrates field observations (from the Inventory and Monitoring Program vital signs program) and climate data (from the Climate Change Response Program) to assess resource sensitivity to climate change. Therefore, this work will harness the strengths of two divisions of the National Park Service. Mentors from these programs have worked together on rapid science response projects in the past and recognize a need to streamline and standardize methods for greater science capacity to meet park needs.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The member will evaluate the health or condition of park resources to quantify how climate impacts natural resources in parks. Additionally, the member will evaluate spatial patterns in vital signs with spatial patterns in climate that may help explain vegetation or animal distributions. These kinds of analyses are essential to understanding climate as a driver of change in national parks, the sensitivity of resources to climate change, and are used in a climate adaptation planning process.
The subject matter of study will be determined by member interests, availability of data and collaborators willing to prototype new methods. Options include climate responses of stream flow, amphibians, plants, birds, wildfire or other natural resource vital signs. The member will work closely with mentors in the Climate Change Response Program, the Inventory and Monitoring Division and park managers (as well as other divisions where appropriate) to develop a reproducible workflow for assessing the climate sensitivity of vital signs that is largely agnostic to the resource being studied. Mentors supporting this position have done similar work in all the subject areas listed above.
KEYWORDS: Climate change, climate sensitivity, climate vulnerability, climate adaptation
DELIVERABLES
The product of this position will be reproducible R code for trends and spatial patterns that are summarized in a report that describes the conceptual approach to analyzing vital signs monitoring data with climate data. The report will also quantify climate exposure, vital signs sensitivity to climate and vulnerability to future climate that is tailored to work with the NPS planning process, Planning for a Changing Climate.
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 52 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Strong coding skill in R and GIS is required. Applicants will be working towards (or have completed) an advanced degree (M.S. or PhD) in ecology, biology, hydrology or other natural resources discipline; Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to work independently; A keen interest in climate change impacts and climate adaptation is desired.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
This is primarily an office job. Although this is not a field-based job, an opportunity for time in the field will be made available to help the member understand the resource and data collection if the member is willing to travel to a park to meet with a field crew. Fort Collins is a midsize college town with a population of 170,000 people. The city is situated at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills of the northern Front Range, approximately 60 miles north of Denver. Restaurants and retail outlets are abundant and community services are easily accessed. Fort Collins experiences
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. The selected member will be responsible for arranging housing for the length of the position. IF they choose to live in Fort Collins, CO, several rental options are available within biking distance of the work site, and many additional options are available within a reasonable commuting distance. Costs for a 1-bedroom, 1 bath apartment run between $1,200 and $1,600 per month. A remote work option is also available to applicants.
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 Climate Change Response Program, Inventory and Monitoring Division 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!”