Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Visitor Use Management Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah

Can this position be fully remote: No

Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

Duration: 36 Weeks (not flexible)

Flexible Start Date: Yes

Start Date: 05/04/2025

End Date: 01/11/2026

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1200 Hour

BENEFITS

  • Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,176.00 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 Visitor Use Management Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will have an impact on visitor use. As visitors explore and enjoy the National Park Service units, their presence and actions can have both intended and unintended consequences to park resources. Visitor-caused impacts such as vegetation trampling and soil erosion due to social trails, graffiti on rock faces, or crowded conditions along a trail or scenic overlook, can influence both the resources the park serves to protect and the experiences it seeks to provide. Visitor use management seeks to understand and find ways to balance visitor experiences and resource conditions. The study of bicycle use in the park is particularly salient and important as use patterns have significantly changed in the past 4 years. Through baseline monitoring, the amount of bicycle use is known in the park. However, much more is needed to be understood as the park is actively pursuing and analyzing potential strategies to mitigate risk to and from bicyclists. This position will focus on understanding this use and how it relates to other visitor uses. Related data can only be used to understand conditions and inform decisions if it is collected and analyzed in rigorous methods and reported out in meaningful ways. Having a dedicated position to help facilitate this research and lead some portions of data collection will help ensure that the park is using the best available data during future decision making.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

This position will work with Zion National Park. At times, work will include involvement from the park’s non-profit partner Zion Forever Project and other local stakeholders. Generally, this position will aid the park in understanding the trends and characteristics (use levels, timing, and type) of visitor use. More specifically, the position will aid both park units in two vital ways. The first will be to assist park staff with monitoring schedules and data collection logistics for summer members. Selected SIP will work alongside other NPS staff and VUM members, and will serve as field lead while conducting field collection work. The second will be to the point person on research focused on understanding bicycle and pedestrian use in the park on multi-use pathways and roadways. E-bicycles use in the park has significantly changed in the last 4 years and understanding use patterns and visitor perceptions is viewed as a critical need at the park. Tasks include creating monitoring protocols and arranging volunteer or staff data collection sessions as well as tracking, organizing, and assuring quality of incoming monitoring data. Data is likely to be collected via hand-held GPS units that will be temporary be given to visitors during their visit. Tasks may also include working with NPS staff and university researchers to coordinate visitor surveys. Tasks will include organizing, analyzing, and reporting on existing data sets related to visitor-caused impacts to resources, as well as visitation patterns.


KEYWORDS: Research coordinator, data analysis, visitor use management, social science, planning, outdoor recreation

DELIVERABLES

Deliverables will include a robust dataset of bicycles and pedestrian routes collected via GPS devices. Ultimately, deliverables will include a professional report developed in conjunction by university researchers, NPS staff, and this SIP position. Pending approvals, a visitor survey will also be completed with the help of this position. Deliverables will then focus on communication points and visual representations of the findings. This position is expected to take lead on those deliverables with the assistance of the park’s public affairs officer and visual information specialists. General deliverables will include collected data such as people per viewscape photos, encounter rates on trails, hourly trail counts, vehicle counts, queue lengths and time, and shuttle ridership.


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 36 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates should be seeking or have a degree, preferably an advance degree, in fields such as natural resource management, outdoor recreation planning, human dimensions of natural resources, or resource management and policy. Ideal candidates would have experience and comfort with analyzing complicated datasets in excel or other programs as well as experience leading field crews or equivalent type of work. Candidate would have completed coursework or have relevant experience in basic statistics and research methods. Ability to collaborate with others and work independently will both be required. Candidates ideally will have an interest and comfort level with interacting with the public and presenting to both peers and park managers.

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

Work settings will include both field and office work, however, it is anticipated this position will spend a majority of time in the field. Office setting may be in a shared office setting with multiple people in the same office area. Computer work and attending meetings will be focus of office work. Field work locations have inherent hazards such as inclement weather, rockfalls, and steep terrain. Safety precautions will be needed to ensure member safety. This includes scheduling work at certain times of day and adjusting schedules as weather changes to avoid dehydration, heat illness, sun exposure, altitude sickness, etc. Zion is located in an arid desert environment with steep canyon walls and regularly has temperatures at or above 100 degrees in the summer and below 30 degrees in the winter. From July to September, monsoons can bring rain, lightening and flash floods to both park units. For more information on Zion weather see: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/seasons.htm. Zion NP is located in Springdale, UT. Basic necessities such as a grocery store and restaurants can be found in town. It is approximately a 45-minute drive to the larger town of Hurricane, UT and over an hour to nearest city of St. George, UT. Having a vehicle is highly encouraged as the work location is fairly remote and public transportation opportunities are very limited.


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 NOT available. The member will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area. Housing will be within Zion National Park, just outside of Springdale, UT. Will be within shared park housing either an individual house or a dorm setting. Both locations would be private room with shared kitchen, bathroom, and common areas. A house would have 2-3 other roommates, and the dorm may have up to 10 other roommates. Location will be determined as housing requests are received and prioritized within the park.


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 Zion National Park will host a Visitor Use 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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