Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Biology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Assateague Island National Seashore, Berlin, Maryland

Can this position be fully remote: No

Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

Duration: 26 Weeks (not flexible)

Flexible Start Date: Yes

Start Date: 05/05/2025

End Date: 11/03/2025

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 Hour

BENEFITS

  • Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,697.00 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 Biology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that addresses a natural resource management need in the broad discipline category of Biological Sciences and Science Communication. There is a need to have a consistent, experienced person (after online and in-field training) working alongside our NPS bird bander each season for field survey work and support, in addition to assistance with organizing/summarizing data collected and submitting and sharing it with partners in a timely manner. The member will also be assisting in key program areas within other monitoring programs (beach water sampling) and will gain experience in other wildlife programs. Lastly, there is a need to share the latest results of scientific research at the park with the public through science communication; these efforts have been limited during the past several years and the person in this position would assist greatly with these efforts.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Biology Assistant member will be responsible for working in several different wildlife, aquatic and plant monitoring and management programs at Assateague Island National Seashore. This position will include a combination of fieldwork and office-related work (data entry, database management and writing science communication products).

A major responsibility of the member will be assisting with a bird banding station (MAPS: Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) from June through August. The member will assist our lead NPS bird bander with setting up and running the station during all 10 surveys, organizing and summarizing all survey data, and inputting it into the MAPS database. Interpretive products such as a NPS Resource Brief would be developed by the member (with collaboration amongst Natural Resource Management and Interpretive staff) to discuss the program, threats to maritime forests and highlight the importance and reasons for establishing a MAPS station at Assateague Island National Seashore.

The member would also gain field experience in other wildlife/vegetation monitoring programs such as: 1) International Shorebird Surveys, 2) rare plant surveys (seabeach amaranth, a federally threatened species), 3) collecting harvest data from deer at the Hunt Station in October, and 4) horse population and human/wildlife conflict management. Within the aquatic monitoring programs, the member would assist with beach water sampling to gain additional experience and support long-term monitoring projects. Beach water sampling occurs weekly from late May through early September. The member would also work collaboratively with the Interpretive division on developing one other NPS web article and social media post in the fall (and potentially other products) highlighting results of another recent scientific research and/or monitoring project within the park.


KEYWORDS: Birds, Wildlife, Banding, Science Communication

DELIVERABLES

Deliverables will include: 1) completion of 10 field surveys for the park’s bird banding station (MAPS: Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship), 2) updated MAPS database through 2025, 3) completed surveys for several other monitoring programs (ex., International Shorebird Surveys), 4) interpretive products on MAPS (NPS Resource Brief), and 5) another NPS web article and social media post highlighting the results of a recent scientific research project and/or monitoring project within the park (project TBD).


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
Candidates should have a B.S. degree (completed or in progress) and interest or experience in natural resource management, biological sciences, wildlife (in particular, birds), and/or environmental science. The member should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to work independently with minimal supervision. Applicants must be attentive to details and have the ability to accurately collect field data in harsh outdoor conditions including exposure to sun, high heat and humidity, and biting insects.

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

Local Area Details: Assateague Island is a barrier island just across the bay from a mostly rural area on the Delmarva Peninsula. Grocery stores and general shopping is available 5-10 miles away in Berlin or Ocean City, MD. Overall landscape is flat (at sea-level) and mostly farmland except for the beach resort town of Ocean City. Three major cities are approximately 2.5 hours’ drive from the park (Washington DC, Baltimore MD, and Philadelphia PA).

Position Setting: Headquarters and the RM building (where offices are) are within walking distance from the housing area. The applicant should be able to work well independently both in the office and in the field with little supervision, must be able to sit at a computer for periods of up to 6 hours at times, and must be comfortable walking across a variety of terrain (beach, dune, marsh, mudflats, water) in a variety of conditions (humidity, heat, cold, buggy). The participant will work alone or with one other person but will also have opportunities to work alongside NPS staff within the Resource Management Division.


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. The housing area is located within walking distance to park headquarters and the beach. Members will share a room and share living areas. Amenities include: full kitchen, microwaves, pots, pans, plates, utensils, air conditioning, free washer/dryers and local phone calls.

The housing area also has screened-in porches, BBQ grills and a well-equipped fitness room. Smoking is prohibited inside housing, and pets are not allowed.


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 Assateague Island National Seashore 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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