Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Sausalito, California

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: 07/07/2025

End Date: 11/24/2025

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 $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 have a mutually beneficial impact- both for the member as well as for park resource managers (and ultimately the aquatic resource itself). Although the mentor will provide project study plans, implementation of the tasks described will be the sole responsibility of the member and we will challenge them to use and develop their logistics planning and coordination skills to implement the projects. We hope this approach will help foster critical thinking, independence, and collaboration. These projects will provide opportunities to learn new skills such as use of keys to identify insects such as damselflies, water quality sampling and spatial mapping. The damselfly project would identify possible donor sites for a potential headstart project. The isolated pool study would aid in restoration planning. Geomorphologists assisting both the Park and State Parks in restoration planning are trying to decide whether restoration design elements in different parts of the watershed that raise the channel bed could cause isolated pools and result in poor water quality. Data from this sampling would assist with this restoration risk assessment. The member would contribute greatly to the understanding of wetland and creek resources in the park and lead to their protection.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The member position would help support the field and office activities with the Park’s Aquatics and Restoration programs. There would be 3 core projects. The first project would be assisting with identifying and inventorying nearby locations for a rare damselfly (San Francisco forktail damselfly) that is locally extirpated in the park. The member would learn how to use a butterfly net to capture and how to identify other damselflies that may co-occur with this species. The member would be required to write a short field report that includes description of survey methods, map of sampled locations, and summary of field findings. The second project would be to assist with field data collection and data entry (both fish and habitat) for creek restoration projects in the Redwood Creek watershed. This will involve learning stream habitat classification methods and terminology and the collection and processing of fish using electrofishing or seining techniques. The third member project would be dependent on the water year. If we have a dry water year, the member would be responsible for conducting a water quality profile along the length of Redwood Creek focusing on isolated pools to help evaluate whether physical differences between pools (e.g., substrate characteristics) and location (e.g., steep headwater versus low gradient stream sections) correlate with water quality differences. Collected data includes dissolved oxygen, water temperature and substrate size classes. Depending upon when the member starts, there would be opportunities to assist in other natural resource projects. These include assisting in intertidal monitoring and wildlife camera image analysis. For these three projects, the member will have primary responsibility for data entry of collected data, conducting QAQC checks of entered data, and creating simple tabular and graphic summaries.


KEYWORDS: restoration, fish monitoring, threatened and endangered species, intertidal monitoring, salmon, aquatic insects

DELIVERABLES

1. Completion of the San Francisco forktail study and a field report summarizing results.

2. Entry of field data into project databases

3. Map, tabular and graphic summaries of field data which convey findings from field investigations in a clear and succinct manner. (e.g., damselfly distribution map)

4. Photographs of work activities and highlights for use in park social media posts

5. Written summaries of field work activities for the monthly digital Natural Resources and Science monthly update (blog) for San Francisco Bay Area parks newsletter


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
The ideal candidate for this position would be an energetic, organized and self-motivated individual that is excited to work in the park both in the field and in the office and with diverse groups of people. The candidate should have some background either through work or volunteer experiences or academically in the area of biological science especially fisheries, wildlife, or similar discipline. A candidate with strong GIS skills would be a bonus. The candidate should be in good physical condition and willing and able to conduct field, office, and lab work.

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

The field office is located in the Marin Headlands within walking distance of the dorm housing. Other than the natural environment, there are no amenities such as grocery stores. The closest town would be Sausalito which is about 7 miles away. Members without cars have been able to coordinate rides to stores etc., with others members that do. The summer weather is dry (no rain jacket required!) but variable with foggy conditions often along the coast and warmer, sunny weather inland. The park is situated in an urban area (e.g., no backcountry) with high visitation. Because of the park’s relatively recent origins, park lands are fragmented with chunks in 3 San Francisco Bay Area counties. Field work for the position is expected to be 50% with the remainder of the time balanced between office work. The member should be in good physical condition and comfortable working outdoors. Field work will require walking in creek environment with slippery rocks carrying gear (up to 30 lbs). The member would be expected to follow all safety procedures provided by the mentors and includes wearing appropriate PPE for the work environment.


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. Park housing is located at Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands. It is a lovely area and feels very rural even though we are only about 15 minutes from the city of San Francisco. Rodeo Beach, which is popular with surfers, families and dog walkers is a short walk down the hill from the dorm. The dorm is a two story, white frame, barracks style building. The rooms all contain a twin bed with XL mattress, a clothing locker, desk, chair, side table and bureau. There are two large common areas on the first floor: a dining room and a TV room with bike storage at the back. There is also a smaller common room upstairs with lots of sofas and a TV. Each floor has a laundry room with three washers and three dryers. Laundry is free. Each floor also has two shared bathrooms and there is a large, single shared kitchen with all the typical gear and dishes. The SIP participant would just need to bring personal clothing items, transportation (bike/car), and toys. There is no public transportation. Cell reception is spotty at the dorms but a landline is available for free local calls and wireless internet is 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 Golden Gate National Recreation Area 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!”

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