Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Biology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area Network, Point Reyes Station, California

Can this position be fully remote: No

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 $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).
  • 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 Biology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will have both a large and fine scale impact. By increasing the capacity within the Coho and Steelhead Monitoring Program (CSMP), long-term data will continue to be collected for three populations of endangered coho salmon residing in PORE and GOGA. Currently the CSMP does not have the capacity to fully implement monitoring protocols for salmonids. These long-term data will be used to further our understanding of critical factors that are limiting the survival of the species within our watersheds. Our CSMP data is also used to determine the status and trends for the species at both the local and regional level. Other agencies that rely on our data include National Marine Fisheries Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the County of Marin. A goal of this project will be for the Member to develop communication products or tools to help disseminate data collected by the CSMP to resource managers and other interested parties. In addition, the project will increase our knowledge on restoration activities performed within GOGA managed areas of Redwood Creek through monitoring specifically designed to evaluate recent restoration. This monitoring will be used by management to modify future restoration designs or techniques to improve habitat conditions within Redwood Creek and other watersheds. By working on this discrete project, the Member will be able to validate the effectiveness of previously implemented restoration projects. By the end of the service-term the Member will have gained knowledge on the ecology of coho salmon and steelhead, current habitat limitations, the impact of restoration, and actions needed to ensure their survival for future generations

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

This proposed project requests one Member to assist with the San Francisco Area Network (SFAN) Coho and Steelhead Monitoring Program (CSMP) based at Point Reyes National Seashore (PORE). The SFAN has undertaken an ambitious, multi-decade long program to maintain and enhance coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead (O. mykiss) populations within the SFAN parks. Coho salmon populations are estimated to be at less than 1% of their historic population size within California and the populations residing in Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GOGA) and PORE are considered to be a stronghold against regional extinction. The Member will be integrated into the year-round CSMP and paired with the SFAN Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) fishery biologist in a 52-week (June 2025 - May 2026) biological field assistantship to collect vital information on endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead within PORE and GOGA. By assisting the SFAN I&M CSMP, the Member will receive in-depth education on techniques used for restoration and monitoring of salmonids along with other sensitive aquatic species. The work performed by the Member will primarily coincide with that of the SFAN CSMP including but not limited to: winter spawner surveys, spring coho smolt surveys, summer juvenile salmonid surveys, summer habitat surveys, and PIT tag antenna operations. As a goal of this position, the Member will be tasked with independent projects based on park management needs and personal career goals and interest either evaluating restoration sites, analyzing long-term data, or developing data visualization and outreach products. During the position the Member will work directly with other CSMP staff including the SFAN fishery biologist, fisheries crew leader, AmeriCorps members, and program volunteers. The Member will learn fisheries techniques including but not limited to: seining, electrofishing, juvenile coho habitat typing, snorkel census, water quality monitoring, fish tagging, remote sensing, and restoration validation. The Member will be tasked with ensuring all equipment is ready for each field day, collecting field data, verifying field data, and data entry. In concert with these efforts, the Member will be assigned independent projects under the guidance of the SFAN I&M Fishery Biologist, to evaluate recent restoration activities, improve upon long-term data communication tools, or improve program outreach. The goal of this position is to continue to develop future resource management professionals in the National Park Service. The Member will continue their education by learning field techniques that build off of previous educational experiences. Young adults often receive education at a conceptual level in resource management, but due to socioeconomics or access to wildland areas may never physically experience these techniques. By the end of this position, the Member will understand issues surrounding threatened and endangered (T&E) species within the park, techniques used for species recovery, and a mastery of salmonid monitoring techniques. The program aims to determine coho and steelhead limiting factors both at a long-term time scale through annual monitoring and short-term emerging issues through field observations. Without a funded Member, PORE and GOGA would not collect the data needed to understand the impacts and make management decisions on T&E aquatic species residing within the park.


KEYWORDS: coho: monitoring: steelhead: salmonid: restoration

DELIVERABLES

There are two main deliverable types for this project. The first is to assist with the collection of salmonid monitoring data in three watersheds within PORE and GOGA managed lands through annual surveys including summer juvenile coho population and habitat surveys, winter spawner surveys, PIT tag antenna operations, and spring smolt trapping surveys. The second is to complete at least one independent project, that will further advance our knowledge or understanding of the ecological processes or species population dynamics. Both of these deliverables will contribute to further restoration activities to increase the likelihood of coho salmon and steelhead survival for the enjoyment of future park visitors. For the first deliverable, the Member will collect data on juvenile coho habitat, direct observations surveys, electrofishing surveys, adult spawner surveys, sonar camera surveys, and smolt trapping surveys. The Member will receive feedback on data collection techniques and measures to improve accuracy. The second deliverable will focus on the production of a written product to increase the Member’s understanding of salmon ecology. This deliverable will allow the Member to produce an independent product that builds off a focused research or data visualization project. Combined these two deliverables aim to prepare the Member for a natural resource focused career within the NPS.


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
The ideal candidate is able to work independently on complex projects while maintaining open lines of communication with project staff. The most important Member quality will be the enthusiasm towards field work in the life sciences and a strong work ethic. The Member would ideally have a degree in fisheries, freshwater ecology, marine biology, or other related life science. The candidate will ideally be in good physical fitness and can work full days in an outdoor field setting. The candidate will be required to work off trail, wade in streams, and be able to climb over downed trees, limbs, and piles of accumulated instream wood. The candidate must have a valid driver’s license in good standing and be comfortable driving large vehicles in rural areas.

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

This is a coastal position in the small community of Point Reyes Station is a popular tourist destination which is located approximately 3 miles from the Member’s duty station. Point Reyes Station contains a few restaurants, library, gas station, medical services and one major grocery store. Summer temperatures range from 60-90 °F. Typically the morning will start with fog, then becoming sunny by mid-morning, before the fog returns in the late afternoon to early evening hours. This position is 80% in the field working in creeks within GOGA and PORE. The Member will be trained on how to identify field hazards such as poison oak, stinging nettle, and ticks. All field equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided by the National Park Service. Field work consists of stream surveys performed over rough terrain in water averaging 50-70 °F. The Member should be prepared to spend up to 8 hours daily in an outside setting. The Member should be prepared with layers of clothing to regulate body temperature as the weather changes throughout the day. Field work activities include but are not limited to: habitat surveys requiring walking in streams wearing waders, snorkel surveys requiring emersion and walking in streams wearing a wetsuit, electrofishing or seining requiring the capture of fish, fish camera studies with both field instillation and footage review, smolt trapping requiring handling and tagging of aquatic organisms, spawner surveys requiring wading in fast moving water, and small scale restoration projects requiring pulling weeds and removing fencing. It is anticipated that field work will be conducted within Redwood Creek, Lagunitas Creek, and Pine Gulch Creek watersheds located within Marin County, California.


VEHICLE AND DRIVER’S LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

  • Applicant must have a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
  • A personal vehicle is REQUIRED for this position.

HOUSING

Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant. The type of housing will depend on available housing units at the time of this position. If current policies are in place, the housing will likely be either a shared bunkhouse style unit situated at a scenic location along Tomales Bay or private room in a shared house within Point Reyes National Seashore. Both males and females are allowed but do not share bedrooms in the bunkhouse. The house has direct access to swimming and boating on Tomales Bay. Most of the other housing units are gender based and scattered throughout the park. There is currently no housing unit located within walking distance of the reporting office. Transportation to and from the housing unit to the duty station will need to be provided by the Member. Bed and bathroom linens, personal care items, and food are not provided. For many who have stayed in Point Reyes National Seashore housing units, the scenic beauty of these locations has been a memorable experience.


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, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area Network 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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