Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Hydrology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Texas

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: 05/11/2025

End Date: 05/10/2026

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1200 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 Hydrology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will assist the physical sciences at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Climate change is one of the most significant threats to resources in the National Park Service, but there is yet to be a systematic strategy for assessing the vulnerability of cultural resources, monitoring its impacts, or a framework for making resource management decisions. This position will help bridge the gap between climate science and cultural resource management. This project is a unique opportunity in that is truly integrated resources management approach that will use the best available hard science and natural resource datasets to better steward natural and cultural resources in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Testing the application of water balance models on understanding how cultural resources are impacted in the face of climate change will make a significant impact in assisting resource managers in planning efforts and park decisions.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

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 unprecedented change. San Antonio Missions National Historic Park (SAAN) is already experiencing adverse impact to primary park resources from climate change. The park anticipates on-going and potentially worsening impacts to natural and cultural resources as a result of changing climatic conditions. Critically, climate change is highlighting the need to better understand the interface and impacts created due to changes in natural resource conditions (i.e. soil moisture/water balance) and associated vulnerabilities to cultural resources.

In recent years, the National Park Service (NPS) has successfully utilized water balance modeling to more accurately predict the effects of climate change on natural resources. A water balance model derives many variables from temperature and precipitation that are important to plants and animals. These variables include soil moisture, evapotranspiration, runoff, water deficit, and more. This site-specific type of analysis has empowered resource managers to better assess the vulnerability of specific resources and subsequently inform management decisions. Thus far water balance models have not been utilized to attempt to understand the effects of climate change on cultural resources. This position would explore the potential of this application.

Cultural landscapes are historically significant places that show evidence of human interaction with the physical environment. Each mission is a cultural landscape made up of historic structures, natural systems, land use patterns, constructed water features, vegetation, topography, and views and vistas. These various components are affected by changes within their broader environmental setting in the San Antonio River watershed. Thus, this project will also assess potential environmental fluctuations with the park’s cultural landscapes as a result of climate change. Specifically, the member will evaluate climate data sets and vital signs for trend over time and combine them to analyze vital signs trend with climate to quantify how climate impacts the cultural landscapes within the park. The member will contextualize changes in field observations within the broader historical climate record to help identify disturbance events as drivers of change as well as determine if the study was conducted during a period of drought or wet conditions that may help explain trends. More specifically at SAAN, climate impacts to cultural resources are most apparent in Spanish Colonial masonry as crumbling foundations, cracking, spalling of plasters, and disintegrating mortars. Many of these impacts can be attributed to water behavior at each site, especially in regards soil moisture levels, drainage, moisture infiltration, and rising damp. The park’s preservation team is responsible for the care of approximately 300,000 square feet of masonry that is distributed over four separate mission cultural landscapes.

This position will directly serve the Integrated Resources Program Manager at SAAN. Specifically, the member will collate measurements and observations of resource degradation, each with a date when degradation was observed. For example, continuous soil moisture measurements can be used with known dates of structural failure to identify soil moisture conditions consistent with failure. Even


KEYWORDS: climate change, soil moisture/water deficit monitoring, data modeling, cultural resources, stone masonry, cultural landscapes, water balance modeling, integrated resources management

DELIVERABLES

This project will focus on increasing the parks understanding of the impact(s) of changing soil moisture/water deficit variables to park primary cultural resources. The product of this position will be reproducible R code for soil moisture/water deficit trends that are summarized in a report that describes the conceptual approach to analyzing monitoring data with climate data. The report will also quantify climate exposure and resource sensitivity to at least 2 potential climate futures that are tailored to work with the NPS planning process, Planning for a Changing Climate, Step # 2. Step #2 is a vulnerability assessment that can be made quantitatively using information obtained from methods described above, and qualitatively (from observations) for use in scenario planning to identify likely outcomes from different potential climate futures. The primary value of this work is to help identify and justify management actions whether they fall into the resist, direct, or accept category. Justification of management strategy is important for reassessing management goals and to garner support for decisions in the face of uncertainty that is inherent with climate change.


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

  • Background in R, python, Excel, ArcMap or similar quantitative and/or GIS software
  • Background in data loggers, data management, analysis and interpretation
  • Awareness of cultural resources and integrated resources management
  • Good writing and communication skills

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park protects, preserves, restores, and interprets four Spanish Colonial missions and their associated cultural landscape features established along the upper San Antonio River. The missions of the park as well as the state-owned Alamo make up the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is immersed the 7th largest city in the country. San Antonio is the largest Hispanic majority city in the nation. The park is located on the south side of the city near downtown. Extreme heat and periods of drought are possible in the summer. The position will involve a combination of fieldwork and office work.


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. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is immersed in the 7th largest city in the country. There are a number of affordable temporary housing options available for rent. Average cost for a 1 bedroom apartment is 1200 dollars per month.


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 San Antonio Missions National Historical Park will host a Hydrology 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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