Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Great Lakes Network, Inventory and Monitoring Division, Ashland, Wisconsin

Can this position be fully remote: Yes

Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)

Flexible Start Date: Yes

Start Date: 05/05/2025

End Date: 05/04/2026

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 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 Ecology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will contribute to the management and conservation of climate-sensitive fauna and other natural resources in the Great Lakes region. Special emphasis will be placed on the long-term monitoring of vocalizing amphibians---important indicators of changes in climate, hydrology, and aquatic chemistry. It’s expected that the SIP Member will not only have the opportunity to collect data and develop analytical tools for our amphibian monitoring program, but also facilitate the use of these data by park managers, scientists, and the public.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network (GLKN) is a subunit of the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program---responsible for monitoring ecological ‘vital signs’ in nine National Parks located in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. ‘Vital signs’ are environmental indicators that help us determine if the ecosystems within our National Parks are healthy.

GLKN has been monitoring vocalizing amphibians as a vital sign using acoustic monitoring devices since 2013. GLKN seeks to compile distinct but related amphibian monitoring data, validate our auto-identification results with bioacoustics analytical software, develop relevant metadata, and publish an integrated, long-term amphibian dataset following the best practices recently established by I&M (i.e., machine-readable data packages).

By hiring a “Scientist In Parks” (SIP) Member, we hope to leverage the knowledge and skills of a data scientist to assist in the data validation and publication process, then aid in the development of data utilities, visualizers, or specific analyses related to the published data (see Deliverables and Work Products Section). This experience will help the successful candidate further develop their programming and project management skills, specifically as they relate to large and complex datasets. Day to day tasks will involve writing code to ‘wrangle,’ summarize, and analyze data; employing algorithms to validate species identified by their calls; and documenting the process via metadata. The SIP will work closely with GLKN scientists to accomplish these goals. Ultimately, this will serve as an opportunity to make a lasting and meaningful contribution to natural resource management in Great Lakes parks while also increasing access to data and creating digital utilities of broader scientific interest.


KEYWORDS: Data Science, Computer Science, Programming, Coding, Acoustic Monitoring, Amphibians

DELIVERABLES

The SIP Member will be expected to work with Network scientists to produce a discoverable, well-documented, and accessible long-term dataset of acoustic amphibian data that is consistent with the Inventory and Monitoring Division’s commitment to open and interoperable data. An exceptional SIP will have additional opportunities that they will define in consultation with their supervisor. Opportunities for an ambitious SIP include: developing custom scripts and utilities (e.g., an R package) that make processing, analyzing, and visualizing these data both more efficient and reproducible; creating web-based visualization tools that allow park managers and the public to interact with the data directly; or working with Network ecologists to analyze the data and potentially co-author a scientific publication.


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
A successful candidate will have demonstrable evidence of an ability to write code and problem-solve in the R-Environment, or other equivalent programming language usable by the federal government. They must also possess excellent oral, electronic, and written communication skills commensurate with a scientific professional. A bachelor’s degree in physical, natural, or computer science is encouraged, but any candidate with the requisite coding background and communication skills will be considered. An interest in climate science and/or amphibians is preferred but not required.

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

The SIP Member is expected to support a variety of monitoring and data science operations in the Great Lakes Network, particularly those relating to our climate and amphibian monitoring programs. This will require working in both field and office conditions. Field work will include hiking to and servicing acoustic monitoring devices at nearby parks, as well as supporting other Network programs (e.g., weather monitoring, water quality sampling) as needed. Most tasks, however, will take place in the office (e.g., coding, data documentation and visualization). Workspace will be provided at the Great Lakes Network offices, located in Ashland, Wisconsin. Ashland is a community of about 9,000 people located in rural northern Wisconsin, approximately 75 miles east of Duluth, Minnesota. Temperatures range from the mid 80’s in the summer to sub-zero in the winter. Recreation activities such as skiing, biking, and fishing abound in the nearby Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the Chequamegon National Forest.


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 NOT available. The member will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area. Previous members have indicated that they significantly benefited from the experience of working directly with the Network’s ecologists and participating in field activities. Doing so requires that the SIP find local housing and relocate to the area. The Network is located in a rural area of northern Wisconsin, which means that the SIP may have to spend more time finding acceptable lodging than in other parts of the country. That said, recent members and temporary staff have all successfully done so. The average rental price for a one-bedroom apartment is around $750. If reasonable accommodations are unavailable, remote work from an approved telework space with a suitable internet connection is permissible.


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 Great Lakes Network, Inventory and Monitoring Division 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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