POSITION DETAILS
Position Title: Cave and Karst Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Jewel Cave National Monument, Custer, South Dakota
Can this position be fully remote: No
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 12 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 05/05/2025
End Date: 11/03/2025
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 Hour
BENEFITS
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,956.00 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 Cave and Karst Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will assist with Jewel Cave. Jewel Cave's enabling legislation established the park for scientific interests and public enjoyment. The NPS emphasizes science-based management decisions, preserving the resource unimpaired for future generations, and ensuring the safety of staff and visitors. These values are realized, in part, by the following park priorities: The park’s General Management Plan and Foundation Document both identify the correlation of surface and subsurface geology as a high priority need to help predict and protect cave passages that have not yet been discovered. (Volumetric airflow studies use the cave’s barometric wind to predict that the 220 miles of known represent only 3% of the total volume.) The cave management activities help ensure protection from human impacts, and the cave rescue pre-planning is proactive program to minimize the consequences of off-trail injuries. The member’s work directly contributes to meeting the park’s primary needs for resource management and human safety.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The member will work primarily with the Resource Management division, with a focus in two areas: geological research (surface and subsurface) and cave management activities. Work assignments include:
1) Geology - The member will assist with an ongoing project to correlate surface and subsurface geology. This includes field mapping on the surface, caving trips to inventory and map subsurface geologic features, documenting field observations in Adobe Illustrator and ArcGIS, updating GIS maps, and creating geological cross sections that include cave and aquifer relationships. The member will also collect/process microfauna samples for a cave paleontological study.
2) Cave Management - The member will a) assist the Resource Management Staff with photomonitoring at established locations along off-trail travel routes to document human impacts that have occurred over time; b) take in-cave photos, organize and compare them with previous photos, and write reports to summarize changes; and c) help mitigate human impacts along established tour routes, do routine microclimate monitoring, assist with data collection for an ongoing hydrology project, and assist in creating cave rescue pre-plans along the major in-cave travel routes.
KEYWORDS: cave, karst, geology, hydrology, GIS
DELIVERABLES
Work Products: The final products include: 1) Contributions to a report on the cave's paleontological resources, 2) a digital cave map, updated with geological features and annotations, 3) an updated geological map in GIS, and 4) a completed cave rescue pre-plan for at least one in-cave travel route.
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 12 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
The candidate should:
1) be a caver in good physical condition, with at least 100 hours of previous caving experience*
2) have at least a BS in geology or geological engineering,
3) have completed at least 5 weeks of geological field camp,
4) have substantial experience with digital graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator, and
5) have substantial experience with ArcGIS* including the ability to create and edit georeferenced polygons and polylines.
*This experience is required in order to be considered for the position.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
The work will be approximately 50% indoors and 50% outdoors. The park provides a dedicated computer and office space in a building with central heating and air conditioning. The outdoor landscape is about a mile above sea level, is moderately rugged, and sometimes experiences unexpected thunderstorms. Winter daytime temperatures are typically in the 20s to 40s, but can range from -20 to +60 degrees F.
The cave environment is 49 degrees F and does not require vertical caving techniques. The member must be in excellent physical condition for caving, and comfortable in a dry cave environment, and should also be comfortable caving for up to 10 hours at a time.
Nearby Custer is a town of 1,800 with a grocery store, several convenience stores, restaurants, and basic amenities. It is 13 miles from the park. Rapid City is part of a small metropolitan area that has all facilities, including theaters many cultural and recreational opportunities. There is a nearby Regional Airport. Rapid City is 53 miles from the park.
Black Hills National Forest, Custer State Park, and several NPS areas offer many recreational opportunities, all within 3 hours' driving time.
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. Modern apartments, with 2-4 occupants, up to 2 occupants per bedroom/bathroom, common kitchen and living room, and free use of laundry facilities. No cost for utilities. Free shared WiFi.
Each apartment is furnished with a dining table and chairs, living room couch and chairs, dresser and two twin XL beds per bedroom. There is a microwave, stove/oven and refrigerator in the kitchen. The park will also provide each unit with a broom/dustpan, vacuum, mop/bucket, waste can, recyclables can, basic dishware for four, glassware for four, flatware, basic cooking utensils, cookware set, coffee pot, and toaster.
The Member will need to provide his or her own bedding, towels, and consumable items (toilet paper, soap, laundry items, paper towels, cleaning products, etc.).
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 Jewel Cave National Monument will host a Cave and Karst 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!”