Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Acoustic Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Denali National Park and Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Denali Park, Alaska

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: 05/05/2025

End Date: 07/28/2025

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 $1,050.00 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 Acoustic Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will help the field offices' efforts to provide technical assistance on a variety of management issues related to the protection of natural acoustic environments (soundscapes) in parks. The tourism relationship to park landscapes necessarily involves a journey. Fossil-fuel based transportation dominates the U.S. at present, representing 30% of our annual energy consumption. Taken together, these two facts echo the scientific consensus: noise from combustion engines is both an extensive and avoidable impact to parks and protected areas. Nevertheless, parks exist as some of the last quiet refugia available for humans and other species of animal. As such, natural acoustic environments are integral to the cultural and natural heritage of our nation. This is recognized in NPS Management Policies 2006, which states, "the Service will take action to prevent or minimize all noise" that affects park resources or values. Your service in this position will enable multiple parks to quantify the condition of their resources, document the cause(s) of impacts to them, and indirectly inform potential management action(s). Previous members have gone on to find employment in land management, GIS, remote sensing, software development. Yet others have used this experience as a springboard into a graduate research program.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The core experiences of this position involve working with acoustic data, transportation data and the scientific equipment necessary to collect them. We work together as field partners to wrangle incoming backcountry data from the entire NPS Alaska Region. You will work with other Backcountry Rangers to organize maintenance trips to remote sites in Denali. You will learn the skill of reading spectrograms (images of sound) and we will work in tandem to manually annotate noise events that occur in parks. You will also assist in the repair of field equipment and help ship our remote park contacts needed items. We work together to complete many geoprocessing, cartography and reporting tasks. Contributions to any of a number of NPS software repositories should be anticipated. You can expect to be in the office about 70-80% of the time, in the field 20-30% of the time, and in trainings the remainder of the time. To hone your public speaking skills, you will develop and deliver a professional final presentation to a mixed NPS and academic audience at the close of the summer season. Several previous members have commented on the enriching mix of work tasks this position offers, enjoying "a little different challenge every day."


KEYWORDS: acoustics, sound, backcountry monitoring, wilderness, transportation, GIS, geoprocessing, remote sensing, human dimensions of wildlife, physical ecology, sensory ecology, engineering, software, Python, data science, statistics

DELIVERABLES

As stated above, the deliverables include post-processed acoustic and vehicle-tracking datasets, documented contributions to NPS software code, co-authorship of a grey literature report(s), and a final professional presentation at the end of the season.


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
Qualifications: Applicant should be either a current upper level undergraduate or graduate student or recent graduate with a major in computer science, natural or physical sciences, engineering, or social science field. Interests in geography, acoustics/physics, statistics, electrical/mechanical engineering, ecology, or ornithology would be especially relevant to the position. We are very flexible and open-minded about our inclusion and are often looking to fold new ideas and perspectives into our program.

Required skills/experience: Strong programming skills in Python OR demonstrated ability to quickly learn a new language | Demonstrated ability to independently troubleshoot computing problems | Experience documenting computer code | Ability to prioritize tasks and respond to sporadic requests from coworkers | Ability to work amicably as part of a small team in both the office and in inclement field conditions | Basic map reading and GPS orientation skills | Experience hiking cross-country in a rugged environment | Ability to carry a ~45-55 pound backpack

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

This position is located at the Denali HQ Natural Sounds and Night Skies office, which remotely supports efforts throughout Alaska. Denali is a six-million-acre park with the Alaska Range as a backbone. The park has extensive glaciers and braided rivers, miles of tundra plateaus, and countless glacial lakes and ponds, all capped by the magnificent 6,194 m (20,320 ft.) Denali. The summers are often cool (55° ± 10° F) and wet. During drier summers wildfire smoke can be prevalent. The Alaska Range is an exceptionally wild and challenging place to work and recreate. Grocery, hardware, and auto parts are available 15 miles north of the park entrance, with complete services only available in Fairbanks, 120 miles north of the park entrance, or Anchorage, 250 miles south. Daily commuting options to and from the office include bikes (available for loan), walking along a roadside trail, and a free shuttle system. Many seasonal employees do not bring their own vehicles and find the existing transportation to be adequate for their needs.

Office tasks will largely take place in a common working space shared with many other seasonal employees. Although there is significant opportunity for time in the field, successful fieldwork requires a thoughtful plan organized with colleagues in the office environment. Field work will be performed in a wilderness environment, spending long hours in the outdoors. Field collection efforts will involve overnight trips to monitoring sites and long hours outdoors in a variety of different weather conditions (rain/snow, cold, strong winds/blowing silt, low visibility) and over a variety of terrain (steep or coarse rocks, swift moving rivers, soft tundra/wetland, snowfields). The applicant is expected to work in any of these conditions, while actively mitigating hazards with their team to accept only reasonable risks. For this reason, we seek applicants with strong decision-making skills in the backcountry. Exposure to wildlife is common, and precautions are emphasized. A bear safety orientation course is required and will be provided at the park. Weather is unpredictable, but summer usually has some days of dry, relatively clear conditions with intermittent and sometimes lengthy periods of wet drizzle. Quality personal rain gear is required, with layers (like fleece) for colder and windier conditions. Past participants have developed a healthy respect and love for the physical and mental challenge of working in the Denali, but occasionally the learning curve has been steep. We seek applicants who are already competent backcountry travelers heading into this employment.


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. The position has two potential housing options. The Civilian Conservation Corps Camp (C-Camp) is where the majority of NPS seasonal employees live. In C-Camp, each cabin has two occupants. Occupants enjoy private bedrooms and a shared kitchen/living room space. Some Resources or Education employees also live in Visitor's Center Campus housing. These are single-occupant rooms that are slightly smaller than C-Camp cabins. Other than private living space, there are two major differences between C-Camp and Campus housing. The first is that Campus housing has no kitchen. Instead, you'd eat at an employee cafeteria near your room. Second, Campus housing is about a mile away from HQ where you'd be working. A free shuttle bus, bicycle, or foot trails make it easy to travel in-between. With either housing facility, there is a bathhouse a short distance from living quarters. Past applicants have enjoyed residing in either housing option. You can make a request for either option if you have a preference, but we can't guarantee that you'll get your pick.


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 Denali National Park and Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve will host a Acoustic 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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