Conservation Legacy

POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Biology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Christiansted National Historic Site, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, Christiansted, Virgin Islands

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: 05/04/2025

End Date: 07/27/2025

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 Hour

BENEFITS

  • Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,956.00 upon successful completion of position.
  • Living Allowance of $665.00 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 Biology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will have significant biological/scientific impact. In St. Croix, over-exploitation of commercially important fish species has been reported as early as the late 1950s. By the 1980s, the Nassau grouper was considered locally extinct. Overfishing and habitat destruction have led to continuous declines in these fish on Caribbean reefs. On coral reefs, these fishes often occupy integral roles as highly mobile predators, balancing food webs and connecting isolated habitats. Estuaries and shallow bays are essential for the initial life stages of many reef predators acting as nursery grounds, providing food and habitat refugia. SARI is one of the largest remaining intact estuaries in St. Croix. Despite this, no formal assessment of high trophic level fishes has occurred within SARI, though anecdotal observations have shown several species using it as a nursery. Most notably, in 2023, park staff reported juvenile Nassau groupers occupying SARIs seagrass beds. To establish a baseline understanding of SARIs role in the life cycle and recovery of Nassau Grouper the park wants to develop roving diver/snorkeler surveys. This study will focus enforcement/protection actions to reduce habitat destruction and 'Take', document species recovery, and justify SARIs critical habitat designation for threatened Nassau grouper.

Communication and Education Impact: Successful conservation of endangered species requires extensive cooperation and support between conservation agencies and local communities. The education component of this project offers an opportunity to accomplish this by engaging local students and the community in current Resource Management projects.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

In 2023, juvenile Nassau groupers were documented by park staff in Salt River Bay (SARI) after being considered commercially extinct since the 1980s. SARI have high potential to serve as nursery habitat for Nassau grouper and other exploited high trophic level species, including sharks and snappers. Nursery areas are Essential Fish Habitat as defined by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and are vital to the recovery of a species. Additionally, due to the wider Caribbean Region’s concern over the continuous decline of Nassau grouper, NOAA designated critical habitat for Nassau grouper throughout the Caribbean in 2023. These designations included areas of Buck Island (BUIS) but did not include SARI. Due to the significance of the species and since the park seems to be the at the forefront of the recovery, this project focuses on understanding SARIs role in the life cycle of the Nassau grouper and to track and support their recovery.

The SIP, with guidance from NPS resource managers, will accomplish the following during Summer (May-July) 2025:

1) Update existing or establish new methods to survey the Nassau grouper population at SARI. The member will use this data and existing data (from 2023 and 2024) to establish a baseline assessment for the Nassau grouper population in the park.

2) The member will quantify habitat associations and residency to better define future surveys to track recovery while exploring potential methods to support the Nassau grouper recovery in the park (i.e., habitat restoration, protection or education).

3) Interpret the results and disseminate project findings by: 1) Providing NPS Resource Managers with products that aid in development of management practices that ensure the continued recovery of Nassau grouper populations and elevate the protection of these species; 2) Working with local agencies (i.e. NPS, DPNR, USFWS, The Nature Conservancy) to incorporate findings in the USVI Caribbean Recovery Action Plans; 3) Developing a brief summary of project results to be distributed to local schools and conservation initiatives, to raise awareness of high trophic species recovery and conservation; 4) Preparing results from the baseline assessment for submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

4) Conduct a workshop at the Youth Oceans Program, a STEM summer camp for local under-represented students in the USVI. The member will teach students how to ID T & E species and educate them on the importance of a healthy/complete ecosystem, offering students an opportunity to engage with resource management and allowing NPS to share the success of various Resource Management programs including the recovery of the Nassau grouper.


KEYWORDS: Biodiversity, fisheries and aquatic resources, landscape and seascape conservation, threatened and endangered species, recovery, conservation

DELIVERABLES

1) Complete a baseline population condition assessment for Nassau grouper at SARI, through the use of visual surveys. Quantifying habitat associations and residency and provide definitive documentation of essential habitat for Nassau grouper.

2) Collaborating with local and regional conservation agencies (including NPS, USFWS, and DPNR) involved with T & E Species protection and recovery on St. Croix, to incorporate project findings in the Territorial intervention and Action Plans.

3) Developing virtual presentation that highlights project results and the current NPS treatment programs and coral disease collaborators, to be shared via the NPS CHRI Monthly Seminar Series, which is attended by resource managers, research scientists, park concession operators, stakeholders, park volunteers, local university students, and community members.

4) Developing a brief summary of project results to be distributed to: 1) local conservation agencies, including NPS, USFWS, DPNR, The Nature Conservancy; 2) NPS Government Performance Results Act for assessment of Threatened and Endangered Species Management in NPS; 3) CHRI Division of Interpretation and Education for dissemination to local K-12 programs.

5) Presenting a talk or poster at the Southeast Region Natural Resource Management and Inventory/Monitoring Workshop.


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
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Biology (or related field), Masters in Biology, Marine Science (or related field) preferred.

Required coursework (at undergraduate and/or graduate level): Biology, ecology, Ichthyology, fisheries management, advanced statistics.

Skills:

  • The desired applicant should have experience working on small boats and leading a field team to conduct fish surveys using a variety of gears.
  • Strong fish identification skills are necessary.
  • Experience conducting fieldwork in relatively remote tropical areas.
  • Experience analyzing large datasets in R, excel and other data platforms.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills to reach both scientific and general audiences.

Certifications:

  • Applicant MUST have a valid US driver's license and a good driving record
  • Industry recognized Scuba certification-preferred

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

Position Environment (on site): CHRI is located in downtown Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. CHRI is the headquarters park for CHRI, BUIS and SARI. CHRI provides office accommodations within its historic buildings; Division of Resource Management is housed in Danish West Indies Guinea Company Warehouse, circa late 1800s. The SIP member would be provided a work station in the Resource Management office; climbing stairs is required to reach first floor work area (no accessibility due to historic building status). During the field and outreach portion of the project, the Member will primarily on the waters surrounding BUIS and SARI which are accessed by boat (15 minute ride to the island) from the main land of St. Croix. The water is often 80-82 F and relatively calm during the summer months of the position. Occasional storms will result in increased wind and wave height. Diver and member safety is our greatest priority, and the member can refuse to participate in any aspect of the field work if they feel uncomfortable or unprepared for any reason.

Local Area: Low elevation, coastal parks located within the tropical/semi-tropical Caribbean (i.e. bright sun, average temperatures 75-85 F). English is the primary language on the island; cars are American-designed, but are driven on the left side of the road. This onsite component of the position would overlap with the beginning of the Caribbean hurricane season. The Member would have park orientation to annual adverse/extreme weather training at the beginning of their visit. NPS will also assist the Member in finding short-term lodging in a safe neighborhood located within walking distance to the NPS headquarters, grocery stores, post offices, banking, and other necessities. Lodgings are furnished and have Wi-Fi access.


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. Park housing is currently unavailable but may become available before the Membership start date (TBD). Although the park cannot guarantee housing, members can confidently rely on the NPS network of support within this small Caribbean community.

NPS will assist the Member in finding a local short-term rental, as it done for previous student members. There are multiple options for short-term rentals in downtown Christiansted, all of which are in a safe neighborhood and are within walking distance to the NPS headquarters, grocery stores, post office, banks, and other necessities. Short-term lodgings are furnished and have Wi-Fi access. We are requesting a subsidy for housing costs associated with the high cost of lodging accommodations in this island location. Adequate housing typically costs $800-$1000 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 Christiansted National Historic Site, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve 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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