Career Center

Vegetation Monitoring Member - Gulf Coast Network

Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), is seeking ONE Vegetation Monitoring Member to monitor and protect significant natural resources in National Parks as part of the NPS Gulf Coast Network (GULN).

For full position announcement and to apply visit: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/729638.html 

Start Date: April 25, 2022 (Flexibility may be available for the right candidate) 

End Date:  October 24, 2022 (or 26 weeks after start date)

* A 26-week minimum commitment is required *

Location: Stationed at GULN office in Lafayette, LA.

About 40% of the member’s work will require overnight travel. Field trips will leave from Lafayette, LA. Overnight travel will most often be to one of the eight Gulf Coast Network parks (Big Thicket National Preserve, Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, Vicksburg National Military Park, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, Padre Island National Seashore, Natchez Trace Parkway, Gulf Islands National Seashore).

For more information regarding the Gulf Coast Network (GULN) please visit the NPS website at: www.nps.gov/im/guln

For more information about ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.

Program Background:  The Gulf Coast Network is one of thirty-two Inventory and Monitoring networks nationwide. The network monitors natural resources in eight national parks, spanning from Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.

Habitats in the network's parks include barrier islands and seashores, coastal fresh to brackish marshes, bottomland hardwoods, cypress-tupelogum swamps, Mississippi River alluvial floodplain and loessal bluffs, rolling hill country and pastures, and the dry scrub/grasslands of Edwards Plateau. 

Living Allowance: The ACE member will serve approximately 40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $500/week to offset the costs of food, housing, and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly. While traveling for projects, accommodations will include motels and park housing; reimbursable travel expenses are covered by the ACE.

Housing: Housing is the responsibility of the member and not provided by ACE or NPS. 

AmeriCorps: This position may be eligible for a 900-hour AmeriCorps Education Award ($3,172.50) upon successful completion of service hours. Additional enrollment steps are required.

Position Description:  This is a 26-week position, working with the NPS Gulf Coast Network (GULN) as a member of a team that conducts field-oriented natural resources monitoring. 

Primary duties include assisting GULN staff with a variety of field-oriented projects, including:

• Assisting with the terrestrial vegetation monitoring project in Gulf Coast Network parks
• Entering and quality checking monitoring data and species occurrence information in databases and spreadsheets, using Microsoft Access and Excel
• Occasionally providing field and data management assistance for other long-term monitoring projects, such as water quality monitoring, Texas tortoise monitoring, amphibian monitoring, shoreline monitoring and bird community monitoring. 
• Field operation and basic management of Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments and data, including uploading and downloading GPS data
• Assisting with organizing and carrying out field logistics to support monitoring teams of two or more people

Training: NPS will provide field training and experience in a variety of methods and instruments used to carry out several long-term monitoring projects. Training or practical experience may also be provided in data manipulation using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and other proprietary software, including Garmin GPS software, and National Park Service natural resources inventory and monitoring databases. 

This project provides opportunities for the ACE Member to learn about natural resources, management programs and monitoring techniques in a number of Gulf Coast region National Park Service units, by gaining practical experience and training. This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a hiring authority upon completion of their term of service.

Qualifications: 

Required:

• Members must be US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner. 
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Willing to undergo and must pass required criminal history checks.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• This position is physically demanding. The member must be physically able to serve outdoors for long hours in intense weather conditions and walk miles with packs up to 40 pounds.
• This position will require extensive overnight travel.
• ACE Members must verify that they are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or have requested and been granted a medical or religious exemption to vaccination by the time they start their term.

Preferred:

• Competitive applicants for this position will have a background or course work in botany, ecology, natural resource management, or a related discipline and have a demonstrated interest in this field.
• Interest and knowledge of botany, hydrology, and ecology
• Knowledge, interest and/or experience conducting vegetation sampling and monitoring and aquatic field work
• Experience with plant identification 
• Experience in various field data collection methods using standard protocols
• Experience in backcountry hiking
• Interest and ability to work in remote field areas
• Familiarity with Microsoft Access, Garmin GPS units, and/or ESRI's ArcGIS

Suggested: a personal vehicle is recommended for the duration of the term.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to the online application page for this position here: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/729638.html. Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC NPS Recruitment Specialist, Victoria Yee at vyee@usaconservation.org. 

EEO: American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.