Conservation Legacy
Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy, Washington, District of Columbia, us, 20022
Overview
POSITION DETAILS
Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: National Capital Region Network, Washington, District of Columbia
Can this position be fully remote: No
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 01/12/2026
End Date: 01/11/2027
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve.
BENEFITS
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
of $7,395.00 upon successful completion of position.
Living Allowance
of $700.00 per week.
Relocation Allowance
of $450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck)
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 (opt in)
Childcare Coverage (opt in)
APPLICATION TIMELINE
The position will close after receiving 60 applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 12 October, 2025, whichever occurs first. The review of applications will begin after Sunday, 12 October, 2025. Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, 12 October, 2025.
PURPOSE
This Ecology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. The candidate will contribute by creating invasive management plans to support Park resource managers in prioritizing management zones and designing sustainable treatment regimes.
I&M field projects will contribute to long-term monitoring of natural resource vital signs. The data produced by these efforts are vital for informing management decisions in the National Capital Area parks and across the NCRN.
Involvement with the IPMT will assist with non-native invasive vegetation monitoring within the parks.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The candidate will serve with Natural Resource and Science (NRS) staff, assisting with a variety of GIS projects related to natural resource management and monitoring from National Parks in the National Capital Region (NCR), as well as other National Parks in the eastern US. This will primarily be an office-based position, although there will also be field-based components to the position.
With guidance from regional staff, the candidate will co-lead the creation of invasive species management plans. The service will involve compiling GIS data, making maps, using an invasive management planning tool and writing up a final report. The GIS projects will involve compiling and mapping invasive species locations from data sources like iNaturalist, EDDMapS, NPS vegetation inventories, invasive plant treatment or survey data, and park-level data. The candidate will also be responsible for scheduling meetings with park staff and partners, compiling deliverables, and posting all completed products to the Integrate Resource Management Applications Portal (IRMA).
As part of the field component of the position, the candidate will assist the Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) field crews with forest vegetation and water quality monitoring. They will assist with collecting a wide range of data for trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants within established forest plots. They will also assist with the collection of water monitoring data such as temperature, conductivity, pH, and discharge.
The candidate will also have an opportunity to serve with the NCR Invasive Plant Management Team (IPMT) by assisting with non-native invasive vegetation pre-treatment monitoring to determine whether management objectives are being meet and to ensure the effectiveness of control treatments.
KEYWORDS : ArcGIS, AGOL, data management, natural resource monitoring, forest ecology, botany, stream health, water quality, invasive plant management
DELIVERABLES
Products will include the production of invasive management plans for parks within the NCR and other NPS parks. It will also include the data and associated information collected as part of monitoring activities (e.g. field data, photos, maps).
QUALIFICATIONS
US citizen, US national, or a lawful permanent resident.
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 GIS Skills: Knowledge of geographic information systems; raster and vector data models; creating, editing, and publishing GIS data in ArcGIS Pro and AGOL; Experience with Microsoft 365 and Excel.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
The office is located in Washington DC, near Georgetown. Although the office along public transportation (there a bus stop near the office), a personal vehicle is recommended due to the typical time it takes to get to the office. Depending on where you live around the DC area, it can take over an hour to travel to the office using public transportation. There is a small convenience store/deli and a few restaurants near by the office but no large grocery store in the near vicinity.
From late fall until early spring, the majority of service will be conducted in the office/teleserving with occasional field days assisting with invasive plant management, forest monitoring, and water quality monitoring. Starting in late spring the amount of field projects will increase to support field staff until the end of the monitoring season.
A typical field day begins at the office at 7am after which the field crew will pack up and drive a government furnished vehicle to monitoring sites or invasive management areas around the region. Upon completion of the days field projects, the crew will return to the office to backup data and prepare for the following day of field projects. Crew members can expect to carry up to 50lbs of gear into the field traveling in backcountry settings up mountains, over uneven terrain and through thick vegetation. It can be hot and humid in this area during the summer months and freezing or below freezing in winter months.
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 SIP participant will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area. No park housing is available, but past seasonal staff and SIP participants have found reasonable housing in the DC area. Typically, this is shared housing, sublets, or studio apartments. The cost of rental can vary greatly depending on what locality (DC, VA or MD) you choose to live in but the typical rates for a one-bedroom apartment are $1500-2500 and shared housing is $800-1500 (depending on location and number of tenants). The further away from the city you live typically decreases rental costs but also increases commute time and cost of transportation to the office. NCR staff have materials prepared to assist SIP participants in locating housing. Local amenities (grocery, restaurants, etc.) will vary greatly depending on where housing is found.
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.
Free professional development webinars led by Conservation Legacy staff.
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 National Capital Region Network will host a Ecology Assistant.
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal 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!”
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: National Capital Region Network, Washington, District of Columbia
Can this position be fully remote: No
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 01/12/2026
End Date: 01/11/2027
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve.
BENEFITS
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
of $7,395.00 upon successful completion of position.
Living Allowance
of $700.00 per week.
Relocation Allowance
of $450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck)
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 (opt in)
Childcare Coverage (opt in)
APPLICATION TIMELINE
The position will close after receiving 60 applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 12 October, 2025, whichever occurs first. The review of applications will begin after Sunday, 12 October, 2025. Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, 12 October, 2025.
PURPOSE
This Ecology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. The candidate will contribute by creating invasive management plans to support Park resource managers in prioritizing management zones and designing sustainable treatment regimes.
I&M field projects will contribute to long-term monitoring of natural resource vital signs. The data produced by these efforts are vital for informing management decisions in the National Capital Area parks and across the NCRN.
Involvement with the IPMT will assist with non-native invasive vegetation monitoring within the parks.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The candidate will serve with Natural Resource and Science (NRS) staff, assisting with a variety of GIS projects related to natural resource management and monitoring from National Parks in the National Capital Region (NCR), as well as other National Parks in the eastern US. This will primarily be an office-based position, although there will also be field-based components to the position.
With guidance from regional staff, the candidate will co-lead the creation of invasive species management plans. The service will involve compiling GIS data, making maps, using an invasive management planning tool and writing up a final report. The GIS projects will involve compiling and mapping invasive species locations from data sources like iNaturalist, EDDMapS, NPS vegetation inventories, invasive plant treatment or survey data, and park-level data. The candidate will also be responsible for scheduling meetings with park staff and partners, compiling deliverables, and posting all completed products to the Integrate Resource Management Applications Portal (IRMA).
As part of the field component of the position, the candidate will assist the Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) field crews with forest vegetation and water quality monitoring. They will assist with collecting a wide range of data for trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants within established forest plots. They will also assist with the collection of water monitoring data such as temperature, conductivity, pH, and discharge.
The candidate will also have an opportunity to serve with the NCR Invasive Plant Management Team (IPMT) by assisting with non-native invasive vegetation pre-treatment monitoring to determine whether management objectives are being meet and to ensure the effectiveness of control treatments.
KEYWORDS : ArcGIS, AGOL, data management, natural resource monitoring, forest ecology, botany, stream health, water quality, invasive plant management
DELIVERABLES
Products will include the production of invasive management plans for parks within the NCR and other NPS parks. It will also include the data and associated information collected as part of monitoring activities (e.g. field data, photos, maps).
QUALIFICATIONS
US citizen, US national, or a lawful permanent resident.
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 GIS Skills: Knowledge of geographic information systems; raster and vector data models; creating, editing, and publishing GIS data in ArcGIS Pro and AGOL; Experience with Microsoft 365 and Excel.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
The office is located in Washington DC, near Georgetown. Although the office along public transportation (there a bus stop near the office), a personal vehicle is recommended due to the typical time it takes to get to the office. Depending on where you live around the DC area, it can take over an hour to travel to the office using public transportation. There is a small convenience store/deli and a few restaurants near by the office but no large grocery store in the near vicinity.
From late fall until early spring, the majority of service will be conducted in the office/teleserving with occasional field days assisting with invasive plant management, forest monitoring, and water quality monitoring. Starting in late spring the amount of field projects will increase to support field staff until the end of the monitoring season.
A typical field day begins at the office at 7am after which the field crew will pack up and drive a government furnished vehicle to monitoring sites or invasive management areas around the region. Upon completion of the days field projects, the crew will return to the office to backup data and prepare for the following day of field projects. Crew members can expect to carry up to 50lbs of gear into the field traveling in backcountry settings up mountains, over uneven terrain and through thick vegetation. It can be hot and humid in this area during the summer months and freezing or below freezing in winter months.
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 SIP participant will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area. No park housing is available, but past seasonal staff and SIP participants have found reasonable housing in the DC area. Typically, this is shared housing, sublets, or studio apartments. The cost of rental can vary greatly depending on what locality (DC, VA or MD) you choose to live in but the typical rates for a one-bedroom apartment are $1500-2500 and shared housing is $800-1500 (depending on location and number of tenants). The further away from the city you live typically decreases rental costs but also increases commute time and cost of transportation to the office. NCR staff have materials prepared to assist SIP participants in locating housing. Local amenities (grocery, restaurants, etc.) will vary greatly depending on where housing is found.
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.
Free professional development webinars led by Conservation Legacy staff.
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 National Capital Region Network will host a Ecology Assistant.
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal 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!”
#J-18808-Ljbffr