Ecology Assistant (12 Weeks) - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy • Chesapeake, OH

3d • Onsite

About The Position

This Ecology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. C&O Canal NHP provides important protected habitat for over 200 state listed species, with some populations being the best representations in Maryland. To further conserve some of the highest priority species, the park began a propagation and out planting project. To determine the efficacy, we need an participant to visit the sites and determine the portion of the out planted individuals that have survived and are reproducing. Some sites will be visited after one year and others up to three years after planting. Obtaining the survivorship data will give park managers indications of which species are most suitable for future propagation projects and the habitats that are most receptive to the out plantings.

Requirements

• 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 host site.
• The applicant must be available to participate for the entire 12 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.
• Applicant must have a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
• A personal vehicle is REQUIRED for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Requirements for this position include the ability to safely traverse steep, difficult terrain through various weather conditions.
• The participant should be familiar with collecting GPS points in the field and navigating to sites using GPS and iPad.
• Botanical identification skills are necessary to correctly identify rare plant species and the participant will be expected to use dichotomous keys for species identification.
• This project will require basic GIS and data analysis skills.
• participants should have experience with written, from emails to report writing, and oral communications, from public interactions to group presentations.
• Bachelor's or graduate degrees in a biology or ecology related fields are ideal.

Responsibilities

• Assess each plant's survival and reproductive status.
• Return to each of these points to determine the number of plants that are alive and which are showing reproductive characteristics through flowering or fruiting.
• Data will be taken using an external GPS receiver and iPad to add survival data to the points for either one, two, or three years after planting.
• Coordinate the planting of any plants received from the greenhouse. This will include scoping out and mapping appropriate habitats for the plantings, coordinating personnel and/or volunteers, watering as needed, and conducting initial survival checks and 2-3 weeks after plantings.
• Responsible for maintaining the GIS layers and data collected in the field.
• Collecting field data and maintaining the GIS layers in NPS Portal.
• Produce a clean, up to date layer and data will be downloaded and organized on a shared drive.
• Calculate survival data for each point and EO.
• Supply an internal report that summarizes the methods used and survival results by years planted, species, habitat, number of individuals planted, etc. Tables and figures will be produced for the report.
• Hold a presentation to park staff and volunteers about their findings.

Benefits

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award : $ 1,956.35 upon successful completion of position
• Weekly Living Allowance: $ 600.00 per week, fixed rate
• Relocation Allowance: $ 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)
• Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED