Vegetation Management Intern - Yellowstone National Park

EPIC • Yellowstone National Park, WY

17h

About The Position

Vegetation Management Intern Summary American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking 1 Member to contribute to resource management projects alongside NPS Staff. For more information about ACE, please visit our website. Start Date: June 1, 2026 Estimated End Date: October 16, 2026 a 20-week minimum commitment is required. Start date can be flexible Location Details/Description: On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park for all to enjoy the unique hydrothermal and geologic features. Within Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres, visitors have unparalleled opportunities to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem, explore geothermal areas that contain about half the world's active geysers, and view geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Home to more than 1,500 plant taxa, the vegetation communities of Yellowstone National Park include overlapping combinations of species typical of the Rocky Mountains as well as of the Great Plains to the east and the Intermountain region to the west. Forests made up of lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, whitebark pine, and limber pine cover roughly 80% of the park. For more information about Yellowstone National Park, please visit the NPS website. Position Overview: This ACE member will become part of a coordinated vegetation management program at Yellowstone National Park. Member will be selected to work with vegetation management staff. This is a developmental position in the biological sciences, working closely with NPS vegetation staff and learning directly from other practitioners. The ACE member will be provided direct technical training in safe park operations and then in vegetation management practices. Most field work will involve hiking to research plots and restoration areas, use of field equipment, and recording of data on forms and digital tablets that use GIS databases. The intern may also assist with public outreach regarding efforts to protect and recover park vegetation resources. This position is approximately 80% field work and 20% office work. 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.

Requirements

• Members must be authorized to work in the United States. ACE does not provide sponsorship for employment visas.
• 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).
• Members must be 21+ to drive due to ACE's insurance and liability requirements.
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.

Nice To Haves

• Competitive applicants for this position must hold or be pursuing a minimum of a bachelor's degree and/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as botany, forestry, plant ecology, biology, natural resources, environmental science, or a related field
• Experience in vegetation monitoring, invasive plant management, or working in nursery settings.
• Experience using GPS and GIS software.
• Ability and willingness to work with others in a team setting.
• An ability to hike long distances carrying a light to medium-weight pack in inclement weather.
• Deep interest in fieldwork and a respect for nature.

Responsibilities

• Conduct revegetation techniques of areas disturbed by construction and visitor impacts including seed collection and cleaning, restoration plantings, nursery work, broadcast seeding, watering, etc.
• Assist with nonnative plant surveys and control efforts using both manual and chemical (i.e. herbicides) methods.
• Assist other staff to assess, fell, and remove hazardous trees from priority visitor use areas.
• Conduct treatment effectiveness monitoring throughout both front country and backcountry areas of Yellowstone NP.

Benefits

• Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $625/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.
• This position is part of the Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement must meet the PLC Eligibility Requirements to be considered for this position. Members may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship.
• Housing: Housing (private bedroom, shared kitchen and bathroom) will be provided by the park. The intern will need to provide linens and dishes. Pets (including ESAs) and spouses/partners are not allowed in park housing. If, for some reason, the park isn't able to offer housing, there are shared and single, even furnished, unit rentals available in Livingston, MT (60 miles north) and Bozeman, MT (90 miles north) and a commute will be necessary. ACE members will be provided with an additional living stipend as rents outside the park range from $850-900/month, which might reduce the length of this internship by several weeks. Park housing availability will be determined by April 1st. A personal vehicle will be necessary for these positions.
• Gear Allowance: ACE members will have up to $200 to spend on eligible gear purchases.
• Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern