Position Details
AmeriCorps NPS Physical Science Technician Apply
Full job description
Title: AmeriCorps NPS Physical Science Technician
Start: May 20, 2024 November 2, 2024
Stipend: $730/week paid on a bi-weekly basis
Term: 24 weeks, 40 hours a week
Location: Based out of Mesa Verde National Park, CO
Status: 900-hour AmeriCorps Service Term
Schedule: Individual Placement AmeriCorps members service hours typically follow Monday - Friday service schedule but may include weekends or evenings based on the specific needs of the service site.
Benefits: AmeriCorps Education Award $3,447.50 after successful completion and access to Member Assistant Program
Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) is a program of the non-profit service organization, Conservation Legacy, that is built on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which operated from 1933 1942. SCC provides youth and young adults opportunities to complete conservation projects primarily on public lands. While serving with SCC, members receive training on job skills, conflict resolution, leadership, teamwork, and environmental stewardship. Programs are developed using a step ladder approach to provide a progression of skill development based on a members needs. Members receive a weekly living allowance, training, and an AmeriCorps Education Award (for qualifying individuals).
Program Overview:
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspirations of this and future. For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural and biological heritage of this landscape and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.
The Physical Science program at Mesa Verde National Park (MVNP) is housed in the Natural Resources (NR) program of MVNP. MVNP NR is committed to protecting natural resources for now and for future generations, including the current and future impacts and threats of climate change. The program focuses on projects that support native eco systems and climate change adaptation. In addition to boots on the ground projects and restoration, MVNP NR supports research from various institutions and a wide range of wildlife, vegetation, hydrologic, etc. monitoring. The Physical Science program has been focused on a Low Tech Process Based Restoration (LTPBR) projects on the Mancos River. The Individual Placement (IP) would have the opportunity to provide hands on support of LTPBR projects and would be involved in collaborative engagement with partners from diverse affiliations. This internship will provide a great opportunity to be a part of critical ecological restoration and research. Aside from the service with the Physical Science program that IP will be offered various opportunities to explore other fields of interest in MVNP, including wildlife, vegetation, and archeology.
Essential Roles and Responsibilities Include:
- Prepare wood materials, flag trees for removal for saw crew: If saw certified, operate chainsaw to buck and fall trees, and prepare posts
- Construct LTPBR structures, primarily Post Assisted Log Structures (PALS)
- Provide assistance and support to conservation corps crews in the field
- Assist with monitoring of LTPBR projects on the Mancos River: Run Real Time Kinematic (RTK) surveys to monitor geomorphic changes, assist with fish shocking operations and trail cameras
- Conduct seeps and springs surveys by measuring spring flows, water quality and water sampling
- Monitor Air Quality: conduct weekly air quality operations including, calibration, replacing filters, and data collection
- Support other Natural Resource Management programs: Assist in wildlife and vegetation operations and data management
- Engage with other NPS divisions, agencies, and local partners to support collaborative programming: For example, Morefield Springs restoration planning and assisting with Mancos Watershed Group outreach events
- Support the work of and engage with Conservation Corps crews in the field
- Educational coursework and/or field experience in relevant field
- Must have a desire to work outside and be willing to perform strenuous service activities
- Outdoor filed or recreational and backcountry experience
- A Sawyer Certified
- LTPBR concepts and functions, RTK equipment and collections, proper surveying and collection techniques, hydraulic post pounder safety training
- LTPBR projects require the use of heavy equipment with a group of 5-6 folks. It is critical that everyone is briefed on operating the equipment and its associated hazards
- Service activities around or with a chainsaw
- Wading in river, which is uneven and slippery terrain
- Some projects are in the Mesa Verde backcountry, which is remote and may require strenuous backcountry travel
Housing Provided: Yes
- Received or on track to receive high school diploma or GED
- Valid U.S Driver's License
- Per grant funding, candidate must be 18-30 years of age, up to 35 years of age if veteran status
- U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or Lawful Permanent Resident
- Willing to undergo and must pass required criminal history checks
Apply Now!
To apply, please submit an updated resume and letter of interest along with the online application.
Contact Niki Antonio with any questions | nantonio@conservationlegacy.org
Conservation Legacy strives to create a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to experience the outdoors and improve our shared outdoor spaces. Conservation Legacy encourages applicants from all backgrounds to apply for this position. We are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Conservation Legacy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
*Internship is dependent on grant funding*
