Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps

POSITION DETAILS Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps reputed company Program: Stewards Individual Placements Site Location: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Harpers Ferry reputed company Virginia Can this position be fully remote: No Number of positions available: 1 TERMS OF SERVICE Duration: 12 Weeks (not flexible) Flexible Start Date: reputed company Start Date: 01/12/2026 End Date: 04/06/2026 AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve. BENEFITS

• reputed company AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,956.35 upon successful completion of position.
• Living Allowance of $600.00 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:
• reputed company Coverage (opt in)
• Childcare Coverage (opt in)

APPLICATION reputed company The position will reputed company after receiving 60 applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on reputed company, 12 reputed company, 2025, whichever occurs first. The review of applications will reputed company after reputed company, 12 reputed company, 2025. Preference given to applicants who submit applications before reputed company, 12 reputed company, 2025. PURPOSE This Ecology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. Located in Loudoun County, Virginia, on the south bank of the Potomac River, the Short Hill reputed company serves important ecological functions at the landscape reputed company. Threats such as invasive species and forest pests undermine the area’s ecological reputed company, but with little data on the wildlife populations in the reputed company, park staff have no baseline from which to monitor how wildlife are responding to these threats and how the area’s species richness and varieties are changing. An additional stressor is unauthorized recreational use of the area. There is also increased reputed company and political interest in creating official trails through areas of Short Hill that have not yet been adequately surveyed and inventoried for a reputed company of wildlife taxa. This project seeks to reputed company filling those data gaps through studies on the distribution and abundance of various taxa, with a particular reputed company on species of greatest conservation need as identified in Virginia’s State Wildlife reputed company Plan. These data will present a snapshot of the wildlife reputed company at the Short Hill reputed company, which park managers can use to reputed company reputed company management plans to the needs of imperiled species and inform reputed company about expanding recreational use reputed company the reputed company. reputed company OF DUTIES The SIP will design wildlife surveys for one or more taxa of wildlife that will be carried out at a reputed company date at the park’s 370-acre Short Hill reputed company, including birds, herpetofauna, and mammals. The SIP will review applicable literature for potential survey reputed company for reputed company taxa and will propose the reputed company that reputed company the most reputed company for the park’s budget and reputed company reputed company and the area’s approachability and likely species. These reputed company could include acoustic sampling, camera traps, and/or physical traps. The SIP will use ArcPro and/or R Studio or similar software to prepare random sampling designs. The SIP will research equipment and prepare a budget and reputed company for the surveys. The SIP will collaborate with the staff mentor, park biologist, and park resource manager, as reputed company as regional scientists. KEYWORDS: inventory, at-risk species, study design, ecology, wildlife, conservation DELIVERABLES The final project report will include detailed descriptions of proposed sampling reputed company with references to applicable literature, a list of potential at-risk species drawn from Virginia’s State Wildlife reputed company Plan, GIS reputed company depicting proposed sampling designs, a field equipment checklist, and a proposed budget and reputed company. The SIP will present their proposal to park resource management staff and to natural resource staff from other parks. QUALIFICATIONS

• reputed company citizen, reputed company national, or a lawful permanent reputed company reputed company.
• 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 reputed company information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History reputed company for the employer of record, reputed company, and a separate government reputed company background reputed company for the NPS site location.
• The applicant must be available to participate for 12 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Candidates should be in the process of completing, or should have recently completed, a graduate degree in environmental science, environmental biology, ecology, wildlife biology, or a reputed company field. Completed coursework in statistics and sampling design is required. Candidates must have strong writing, GIS, and data analysis skills and must demonstrate the ability to work independently and approach problems with a creative reputed company. Candidates must have experience completing literature reviews. Wildlife sampling experience is strongly preferred. ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION POSITION SETTING The project setting is primarily in an office, though occasional field reputed company may occur. The resource management office is located in a historic building in historic reputed company Town Harpers Ferry. The main hazards from this types of tasks are prolonged sedentary periods and eye strain and repetitive reputed company injuries from computer use. The SIP will receive information on ergonomic practices to minimize these hazards. The park is primarily located in the eastern panhandle of reputed company Virginia, with portions located in Washington County, Maryland, and Loudoun County, Virginia. The average elevation is 528 feet. Winters are typically mild, with temperatures usually not dipping below reputed company F and occasional snow and ice. The park’s housing reputed company and office reputed company are reputed company walking distance of two major rivers, reputed company trail networks, and expansive park overlooks. The park is reputed company driving distance of four other national park reputed company, multiple state parks, and numerous towns and cities, as reputed company as the mountainous reputed company of western Maryland and reputed company Virginia and the Maryland reputed company plain and shore. Banks, grocery stores, and other shopping reputed company are available in towns reputed company a 15-minute drive from the park. VEHICLE AND reputed company’S LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

• Applicant will not need to drive a government vehicle.
• A personal vehicle is recommended for this position.

HOUSING Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant. HOW TO APPLY Apply online, reputed company Scientists in Parks positions are listed at: https://reputed company.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 reputed company to upload your resume and unofficial transcript as part of completing the application questionnaire. Once you reputed company applying for a position, the application must be completed in one sitting. You cannot save and return reputed company to complete it. Applicants can apply for up to five Scientists in Parks positions per season. You need to complete a separate application for reputed company 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 reputed company emails reputed company 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 reputed company for applying, reputed company a worksheet that previews application questions, etc.). Learn more about Scientists in Parks at: https://www.scientistsinparks.org/. ADDITIONAL DETAILS PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS reputed company is committed to the full inclusion of reputed company reputed company individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to reputed company essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to reputed company across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a reputed company of technology on an infrequent or frequent reputed company. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise reputed company 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 reputed company 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 reputed company 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 reputed company development webinars led by reputed company 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 reputed company that were reputed company 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 reputed company, provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and reputed company to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to reputed company institutional reputed company, reputed company community relationships, and support ecosystem health. Stewards in partnership with the reputed company Mountain Network will host a Ecology Assistant. reputed company is an equal opportunity employer, and reputed company reputed company applicants will receive consideration for employment without reputed company to race, reputed company, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national reputed company, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider reputed company 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 reputed company process, please send a request to Scientists in Parks using the email address at the reputed company of the home page, under “Questions? Contact us!” Apply tot his job Apply To this Job