Land Management Support Member, Modoc National Wildlife Refuge

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking two Land Management Support Members to contribute to invasive plant management projects alongside Modoc NWR Staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

April/May 2026

17 weeks later

* a 17-week minimum commitment is required, approximately 680 hours, some start date flexibility*

Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, Alturas, California. The 7,021-acre Modoc NWR is located along the South Fork of the Pit River in Modoc County, southeast of the town of Alturas, in extreme northeastern California. The refuge is located on the western edge of the Great Basin, a high elevation, cold desert environment. The refuge consists of wetland, wet meadow, reservoir, riparian, sagebrush-steppe, and cropland habitats.

The refuge is part of a larger complex of mid-elevation wetlands and lakes of northeastern California and is strategically situated to meet the needs of waterfowl and other migratory birds of the Pacific Flyway. Modoc NWR acts as a migration and staging area for ducks, geese, and other wetland birds on the southward migration funnel into this region. After feeding and resting on the refuge, they continue to the Central and Imperial Valleys of California and other wintering areas.

This pattern is reversed in the spring. The refuge's wetlands and adjacent uplands are also an important nesting area for ducks, geese, greater sandhill cranes, and other species of marsh birds.

For more information about Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, please visit their FWS website.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. This position will help FWS realize that mission at Modoc NWR as management of invasive species is essential to maintaining quality habitat for a variety of wildlife species that depend on Modoc NWR.

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.

• Invasive Plant Management (75%)
  • Use mechanical and chemical treatments to treat invasive plants including perennial pepper weed, hoary cress, poison hemlock, Mediterranean sage, scotch thistle, Canada thistle, and others.
  • Chemical herbicide application using various methods including handheld sprayers, backpack sprayers, and ATV/UTV sprayers.
  • Tracking and documenting herbicide use.
  • Invasive Plant Surveying:
    Surveying areas for invasive species.
  • Operate Field Maps on iPads and use ArcGIS Pro to document plants sprayed and surveyed.
  • Contribute to written invasive plant management reports.
• Assist with other biological and land management duties (25%)
  • Use GIS in the office to produce maps for the field and reports.
  • Facilities maintenance (cleaning trails & bathrooms, weed whacking/weed eating auto tour pull outs, oiling signs, etc.)
  • Waterbird banding
  • Waterbird surveys
  • Bird nest box maintenance
  • Vegetation monitoring
  • Community outreach events

Duties will typically be carried out between 7:00am and 3:30pm Pacific, Monday - Friday, typically 5 days/week (5/8s). Work hours may vary. Bi-weekly totals should not exceed 80 hours. A flexible work schedule may be required, which could involve work performed outside of normal work hours including on weekends and/or holidays. Time off may be granted and requests should be directed to ACE and the FWS for approval.

• Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $500/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.
• Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of…