Cave and Karst Assistant AmeriCorps

Cave and Karst Assistant (20 Weeks) - Ameri Corps Position Details

Position (s): 4454

Position Title: Cave and Karst Assistant - Ameri Corps

Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements

Site

Location:

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, El Malpais National Monument, Grants, New Mexico

Number of positions available: 1

Duration: 20 Weeks (not flexible)

Flexible

Start Date:

Yes

Start Date: 5/11/2026

End Date: 9/28/2026

Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 675 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.

• Segal Ameri Corps Education Award: $2,817.14 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 My Ameri Corps , directly)
• Student Loan Interest Payments if applicable (administered through My Ameri Corps , directly)

Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, February 15, 2026. Applications will be reviewed after the Final date to receive applications passes. Positions will close after receiving 60 complete applications
, or at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 15, 2026, whichever occurs first.

Keywords: lava tube, bat, white-nose syndrome, cave, acoustics

This Cave and Karst Assistant is an Ameri Corps position. Join a dynamic, friendly team and see your projects play an important role in how caves and wildlife are managed at El Malpais. This position will address a critical data need identified in the El Malpais NM Foundation Document. Information about bat population, wide variety of and distribution trends will inform urgent management decisions regarding cave closures and sites for potential guided cave tours.

These measures will also be important for the Wilderness Management Plan and Cave Management Plan which are under development. On a larger scale, WNS has recently been detected in New Mexico, and the data collected at El Malpais and Carlsbad Caverns will help monitor impacts as the disease spreads. The project will also contribute to NABat - a continent-wide data set that is used by many researchers.

This position will focus on monitoring of bat wide variety of through acoustic monitoring at both El Malpais NM (ELMA) and Carlsbad Caverns NP and parks. You will become familiar with the rugged volcanic landscape throughout ELMA's wilderness, while learning how to identify different bat acoustic signatures, use environmental monitoring equipment, and record site data in Field Maps. Leave-no-trace principles will be a strong focus.

Additionally, you'll learn how to upload data to the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) - a system used by bat researchers throughout the US. This position will be based at El Malpais, with trips to Carlsbad Caverns NP to assist with bat-related fieldwork. In addition to the main project, you will broaden your horizons through cave environmental monitoring, cave mapping, and cave inventory to assess conditions in the monument’s main bat habitats.

There may also be opportunities to assist researchers with projects ranging from cave microbe sampling and ice coring.

Project goals and materials to be produced will include a short report summarizing the results of the bat acoustic monitoring, and an end-of-term presentation for the public. Additionally, acoustic data will be collated and uploaded to NABat. Preparation of abstracts and presentations for the New Mexico Bat Working Group meeting and/or other meeting such as the National Speleological Society Southwest Regional will be encouraged.

• 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 Ameri Corps 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…