Paleontology Assistant AmeriCorps

Paleontology Assistant (12 Weeks) - Ameri Corps

• Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, NE
• Paleontology Assistant (12 Weeks) - Ameri Corps

POSITION DETAILS
Position (s): 4420
Position Title: Paleontology Assistant - Ameri Corps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site

Location:

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 12 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible

Start Date:

Yes
Start Date: 5/3/2026
End Date: 7/26/2026
Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 450 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.

BENEFITS

• Segal Ameri Corps Education Award
  : $ 1,956.35 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)

APPLICATION TIMELINE
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: Paleontology, Geology, Conservation, Survey, Fossil
PURPOSE
This Paleontology Assistant is an Ameri Corps position. Despite the prominence of fossils to the park’s purpose and heritage, funding and staffing resources have not always been sufficient to fully develop this facet of the park’s natural resource program. Recognizing this need, leadership in the Paleontology Program of the National Park Service Geologic Resources Division contracted a paleontologist to conduct field surveillance and draft a Paleontological Resource Inventory report for the park in 2025.

While the draft is currently being prepared for the peer‑review process and is not yet available (as of late December 2025), other recent inventory reports in a comparable format describing Colorado National Monument and Cuyahoga Valley National Park are available (Shaffer et al. 2024A,

B). In essence, this inventory report will serve as the basis for the subsequent projects that a Scientists in Parks (SIP) participant would pursue for his or her project. Between the 2025 Inventory report and the follow‑up projects performed by the participant, the park will then have a firm grasp of its paleontological resources in terms of known deposits and initial steps toward devising conservation plans and an effective monitoring strategy for fossils and their substrates.
Shaffer,

A.

B., J. S. Tweet, and V. L. Santucci. 2024A. Colorado National Monument:
Paleontological resource inventory (public version). Science Report NPS/SR—2024/116. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./2303613
Shaffer,

A.

B., V. L. Santucci, J. S. Tweet, and J. M. Hodnett. 2024B. Cuyahoga Valley National Park:
Paleontological resource inventory (public version). Science Report NPS/SR—2024/210. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. .

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The selected applicant will help improve park knowledge, management, and interpretation of its paleontological resources. A paleontological resource inventory report was prepared for Scotts Bluff National Monument in 2025. This report is a comprehensive description of the site’s geological formations; representative fossil taxa; paleontological research, interpretation, and management efforts; fossils accessioned into the park’s museum collection; and future recommendations. The selected applicant will build on this inventory and its recommendations, including field studies, resource management, and interpretation.

Although the inventory is comprehensive in its coverage of paleontological resources, the time available for the primary author to conduct field surveillance in preparation of the manuscript was…