Ecology Assistant AmeriCorps

Ecology Assistant (52 Weeks) - Ameri Corps

POSITION DETAILS

• Position (s): 4363
• Position Title: Ecology Assistant - Ameri Corps
• Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
• Site
  
  Location:
  
  Northern Colorado Plateau Network, Moab, Utah
• Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

• Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)
• Flexible
  
  Start Date:
  
  No
• Start Date: 05/04/2026
• End Date: 05/03/2027
• Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 1700 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: $7,395.00 upon successful completion of position
• Weekly Living Allowance: $700.00 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)
• For 52-week positions only:
  • Free Healthcare Coverage (opt in)
  • Childcare Coverage (opt in)

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

aridland ecology, botany, natural resource monitoring, statistical analysis, data science

PURPOSE

This Ecology Assistant is an Ameri Corps position. The Ecology assistant will contribute to the long-term monitoring of natural resource vital signs through field monitoring at up to 16 national park units and projects involving data science, statistical analyses, and reporting and publications. The data produced by these efforts are vital for informing management decisions in the network parks.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Ecology Assistant will complete projects with the Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network scientists, data managers, field crews, and parks staff. They will complete projects and support data science and quantitative ecology workflows associated with this network representing 16 National Park units in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Wyoming. We collect data on a wide variety of natural resource “vital signs” through field observation and will format and analyze these data.

This position will spend approximately 50% of the time in the field helping to complete uplands, rivers, invasive plant, spring and seeps, and wadeable streams monitoring. This monitoring will primarily be intense botany, so knowledge of plant taxonomy is important, preferably in the western US. The other 50% will focus on data science and data management projects. This information is critical for understanding the status and trends in the health, ecological variety, and resilience of the park ecosystems.

The assistant will complete projects independently and, in a team, setting; in the office and occasionally in the field; and in potentially 16 National Park units. This position will gain experience working in a collaborative environment with a team of professional scientists and data managers responsible for conducting natural resource monitoring. The person selected will be expected to contribute to several projects based on their interest and skills.

The projects could include developing scripts to automate a report, developing data visualization tools, analyzing datasets and preparing them for analysis and publication; and/or developing and implementing statistical models and synthesizing the results. There will also be opportunities to collaborate with network scientists, science communicators, and park resource managers applying project results.

DELIVERABLES

Depending on person and the projects selected, the SIP participant will produce a summary report (potential projects are invasive plant and upland monitoring), new datasets, a data visualization (e.g., dashboard or Story Map), a standard operating procedure (SOP), a statistical model, data output solutions using ‘R’ and/or Python, and/or a code repository. We are also open to…