Forestry Member - Yellowstone National Park
Summary: American Conservation Experience (ACE), a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and Yellowstone National Park is seeking 1 Member to work with park staff, youth corps, other cooperators, and volunteers to assist with field and office work to perform forest health surveys, to assess and assist in the removal of hazardous trees, to assist with forest revegetation efforts, to collect and analyze GPS and GIS data, to collect native seeds, to conduct nursery work, to complete restoration site maintenance, and to control invasive plants. This member will receive training in park operations, conducting forest inventories, seed collection and curation, seedling and tree transplantation, invasive plant control, and hazard tree work and will have opportunities to work alongside NPS staff.
For more information about ACE and to apply, please visit: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/890726.html
Start Date: June 11, 2023
End Date: October 28, 2023
*an 18-week minimum commitment is required *
Location:
On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park for all to enjoy the unique hydrothermal and geologic features. Within Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres, visitors have unparalleled opportunities to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem, explore geothermal areas that contain about half the world's active geysers, and view geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.
Home to approximately 1,500 plant taxa, the vegetation communities of Yellowstone National Park include overlapping combinations of species typical of the Rocky Mountains as well as of the Great Plains to the east and the Intermountain region to the west. Forests made up of lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, whitebark pine, and limber pine cover roughly 80% of the park.
For more information about Yellowstone NP, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yell
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.
Housing:
- Housing (as shared units) will likely be provided by the park. The intern will need to provide linens and dishes.
- If park isn't able to offer housing, there are shared and single furnished unit rentals available in Livingston, MT (60 miles north) and Bozeman, MT (90 miles north). ACE member will be provided with an additional living stipend and rents range from $450-600/month.
AmeriCorps: This position may be eligible for a 675-hour AmeriCorps Education Award $2474.27 upon successful completion of service hours. Additional enrollment steps are required.
Scheduling: A typical schedule is four, ten-hour days followed by three days off.
Position Description:
The member will become part of a coordinated vegetation management program at Yellowstone National Park. This is a developmental position in the biological sciences and the member will be working closely with NPS vegetation staff and learn directly from other practitioners. The ACE member will be provided direct technical training in safe park operations and then in forest and vegetation management practices. This will include tree transplantation, seed collection, restoration, hazard tree removal, invasive plant control, and forest surveys throughout both front country and backcountry areas of Yellowstone NP. The project work is aimed at promoting reforestation and the development of plant materials for targeted restoration activities throughout Yellowstone NP. Most field work will involve hiking with packs to research plots and restoration areas, use of field equipment, and recording of data on forms and digital tablets that use GIS databases. Interns may also assist with public outreach regarding efforts to conduct reforestation and/or the collection/purchase of firewood. This position is approximately 80% field work and 20% office work.
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.
Specific duties include:
- Conduct rapid forest assessments in core stands of whitebark pine which includes measuring cone production, number of saplings and seedlings, degree of pine beetle and blister rust infection, and species and age classes.
- Assist Yellowstone NP staff to identify locations for transplanted whitebark pine and transplant trees into high priority sites. Work may involve the use of a tree spade.
- Assist with vegetation management and restoration projects including nonnative plant control, native seed collection and curation, restoration plantings, and/or invasive and rare plant surveys.
This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professional botanists. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.
Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a hiring authority upon completion of their term of service. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility.
Qualifications:
Required
- Members must be US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts.
- Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
- Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
- A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
- Willing to undergo and must pass required criminal history checks.
- Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
- ACE Members must verify that they are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or have requested and been granted a medical or religious exemption to vaccination by the time they start their term.
- To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website here.
Preferred Skills:
- Competitive applicants for this position must hold or be pursuing a minimum of a bachelor's degree and/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as botany, forestry, plant ecology, biology, natural resources, environmental science, or a related field.
- Experience in horticultural, agronomic, or nursery settings.
- Experience using GPS and GIS software.
- Ability and willingness to work with others in a team setting.
- An ability to hike long distances carrying a 25-lb pack in inclement weather.
- Deep interest in fieldwork and a respect for nature.
To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to the online application page for this position here: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/890726.html
Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position, please feel free to contact Recruitment Specialist, Shannon Borowy at sborowy@usaconservation.org.
EEO: American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.