Biological Support and Invasive Species Member, National Key Deer Refuge

Biological Support and Invasive Species Member, National Key Deer Refuge

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking 1 member to contribute to biological and invasive species projects under the mentorship of National Key Deer Refuge Staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

February 2026/March 2026 (Flexible)

January 2027

* a 43 week minimum commitment is required, approximately 1760 hours*

National Key Deer Refuge in Big Pine Key, FL.

The National Key Deer Refuge was established in 1957 to protect and preserve the national interest in Key deer and other wildlife resources in the Florida Keys.

The Refuge is located in the Lower Florida Keys, a hundred mile stretch of islands that extends south and west from south Florida. Habitats in the refuge consist of pine rockland forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh wetlands, and mangrove forests. National Key Deer Refuge is home to more than 20 endangered and threatened plant and animal species.

The endangered Key deer are the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer that are found throughout much of North America. Key deer are unique to the lower Florida Keys, they are found nowhere else in the world.

For more information about the National Key Deer Refuge, please visit the 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 National Key Deer Refuge.

This position requires strenuous physical activity that includes exotic plant eradication, capturing introduced and invasive wildlife, small mammal trapping, planting native plants, and conducting field work independently or as a part of a group to support biological programs. In addition to field work, up to 30% of the position's time may include data entry including use of Excel, ArcGIS, and Field Maps.

• Plan and coordinate field data collection (e.g. coordinate dates and local support, care for and prepare equipment, arrange and complete travel to sites as necessary)
• Generate, archive and synthesize raw wildlife and habitat survey data
• Conduct surveys for avian, terrestrial and aquatic species
• Monitoring of threatened and endangered reptiles
• Assist with key deer response of injuries, entanglements, and roadkills
• Hydrological sampling (surface water and wells)
• Remote camera monitoring
• Native plant restoration planting and monitoring success
• Invasive wildlife monitoring and control
• Invasive plant species mapping and control
• Invasive invertebrate monitoring
• Maintenance of field equipment and supplies
• Public outreach activities, including participating in special Refuge educational events and volunteer work days
• Data entry, management and build data visualization and summary skills
• Document survey procedures and outcomes in scientific writing formats
• Work with data managers to ensure data quality, management, and archiving
• Assist on wildlife and habitat management and research on refuges
• Interact with a variety of FWS programs and explore career opportunities within the USFWS and National Wildlife Refuge System.

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.

Duties will primarily be carried out Monday - Friday. 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 $700/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 a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement.

PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general eligibility information on our website.

Housing: ACE members will be accommodated in provided FWS housing at no cost for the duration of the term.

Relocation Allowance: ACE members…