GIS and Data Management Member - USFWS Habitat and Population Evaluation Team

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking one member to contribute to GIS and data management projects under the mentorship of FWS Staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

Start Date:

February 2026 (flexible)

Estimated End Date:
August 2026

* a 26 week minimum commitment is required, approximately 1040 hours*

Location Details/

Description:

Habitat and Population Evaluation Team, Bismarck, ND, Fergus Falls, MN, or other DOI facility location(s) (negotiable).

The Habitat and Population Evaluation Team (HAPET) is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The HAPET offices support the conservation mission of the Service by integrating scientific data and landscape‑scale conservation planning with a focus on migratory birds. This enables the Service to more effectively conserve and manage wildlife and their habitats for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and conservation partners.

HAPET was established to conduct waterfowl population and habitat monitoring, program assessment, and support landscape-level conservation delivery for refuges (NWRs and Wetland Management Districts) and the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture within the Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota, Montana, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. HAPET has since evolved to include many other migratory bird issues as well as assist or lead special projects associated with other trust resources for the Service.

HAPET's role is to conduct and support scientific investigations, data gathering, and analyses that focus on solving priority problems and issues that are generally landscape-oriented and appropriate for solving with spatially explicit information, analyses, and associated technologies.

For more information about the Habitat and Population Evaluation Team, 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, and plants for the continuing benefit of the American people. This position will help FWS realize that mission.

The Member will become familiar with the Habitat and Population Evaluation Team and ongoing biological monitoring and data analysis projects. The Member will support a project to migrate historical wetland data from the four‑square mile survey from an obsolete platform and to a new format for archival and use. This project is critical to make data publicly available and useful. The Member will also have the opportunity to work with HAPET and other USFWS staff on projects critical to the National Wildlife Refuge System and in support of the priorities of the Department of the Interior.

The Member will primarily gain experience in data management/analysis using geospatial tools, but the member may have the opportunity to support other projects as available, including conducting field surveys and collecting bird, wetland, and other biological data.

The member will provide support and assistance under the guidance and daily supervision of USFWS staff in the accomplishment of:

• Data management and analysis (Primary Duties)
  • Digitizing wetlands and grasslands using Arc Pro
  • Data entry and management of biological data using Microsoft Excel, AGOL Survey
    123, R, and other software
  • Data summarization and basic data analysis using Program R or other software.
  • Work will require sitting at a computer terminal for long periods (up to 8 hrs daily) and using multiple screens and digitizing tablets.
• Field surveys (Secondary Duties, as project allows)
  • Collecting bird abundance, wetland surface water extent, and other related field data over uneven terrain and in adverse weather conditions. Surveys may require walking on foot several miles, walking in waders, riding on UTV/ATVs, using binoculars and spotting scopes, and data entry into electronic tablets.

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…