Ecological Assistant

• Location Conservation Legacy,Boulder City, NV, 89005,United States
• Job Category Individual Placement, Ameri Corps
• Employee Type Ameri Corps

• Name Jeff Galvin
• Email

Position Title:

Ecological Assistant - Ameri Corps

Site

Location:

Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Office

• End Date: 7/31/2026

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with Ameri Corps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to provide institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. Stewards in partnership with the Mojave Desert Network will host four Ecological Assistants.

The Ecological Assistant is an Ameri Corps position that will assist with collecting long‑term monitoring data on vegetation communities and target invasive species for the following protocols:
Integrated Upland, Spring Vegetation, and Five‑Needle Pine. The Mojave Desert Network (MOJN) is one of 32 Monitoring Networks across the NPS, using information gathered for planning, research, education, and to help guide decisions related to park management. For more information see their website:

The field work is dynamic and may be carried out across the MOJN parks (Castle Mountains National Monument, Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon‑Parashant National Monument, Great Basin National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Manzanar National Historic Site, and Mojave National Preserve). This position will require regular travel and camping during the field season to ensure that all monitoring is successfully completed during the field season, and may require long hours including nights, early mornings, and weekends.

• Assisting with vegetation monitoring protocols designed to address MOJN I&M’s vital signs (training provided).
• Hiking long distances (10+ mi), on and off trail, over uneven terrain.
• Hiking with backpacks weighing 30+ pounds.
• Collecting vegetation data using established procedures. Collecting GPS points and photos at work sites.
• Conducting quality assurance/​control for all data collected, either in the field or in the office.
• Collaborating with MOJN staff in field safety, logistics, data QA/QC, and equipment organization/​maintenance.

• Wi llingness to camp for multiple days in front and backcountry settings.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Willingness and ability to temporarily live and work in remote locations.
• Willingness and ability to work safely and productively in harsh and variable desert conditions, including extreme heat.
• Willingness and ability to hike long distances (10+ mi), on and off trail, carrying up to 30‑40 pounds of field gear
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident abroad
• Applicants must be between ages of 18‑30 years old, or up to 35 for veteran, based on Public Land Corps Act of 1993 authorizing this Ameri Corps opportunity.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of secondary school to enroll as an Ameri Corps participant and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete National Service Criminal History Checks for Conservation Legacy and the host site. At the host site, applicants must pass a criminal background check which requires fingerprinting by Park law enforcement or your local police department prior to start date.

• Bachelor’s degree in biology or in one of the major natural sciences; applicants with a background in vegetation monitoring preferred.
• Experience identifying plants of the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts, including upland and riparian species
• Experience with data entry and quality assurance using database programs such as MS Access
• Experience using hand‑held GPS equipment for data collection and…