Cave and Karst Assistant AmeriCorps

POSITION DETAILS

Position (s): 4550
Position Title: Cave and Karst Assistant - Ameri Corps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site

Location:

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, El Malpais National Monument, Grants, New Mexico
Number of positions available: 1

Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible

Start Date:

Yes
Start Date: 01/04/2027
End Date: 01/03/2028
Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 1700 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.

• Segal Ameri Corps Education Award
  : $7,395.00 upon successful completion of position (pre-tax)
• Weekly Living Allowance: $775.00 per week, fixed rate (pre-tax)
• Relocation Allowance: $450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck) (pre-tax)
• 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)

Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, June 14, 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. EDT on June 14, 2026, whichever occurs first.

bat, white nose syndrome, acoustic monitoring, hibernacula, cave, lava tube

This Cave and Karst Assistant is an Ameri Corps position. Join a dynamic, friendly team and see your service play an important role in how caves and wildlife are managed at El Malpais. This position will address a critical data need identified in the El Malpais NM Foundation Document. Information about bat population and distribution trends will inform urgent management decisions regarding cave closures and sites for potential guided cave tours.

These measures will also be important for the Wilderness Management Plan and Cave Management Plan which are under development. On a larger scale, WNS has recently been detected in New Mexico, and the data collected at El Malpais and Carlsbad Caverns will help monitor impacts as the disease spreads. The project will also contribute to NABat - a continent-wide data set that is used by many researchers.

Go batty at El Malpais and Carlsbad Caverns! This position will focus on monitoring of bat populations through hibernacula counts in lava tubes throughout El Malpais NM (ELMA), mist-netting at Carlsbad Caverns NP, and acoustic monitoring at both parks. You will become familiar with the rugged volcanic landscape throughout ELMA's wilderness, while learning how to identify different bat species by key features, use environmental monitoring equipment, and record site data in Field Maps.

Leave-no-trace principles will be a strong focus, as minimizing bat disturbance is key to successful monitoring. Additionally, you'll learn how to upload data to the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) - a system used by bat researchers throughout the US. This position will be based at El Malpais, with trips to Carlsbad Caverns NP to assist with bat-related tasks.

In addition to the main project, you will broaden your horizons through environmental monitoring, cave mapping, and cave inventory to assess conditions in the monument’s main bat habitats. There may also be opportunities to assist researchers with projects possibly including cave microbe sampling, dendrochronology, and ice coring.

Project goals and materials to be produced will include a short report summarizing the results of the hibernacula monitoring, and an end-of-term presentation for the public. Additionally, hibernacula count data will be collated and uploaded to NABat. Preparation of abstracts and presentations for the New Mexico Bat Working Group meeting and/or other meetings such as the National Speleological Society Southwest Regional will be encouraged.

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency…