Cave and Karst Assistant AmeriCorps

Position details

Position (s): 4438, 4439
Position Title: Cave and Karst Assistant - Ameri Corps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site

Location:

Great Basin National Park, Baker, Nevada
Number of positions available: 2

Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible

Start Date:

Yes
Start Date: 5/18/2026
End Date: 5/17/2027
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
• Weekly Living Allowance: 600.00 per week, fixed rate
• Relocation Allowance: 450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck)
• 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, February 15, 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. EST on February 15, 2026, whichever occurs first.

caves, restoration, monitoring, cartography, holistic

This Cave and Karst Assistant is an Ameri Corps position. Great Basin National Park preserves resources unique to the Great Basin ecoregion. Lehman Caves is a key resource in the park. The position will contribute to conservation, management, research, and interpretation of Lehman Caves and other park caves, and will support management of non-cave resources for a holistic NPS experience.

The SIP participant will assist with resource protection and management of Lehman Caves and other park caves, as well as natural and cultural resources.

Duties include:

• Restoration of Lehman Caves such as concealing wires with cave rocks and dirt, removing remnant old grout (especially grout on delicate features), and speleothem repair
• Organizing and running the annual lint and restoration camp
• Conducting periodic air quality readings (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide) in the cave and downloading data loggers
• Conducting cave invertebrate surveys
• Analyzing cave weather data over multiple years (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, water levels, drip rates)
• Writing summaries of data analyses
• Writing articles for the resource management newsletter
• Providing interpretation and outreach about caves (e.g., Cave Sim trailer, website, social media)
• Working interactively with other divisions
• Monitoring cave resources in selected wild caves in the Park
• Assisting with bat monitoring
• Assisting with various cave research projects
• Working with GIS and cave cartography to develop and expand cave inventories
• Working with Lidar to identify potential cave and karst resources and verify findings
• Assisting with other resource management park projects (air quality, fish monitoring, water quality monitoring, vegetation monitoring, wildlife monitoring)
• Other projects as assigned

Specific projects, goals, and materials will be individualized. Possibilities include:

• Map of restoration areas completed in Lehman Caves
• Article/summary/presentation about cave restoration
• Article/summary/presentation about data analysis
• Lidar/GIS maps of cave and karst resources
• GIS/cave maps of cave inventories
• Public outreach about caves and natural resources (air, wildlife, vegetation, etc.)

• United States citizen, United States national, or lawful permanent resident
• Has a high school diploma or equivalency, or agrees to obtain one before using the education award
• Before starting, agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check and a separate government security background check for the host site
• Available to participate for the entire 52 weeks to be considered

Interest and experience in caves and underground work; scientific background in geology, biology,…