Invasive Plant Strike Team Members Midwest​/Mingo National Wildlife Refuge

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking three crew members to contribute to the traveling invasive plant strike team under the mentorship of FWS Staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

Start Date: Mid/Late March 2026 (flexible)

Estimated End Date: Late September 2026 (flexible, with a 26-week term commitment)

Commitment: A 26‑week minimum commitment is required, approximately 1040 hours.

This position is based out of Mingo National Wildlife Refuge (Puxico, MO) but will be traveling with a team across various USFWS locations across the Midwest. Examples of travel locations may include but are not limited to:

• Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge
• Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
• Illinois River National Wildlife Refuge Complex
• Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge Complex
• Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge consists of 21,592 acres of bottom land hardwood forest, cypress‑tupelo swamp, marsh and upland forest ecosystems. The refuge is managed for wildlife habitat and people. The primary purpose of the refuge is to provide food and shelter for migratory waterfowl and to protect the bottom land hardwood forest.

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge provides a number of great opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. The mixture of bottom land forests, wetlands and swamps creates great waterways for canoeing and kayaking, and has miles of wildlife drives, a variety of hiking trails, and prime locations for hunting and fishing.

For more information, 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 Mingo NWR and other wildlife refuges.

The Traveling Invasive Plant Strike Team Member will gain a variety of experiences from invasive plant and/or animal removal, GIS/GPS plot surveying, forestry practices and procedures to biological surveys, facilities maintenance and/or visitor services. Conducting vegetation surveys/inventories, shadowing biologists, foresters and natural resources managers, landscaping, sign and trail maintenance, community engagement, staffing a visitor center and assisting with educational programs are all examples of the types of experiences and duties the member may perform.

• Ability or willingness to learn invasive plant and native plant species
• Willing to remove invasive plant species by hand and by herbicide application
• Conducting forest/plant inventories including GPS and GIS technology and the integrated application of forest management software
• Collecting ecological and timber‑related forest metrics to develop timber‑harvest prescriptions
• Marking timber, harvest planning, monitoring and evaluation
• Support Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) work, such as treating midstory trees via hack and squirt
• Compile maps of forest and woodland areas
• Provide assistance in identifying needed forestry and biological improvement projects
• Use instruments to take measurements
• Assist with performing biological projects/surveys as needed and assist in collecting inventory data

• Provide forestry information for public materials and participate in informational and/or environmental education programs to individuals, local organizations and schools
• Assist refuge staff with general tasks around the duty station/office related to core position functions

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, typically 5 days/week, with flexible scheduling between primary hours. Bi‑weekly totals should not exceed 80 hours. A flexible work schedule may be required,…