Fisheries Monitoring Members- Shenandoah National Park

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking FOUR Fisheries Monitoring Members to assist with backpack electrofishing on 70 or more sites throughout the park to monitor fish populations and take various habitat measurements alongside Shenandoah National Park staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

May 18, 2026

August 6, 2026 (or 12 weeks after start date)

* a 12-week minimum commitment is required *

Shenandoah National Park Headquarters, Luray, Virginia

Shenandoah National Park contains 196,000 forested acres along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia. The Park's backcountry of steep rugged terrain contains 500 miles of trails, including 95 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and nearly 80,000 acres of federally designated wilderness. Skyline Drive, the famous scenic tour road through the Park, follows the ridge crest for 105 miles and connects to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Nearly two million people visit the Park each year to enjoy views from the Skyline Drive, hike trails, rock climb, enjoy nature study, camp, or stay overnight in one of the Park's rustic lodges or backcountry cabins. The Park supports approximately 1,400 vascular plant species, numerous state-rare plant species, and a variety of forest community types. The mountain streams are inhabited by 40 species of fish, over 230 taxa of aquatic invertebrates.

For more information about Shenandoah National Park, please visit the NPS website.

The members will assist in backpack electrofishing roughly 70 sites on 30 or more streams throughout Shenandoah National Park assessing coldwater fish populations as part of a ten-person crew. All members of the crew will be hiking 2-6 miles with 40 pound packs daily. The members will take various water quality and stream habitat measurements as a component of the NPS "vital signs" program.

The members may also be removing exotic fish from park streams to benefit native species within the park. Any additional free time will likely be spent patrolling the developed areas of the park for nuisance black bears, educating visitors about bear conflicts, conducting peregrine falcon cliff nesting surveys, and other natural resource monitoring activities.

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.

Monday-Thursday 6:30am-5:00pm

The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $600/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement.

PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general eligibility information on our website.

The selected ACE members will be accommodated in park housing at no cost to the member, for the duration of the term.

Housing consists of several homes with double occupancy bedrooms; housing will be at Park Headquarters in Luray, VA. Luray, VA is 5 miles from Park Headquarters and has all of the standard amenities (grocery stores, movie theater, shops, restaurants, library etc.). Laundry facilities are also available at park housing locations. Cell phone reception is not reliable.

A personal vehicle is required for transportation related to personal needs (e.g., food shopping). The site is rural and there is no reliable public transportation.

ACE members will receive position-specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support.

Required:

• Members must be authorized to work in the United States. ACE does not provide sponsorship for employment visas.
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A current and valid form of  (will be required to provide copies of 's upon hiring)
• Willing to…