POSITION DETAILS

Position Title: Biology Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Inventory and Monitoring Division, San Francisco Bay Area Network, Point Reyes Station, California

Can this position be fully remote: No

Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

Duration: 20 Weeks (not flexible)

Flexible Start Date: Yes

Start Date: 04/06/2026

End Date: 08/24/2026

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 675 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve.

PURPOSE

This Biology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. The SIP participant will provide crucial support for the annual monitoring mission of the SFAN team. The data collected by this program are invaluable for tracking changes over time and will be analyzed and used in decisions regarding park restoration and management projects. These data will also prove useful in studies of environmental change in the Bay Area.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The San Francisco Bay Area Inventory and Monitoring Network manages 13 long-term ecological monitoring programs across 5 National Parks, including Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, Pinnacles National Park and John Muir National Historic Site. The purpose of these monitoring programs is to track the status and health of park ecosystems in the region. This SIP participant will be part of the 2-person Plant Community Monitoring crew tasked with revisiting permanent plots throughout the Network parks, identifying plants within several different habitats, and carrying out a range of standard plant community monitoring techniques. Duties include:

• Utilizing dichotomous keys to identify vascular plant species.
• Navigating to known locations using maps/compass and handheld GPS devices.
• Collecting and preparing voucher specimens for herbaria.
• Collecting high-quality tabular data to be used for restoration planning, vegetation monitoring, etc.
• Organizing data in spreadsheets, databases, and reports.
• Entering data in Microsoft Access and performing QA/QC.
• Assisting in planning of daily field projects.

KEYWORDS: botany, vegetation, ecology, monitoring, long-term, field projects, environmental change

DELIVERABLES

The SIP participant will assist in the creation of annual reports for the Plant Community Monitoring Program. This will consist of a data summary for each community type visited over the course of the season and a discussion of observations made in the field. The SIP participant will also have the opportunity to carry out a small independent project while conducting project duties. Project topics can be wide ranging and can include outputs such as science communication products, data collection resources, botanical field guides, data analyses, and more.

QUALIFICATIONS

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Prior to starting the position, agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check for the employer of record, Conservation Legacy, and a separate government security background check for the NPS site location.
• The applicant must be available to participate for 20 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
A bachelor’s degree in the field of plant science or ecology is recommended but not required, as is some experience serving outdoors. Plant identification skills and familiarity with dichotomous keys will be very helpful skills. Positive attitude and teamwork/leadership skills are also desired. A willingness to learn and use handheld GPS and map-and-compass navigation skills will be crucial for finding project sites. SIP participants will need a good level of fitness to be able to travel on and off-trail with heavy packs to field sites and spend up to 10 hours in the field in all sorts of weather conditions.

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING

The SIP participant will be based at the Marin Headlands of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Marin Headlands is located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge outside of San Francisco. The office is a 3-minute walk to Rodeo beach, with weather ranging from cool foggy days to mild sunny days. There are several grocery stores, shops, and restaurants (e.g. Safeway and Trader Joes) in the nearby town of Mill Valley and even more amenities in San Francisco, both of which are just a 20-minute drive from the Marin Headlands.

Projects will be heavily field based. Field sites are located in remote areas of the parks between 0.5 and 3 miles from a main trail or road. However, some service may also occur near busy roadsides or popular trails. When in the field, the SIP participant will be subject to uneven terrain, ticks, poison oak (those with strong reactions should know that exposure is frequent and sometimes unavoidable), strong winds, and other inclement weather. SIP participants will need to carry between 20 and 30 lb of gear on any given day. This position requires daily vehicle commuting to field sites and will include one or more camping trips to Pinnacles National Park. When not in the field, the SIP participant will be in a typical shared office space or serving remotely with a government furnished laptop.

VEHICLE AND DRIVER’S LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

• Applicant must have a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
• A personal vehicle is recommended for this position.

HOUSING

Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant. Furnished park housing may be available. Depending on which housing unit has availability, the SIP participant will have a private room in a shared co-ed house or may have their own private apartment. Kitchens are supplied with dishes/pans. The SIP participant will need to bring all personal items including toiletries, laundry detergent, pillows, and linens. Housing has Wi-Fi, but there is limited or no cell service at park housing units. In the unlikely event that park housing is unavailable, the standard monthly rate for a private room in a shared house in Marin County is $1,300.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions.

TIME REQUIREMENTS

• This position is expected to serve full time each week, but exact service schedules may vary.
• Lunch breaks will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service hours.
• Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

ORIENTATION AND TRAINING

• Orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• Pertinent training from the NPS site location throughout the term of service.
• Free professional development webinars led by Conservation Legacy staff.

EVALUATION AND REPORTING

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with AmeriCorps 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 Inventory and Monitoring Division, San Francisco Bay Area Network will host a Biology Assistant.

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to Scientists in Parks using the email address at the base of the home page, under “Questions? Contact us!”