Position Title: Biosecurity Awareness and Education Individual Placement - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants that submit application by August 22, 2025

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: September 22, 2025
• End Date: May 15, 2026
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1200 Hour

Purpose:

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 Channel Islands National Park will host an Acoustic Data Management Steward. This individual placement will provide activities and programs that involve the public, especially youth and young adults from the local community, in keeping nonnative and invasive species out of the park.

The purpose of Channel Islands National Park is to protect and connect the public to the nationally significant natural, scenic, wildlife, marine, ecological, historical, archeological, cultural, and scientific values of the Channel Islands in the state of California. Within the park, the Division of Interpretation focuses on building understanding of and support for the park's mission.

Park islands are home to many unique species, and they live in balance with one another. Few of the park’s 260,000 visitors are familiar with “biosecurity” practices needed to prevent accidental introduction of a nonnative or invasive species that could harm island ecosystems. An individual placement will provide activities and programs that involve the public, especially youth and young adults from the local community, in keeping nonnative and invasive species out of the park.

The intern will develop and present activities for students and visitors, revise publications, and create social media posts to increase awareness of biosecurity practices. The intern will also help inspect vessels, supplies, and personal belongings destined for park islands.

The intern will learn about critical biosecurity protocols that protect island endemic species, best practices for communicating with the public and students, and techniques for gaining compliance and managing groups. During their term they will shadow park and partner staff who work in education, natural resource management, and visitor services. They will receive a mix of formal training and on-the-job training in developing and delivering activities for students of different ages. Professional development opportunities will be offered, such as resume writing workshops, networking opportunities, and participating in island restoration projects. All park and partner staff involved in training will also serve as mentors who can guide the individual placement’s career path.

Description of Duties:

• Conduct biosecurity inspections of island-bound gear and boats, following established protocols.
• Make informal contacts with park visitors to explain the impact non-native species can have on park ecosystems and raise awareness of ways people can prevent the spread of non-native or invasive species to park islands.
• Help integrate biosecurity messages into education programs at the park, ensuring they are developmentally appropriate, meet curriculum standards, and relate to lesson plans.
• Help integrate biosecurity messages into publications and social media by creating images or photos and drafting text.

Qualifications:

• College coursework in education, recreation, communication, or a natural science.
• Experience in public speaking or leading activities for students.
• Ability to communicate clearly in writing.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and demonstrates good time management.
• Be comfortable with occasionally riding on a boat for 1+ hours.
• Experience communicating effectively with personnel from different backgrounds.
• Ability to conform to standards of professional behavior including dress, punctuality, and interpersonal relationships.
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• Applicants must be between ages of 18-30 years old, or up to 35 for veteran, based on Public Land Corps Act of 1993 authorizing this AmeriCorps opportunity.
• 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.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to speak Spanish is preferred, but not necessary.

Additional Position and Community Information

• The purpose of Channel Islands National Park is to protect and connect the public to the nationally significant natural, scenic, wildlife, marine, ecological, historical, archeological, cultural, and scientific values of the Channel Islands in the state of California. Within the park, the Division of Interpretation focuses on building understanding of and support for the park's mission.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,176.50
• Living Allowance of $700 per week.
• Student Loan forbearance if Eligible (administered by MyAmeriCorps, directly)
• Interest Payments if Eligible (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly)

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants who submit applications by August 25, 2025.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

• Program Contact information: Sam Rush at srush@conservationlegacy.org
• Service Site Contact information: Bethany Szczepanski at chis_education@nps.gov or 805-658-5737

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 reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager. 

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. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Time Requirements:

• This position is expected to serve 40 hours each week, but exact service schedules may vary.
• Lunch breaks will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service.
• Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.

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.