POSITION DETAILS
Position ID(s): 4362
Position Title: Biology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsbugr, Maryland
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 12 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 06/01/2026
End Date: 08/24/2026
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.
BENEFITS
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award: $ 1,956.35 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 MyAmeriCorps, directly)
- Student Loan Interest Payments if applicable (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly)
APPLICATION TIMELINE
Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, February 15, 2026. Applications will be reviewed after the application deadline passes. Positions will close after receiving 60 complete applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 15, 2026, whichever occurs first.
KEYWORDS: reforestation, understory, regeneration, forestry, plant surveys
PURPOSE
This Biology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. Producing woodlot management plans for the East, North, and West Woods is a priority stewardship activity identified in the 2023 ANTI Resource Stewardship Strategy (RSS). Woodlot management plans would provide the park with technical guidance on implementing woodlot management actions such as selective thinning, pruning, dead/diseased tree removal, and understory stocking. However, fine-scale forest inventory data is needed to produce woodlot management plans that are adaptive to changes in resource conditions and support strategic implementation of management actions. The risks of implementing woodlot management actions without guidance from understory conditions are increasing invasive species prevalence, negatively affecting native species occurrences, and backsliding forest stand establishment in areas with low regeneration and low seedling recruitment. Also, adaptive management strategies require monitoring data. Methods from this project will provide the blueprint for continued monitoring within the woodlots and support the implementation of adaptive and strategic management.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The selected individual will collect baseline data needed to assess current conditions of the understory vegetation communities of three different-aged, reforested stands located at Antietam National Battlefield (ANTI). Established in 1890, ANTI was designated to preserve, protect, restore, and interpret the resources associated with the Battle of Antietam and its legacy. Critical natural features present at the time of the battle were three woodlots managed for timber: the East Woods, the North Woods, and the West Woods. By the 1880s, portions of the East Woods and West Woods were converted into cropland, with remnants of the woodlots remaining but unmanaged, while the North Woods was entirely deforested and converted into agricultural land. Due to reforestation efforts spearheaded by the park beginning in the mid-1990s following the completion of the park’s 1992 General Management Plan, these woodlots have been restored to nearly the entirety of their footprints with remaining unrestored parcels not owned by NPS. After 30 years, reestablishment of the historic woodlots is highlighted as a huge anecdotal success, but thorough assessment forest establishment of each stand is warranted as the park now considers actively managing its woodlots, which includes selective pruning and thinning of trees to establish an open, low density forest appearance reminiscent of conditions during the Battle of Antietam. Each woodlot is part of the NCRN Forest Vegetation Monitoring Program, however fine-scale data on understory characteristics are needed as the park pursues drafting woodlot management plans hyper-focused on each woodlot. Through this project, baseline understory vegetation data will be generated to determine current understory community composition, species richness, and distribution which will aid park staff in developing adaptive woodlot management plans and strategically implementing any actions. Duties and responsibilities of this position will include completing understory vegetation survey transects within reforested parcels of the North Woods (15 acres), the East Woods (17.5 acres), and the West Woods (36.5 acres) and executing the basic data analyses necessary to determine each woodlot's species richness, distribution, and native to non-native percent cover. The park is in a rare position to also document the effects of land use history on the understory vegetation within the East and West Woods. Land use history is well known to have some of the heaviest effects on vegetation composition, species richness, and regeneration. Often agricultural areas converted into forest support lower richness and different species composition compared to undisturbed forest or naturally regenerating forests (Foster et. al, 2003; Parkhurst et. al., 2021). For the East and West Woods, understory community characteristics will be compared between reforested blocks and mature forest blocks that are known to have been forested since the Battle of Antietam.
Literature Cited
Foster, David, Frederick Swanson, John Aber, Ingrid Burke, Nicholas Brokaw, David Tilman, and Alan Knapp. 2003. The importance of land-use legacies to ecology and conservation. Bioscience, pp. 77-88
Parkhurst, Tina, Suzanne M. Prober, and Rachel J. Standish. 2021. Recovery of woody but not herbaceous native flora 10 years post old-field restoration. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, pp. 1-11
DELIVERABLES
Highest priority deliverables include 1) a list of plant species detected through understory surveys including each species’ abundance values within each woodlot; and 2) an average value of species richness, an average value of species distribution, and native to non-native species percent cover value of each woodlot’s understory. The selected individual will also produce a brief project report describing sampling methods, results, project conclusions, and reoccurring monitoring recommendations. This project will also call for collating years of ANTI reforestation notes, reports, presentations, and other documents. Thus, a secondary deliverable is a broad chronology of management actions for each woodlot documenting initial plantings, additional planting, and seeding efforts.
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 host site.
- The applicant must be available to participate for the entire 12 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants should be majoring in or have earned an undergraduate degree in ecology, biology, wildlife ecology, botany, plant ecology, forestry, or environmental science. Strong applicants should have strong research skills with ability to digest and synthesis information quickly; an ability to complete projects both independently and collaboratively with a small, interdisciplinary team; strong oral and written communication skills. Experience with plants of the mid-Atlantic/Northeast US is preferred.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
This project will involve both field and office projects. The park will provide workspace, computer access, and access to available literature and data. The incumbent must maintain a valid driver’s license in order to access field sites. Fieldwork may involve steep hills, wet areas, exposed bedrock, and/or unstable terrain, requiring appropriate footwear. Fieldwork may occur in unfavorable weather conditions such as rain or high temperatures, requiring appropriate warm gear. Antietam National Battlefield is located in Sharpsburg, MD and is within 15 to 20 minutes of the neighboring communities of Shepherdstown, WV, Boonsboro, MD, and Hagerstown, MD. The landscape around and within the park is rural and in agricultural use with pockets of forests and residential development. The park protects and manages a mosaic landscape of crop fields, grazing pastures, woodlots, natural forests,
grassland, and riverbanks of Antietam Creek, which runs through the park for three miles
VEHICLE AND DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
- Applicant must have a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
- A personal vehicle is REQUIRED for this position.
HOUSING
Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant.
Housing will be provided in the form of a 5-bedroom furnished house, shared with other interns and/or seasonal employees. There is no room sharing. The participant will be required to bring linens and towels; however, furniture, pots, pans, etc. are provided. Housing has wifi. A personal vehicle is required to drive to the resources building and other park buildings, approximately 4.5 miles from housing, as well as to local amenities. Housing and duty station are within 2 hours of urban centers of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. Numerous opportunities for camping, hiking, boating, and fishing are available.
OUR COMMITMENT
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 based on project needs. Lunch breaks and days off 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
- Member will receive pertinent project and site training from host site throughout term
- Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
- Access to free professional development webinars led by Conservation Legacy staff
EVALUATION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of minimum AmeriCorps 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.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply online, all Scientists in Parks positions are listed at: https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/. Complete the application for this position, highlighting why you are interested in the position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position. Be prepared to upload your resume and unofficial transcript as part of completing the application questionnaire.
Once you begin applying for a position, the application must be completed in one sitting. You cannot save and return later to complete it. Applicants can apply for up to five Scientists in Parks positions per season. You need to complete a separate application for each position in order to be considered. You should receive a confirmation email after successfully submitting an application. Sometimes institutional email filters/settings can redirect, or block emails related to the application. We recommend watching spam, junk, and promotional email folders in case your service delivers messages there. Please visit How to Apply for additional resources and information about applying (i.e., learn what materials to have ready for applying, find a worksheet that previews application questions, etc.). Learn more about Scientists in Parks at: https://www.scientistsinparks.org/.
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 Scientists in Parks program will host the Biology Assistant at Antietam National Battlefield.
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 Scientists in Parks using the email address at the base of the home page, under “Questions? Contact Us!”
