POSITION DETAILS
Position ID(s): 4346
Position Title: Biology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Northern Great Plains Network, Rapid City, South Dakota
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 26 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 05/04/2026
End Date: 11/02/2026
AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.
BENEFITS
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award: $ 3,697.50 upon successful completion of position
- Weekly Living Allowance: $ 700.00 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: Field-botany, plant-ID, grasslands, woodlands, data collection
PURPOSE
This Biology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. The I&M program, and NGPN, document status and trends of resource conditions in NPS units—the targets were selected by superintendents and resource managers as important for decisions in their respective units. Vegetation monitoring is a keystone of NGPN monitoring because the prominent role vegetation plays in creating wildlife habitat, visitor experiences, and fuels for wildfire. Our data and summaries directly inform resource managers about habitat conditions (e.g., herbaceous forage, standing dead trees), fuel accumulations, non-native species infestations, and changes in these conditions due to fire, management or other environmental factors. Our interns become part of our resource monitoring team and directly contribute in this program to support NPS habitat management and conservation.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Participants will become part of our vegetation monitoring team with duties split between our office in Rapid City, and field trips to sample vegetation and fuels at 11 NPS units. Travel will be a mixture of day-trips and overnights depending on distance to different park-units. Core activities will include: learning local plant species by name and code, learning and using specific sampling protocols, traveling to field locations and supporting the collection of data, transferring data from paper forms into a shared database with quality control and oversight. Opportunity for an expanded role in plant identification, survey and measurements, GPS navigation, spatial and tabular data management exist depending on individual interests and network needs. A day in the field might include navigating with GPS, walk to sites, find buried nails, stretch tapes, count plants along tape, name plants in quadrats, count sticks and logs along a line, measure litter, find invasives, recognize disturbances, take good notes, roll up and move on.
DELIVERABLES
The key products of your participation will be creation, entry and maintenance of data for NGPN – these activities will occur throughout the duration of the position. In addition, we expect position participants to develop an individual product or presentation focused on application and/or value of vegetation data for parks, management and/or society. Some examples of “applied” topics include: fuel monitoring for fire behavior modeling and mitigation, invasive plant mapping for treatment and control, association of vegetation composition with wildlife habitats, trends in common or rare native species, response of ecosystem after fire or management action, and communication of these topics to park staff and the general public. In support of the SIP role, we support and encourage a personal project that relates to our duties and feeds your interests and abilities as a product of your time with us. We support individual ingenuity and interests that fit with NPS and I&M purposes in these projects.
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 26 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Interest and ability in plant identification and vegetation management is necessary, but level of skill and experience can vary. Coursework and/or job experience in Ecology, Botany, field-identification of plants, grass systematics, grassland or forest ecology, rangeland management, dichotomous keys, GIS data and GPS navigation, data management, will be useful and relevant; more experience in these areas will make you better qualified for this position.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
In Rapid City, we have a small office with less than 20 people. You will have assigned space with a computer and typical office supplies. In the office, we manage data and equipment, enter data (later in the season), maintain time and projects records, maintain communications, conduct training and education, collaborate with invasive management and restoration teams, and other important support and administrative tasks. We typically travel in 2 government vehicles and visit parks together as a team (ecologists, botanists, bio-techs and SIPs); we begin in the Nebraska Monuments (Scottsbluff and Agate Fossil Beds) and make our way north along eastern Wyoming (Ft. Laramie NHS and Devils Tower NM), the Black Hills (Wind Cave NP, Mt. Rushmore NM, Jewel Cave NM), Badlands NP, and up to North Dakota for Theodore Roosevelt NP and two historic sites (Fort Union NHS and Knife River Indian Villages NHS). So, during this time safe vehicle travel and navigation is important; travel times can vary from 30 min. to 8 hrs, depending on the destination. Most of the projects during this time will be in the field, and therefore, walking over uneven terrain on and off trails while carrying a back-pack (40lbs) is necessary. We complete these projects outdoors in hot-dry and cool-wet conditions, and everything in-between, so being resilient to environmental conditions is necessary. Gear for projects and camping will be provided, but you will need good boots and suitable clothing. Carrying personal food and water each day is necessary. We complete projects in open grasslands and badlands with almost no thermal cover, and we complete projects in mountainous areas with rocks, gravel, cliffs, dead & down logs, and trees – these are challenging environments, we help you remain safe, but you must be prepared for weather, terrain and variety wildland conditions.
VEHICLE AND DRIVERS 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 NOT available. The selected candidate will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area.
We recommend renting a room or apartment in, or near, Rapid City. Currently, an online service indicates Studio apt. available for $500-800/mo; and, since there is a university in town, summer rentals and sub-leases might be available. Rapid City is a bustling town with many shops, restaurants, parks and hiking abound in and near town; the Black Hills are minutes to the west and Badlands NP are an hour east. This is a good place to live and explore! During field-season we will camp and stay in local motels some weeks; lodging and a daily food allowance will be provided to match Federal “per diem” rates for those days.
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 Northern Great Plains Network.
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!”
