POSITION DETAILS
Position ID(s): 4528
Position Title: Paleontology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Big Bend National Park, Big Bend National Park, Texas
Number of positions available: 1
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 12 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 01/03/2027
End Date: 03/28/2027
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: $ 1,956.00 upon successful completion of position (pre-tax)
- Weekly Living Allowance: $ 675.00 per week, fixed rate (pre-tax)
- Relocation Allowance: $ 450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck) (pre-tax)
- 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, June 14, 2026. Applications will be reviewed after the application deadline passes. Positions will close after receiving 60 complete applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 14, 2026, whichever occurs first.
KEYWORDS: Paleontology, Museum, Collections, Geology, Curation
PURPOSE
This Paleontology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. The project will allow for one participant to complete a 12-week project with the BIBE museum specialist to document nationally and internationally significant paleontological sites and associated museum specimens. The project will improve documentation and obtainability of paleontological specimens in collections with a focus on voucher, holotype, and scientifically significant specimens that were first found in Big Bend National Park, some representing the only known specimen in the world. The results of the project will improve the park's ability to correlate significant specimens with historical localities, which will improve the park's ability to facilitate future research and provide better protection for vulnerable sites.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The SIP participant will have broad exposure to the Science and Resources Management Division at Big Bend National Park (BIBE) and will complete paleontological resource management projects under the direct supervision of the park Museum Specialist. Projects will consist of a mix of field and museum projects. Field projects will include relocating paleontological sites to perform condition assessments of sites where previous excavations/collections have occurred. Sites contain vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant fossils from the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene periods.
The BIBE museum collection contains tens of thousands of paleontological specimens. Museum projects will include cataloging paleontological specimens, updating museum database records, and researching specimen provenience to improve paleontological site documentation. The participant will also have the opportunity to connect virtually with institutional partners that house fossils in external repositories to research and compile specimen data and correlate geographic data. The project will focus on integrating paleontological site location data with collected museum specimens housed at the Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin and the paleontology collections at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX. The participant may have the opportunity to collaborate with permitted paleontology researchers if such projects occur during the participant's period of performance.
DELIVERABLES
Deliverables include 1) creating and/or updating museum catalog records in the DOI Museum Collections Management System (MCMS); 2) creating and/or updating paleontological site localities for sites with significant fossil collections, including photographs and condition assessments; and 3) a comprehensive inventory of scientifically significant paleontology specimens (specifically voucher and type specimens). Depending on the expertise or educational experience of the participant, other deliverables may include generating maps or other research reports.
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
The SIP participant should be an advanced undergraduate, graduate student, or professional whose educational background and career objectives are in paleontology or museum studies. The participant must have completed basic undergraduate classes toward a degree in geology, earth sciences, biology, or museum studies, with an emphasis in paleontology. The participant should have strong leadership and team building skills and demonstrate the ability to complete projects independently or on a team in a remote field, office, and museum setting.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
role setting: Projects will be completed in a mixed office and field setting. field projects consists of travel to remote paleontological sites in a desert environment. Experience and willingness to hike and navigate in backcountry settings and tolerance of heat and a wide range of weather is necessary. Training will be provided to perform paleontological site condition assessments, as well as vehicle use, radio use, and associated safety protocols. Other park staff or a volunteer will sometimes accompany the participants on site visits, but the applicant should be self-motivated and comfortable conducting projects alone in an outdoor setting. Use of government vehicle will be required to travel to field sites.
Office-related projects may require prolonged periods of sitting and use of a computer to perform detailed, repetitive tasks. The participant will have a desk with a computer in a shared office area in the Science and Resource Management (ScRM) building located in Panther Junction. Museum projects will take place in the museum repository, a weather-controlled room in ScRM.
Local Area: Big Bend National Park encompasses 801,000 acres of the Chihuahuan Desert with more ecological variety than almost any other national park and a boasts a dark sky designation. Elevation in the park varies from 7825' to 1850'. The weather is generally pleasant with hot summers (90-110 degrees F) and mild winters (30-50 degrees F). Recreational opportunities include hiking, bird watching, photography, backcountry camping (backpacking) bicycling and river rafting.
The gateway town of Terlingua has lodging, restaurants, hardware store, 2 small grocery stores and gift stores, churches and a bank. Lajitas has limited shopping, lodging, restaurants, golf course and churches. Alpine, TX (100 miles from Panther Junction) has most necessities including supermarkets, a variety of stores, a regional medical center with emergency room, pharmacies, churches, a movie theater and a university. The nearest larger cities are Midland/Odessa (225 miles) and El Paso (325 miles)
HOUSING
Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant.
Fully furnished, shared housing (private bedroom), with kitchen facilities and shared bathroom will be in Panther Junction, an active residential community of about 120 people including employees and volunteers of the NPS, Concessions, Border Patrol, San Vicente School, and their families. The participant will be responsible for providing their own bedroom linens, basic cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and trash bags for their own use for the duration of their season. Kitchen and cooking supplies are supplied by the park.
Panther Junction is the primary housing area for most park employees, and contains the Park HQ, main Visitor Center, a US Post Office, gas station, and convenience store. Cell coverage is generally good in Panther Junction with Verizon being the primary provider. Housing is less than 1 mile from the participant's office in the Science and Resources Management building.
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.
OUR COMMITMENT
Stewards Individual Placements and Conservation Legacy are committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work 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. The ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or 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!”
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 the host site throughout the 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, monthly accomplishment tracking, a mid-term report, and a final report.
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 (5) 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 Paleontology Assistant at Big Bend National Park.
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!”
