Ecology Assistant - Bats

             National Park Service – Mojave Desert Network

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards) provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits building institutional capacity, developing community relationships, and supporting ecosystem health. Stewards in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and Mojave Desert Network are seeking a participant who will assist in collecting data about bats, vegetation and ecosystems within the parks. The Mojave Desert Network is one of 32 Monitoring Networks across the NPS, using information gathered for planning, research, education, and to help guide decisions related to park management. For more information see their website: 

https://www.nps.gov/im/mojn/index.htm

The field work is dynamic and may be carried out across the MOJN parks (Castle Mountains National Monument, Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Great Basin National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Manzanar National Historic Site, and Mojave National Preserve). This position will require regular travel and camping during the field season in order to ensure that all monitoring is successfully completed during the field season, and may require long hours including nights, early mornings, and weekends. This position will primarily focus on bat monitoring activities, first with winter season acoustic surveys, followed by a brief season of capture surveys to swab bats for the presence of the fungus that caused White Nose Syndrome, and then a summer acoustic season will complete the position.

Position Responsibilities will include:

·       Conducting capture surveys for bats to sample them for the presence of the fungus that causes WNS (training will be provided).

·       Conducting acoustic monitoring following the North American Bat Monitoring Program protocol with some slight modifications (training will be provided) which includes deploying bat detectors at specified monitoring sites; 

·       Collecting data using Survey123 and Field Maps with tablets in the field.

·       Walking up to 10 miles per day over uneven terrain;

·       Hiking with backpacks that may weigh 30+ pounds;

·       Conducting quality analysis/quality control for all data collected, either in the field or in the office; and

·       Collaborating with MOJN staff in project planning, oversight of field safety and logistics, field protocol and data QA/QC, equipment organization and maintenance.

Minimum Requirements:

·       Bachelor’s degree in Biology or in one of the major natural sciences

·       Experience hiking up to 10 miles a day for multiple days in potentially extreme conditions

·       Experience camping for multiple days

·       Must possess a valid driver’s license

·       Ability to work independently and as part of a team

·       Excellent oral and written communication skills

·       Applicants must pass a criminal background check for NPS and for Conservation Legacy which requires fingerprinting in approved location prior to start date

·       Must be 18 years of age or older

·       Must be a US Citizen or legal permanent resident

Preferred Qualifications:

·       Experience hiking in the desert

·       Experience capturing bats and identifying them to species

·       Rabies vaccination or titer check within the last 2 years

·       Experience with deploying acoustic bat detectors

·       Experience identifying plants of the Mojave and Great Basin regions

·       Experience using ESRI products: Survey123 and Field Maps

·       Experience working with Microsoft Office products (e.g., Word, Excel, Powerpoint)

Benefits:

·    Position is eligible for an AmeriCorps education award upon successful completion of the program. Value of education award is $3,697 (pre-tax).

·    Living Allowance: $665/week (pre-tax) Plus an additional $185/week to compensate for travel over the course of the position.

·    Wilderness First Aid

·    $150 stipend for purchasing sturdy hiking boots with ankle support

How to Apply
Please visit the program website on-line at: https://stewardslegacy.org/open-positions and click the green "APPLY" button at the top or bottom of the webpage. In addition to your resume, please submit a one-page cover letter highlighting why you are interested in this position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position.

If you have questions about this position, please contact Mark Lehman (mark_lehman@nps.gov) OR Gillian Watson gwatson@conservationlegacy.org, Stewards Program Coordinator.

Stewards Individual Placements Program does not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.