Job Type: On-site
Location: AmeriCorps - Scientists in Parks - Alaska Region Office - Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION DETAILS
Position ID(s): 4535, 4536
Position Title: Ecology Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Alaska Region Office, Fairbanks, Alaska
Number of positions available: 2
TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 26 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 10/18/2026
End Date: 04/18/2027
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: $ 3,697.00 upon successful completion of position (pre-tax)
Weekly Living Allowance: $ 775.00 per week, fixed rate (pre-tax)
Relocation Allowance: $ 1,100.00 (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: Fire ecology; vegetation ecology; boreal forest; tundra; Alaska; northern ecosystems; disturbance ecology; fire effects monitoring; post-fire succession; reburn; fire history; fuels; LANDFIRE; vegetation classification; GIS; ArcGIS Pro; geospatial analysis; ecological data management; legacy data; long-term monitoring; environmental change; permafrost; remote sensing; natural resource management; National Park Service; Wildland Fire Service
PURPOSE
This Ecology Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. This position will help the Alaska Region Fire Ecology Program turn a difficult-to-use legacy dataset into a practical resource for current fire ecology, fuels, and adaptation projects. By organizing paired plot records, identifying reburned and pre/post-fire locations, and evaluating where legacy data can inform vegetation and fuels mapping, the SIPs will help staff better understand how post-fire ecosystems are responding under changing environmental conditions. The resulting inventory, GIS products, confidence framework, and prioritized roadmap will support future field revisits, LANDFIRE applications, post-fire succession modeling, monitoring design, and decision-making by NPS and Wildland Fire Service staff.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The Alaska Region Fire Ecology Program is seeking two Scientists in Parks participants to help evaluate and revitalize a legacy fire effects paired plot dataset established across nine Alaska national parks in the 1980s. The original project documented burned and unburned vegetation conditions to assess post-fire succession, vegetation change, and fire history. As changing environmental conditions influence Alaska fire regimes, vegetation recovery, reburning potential, fuel conditions, and permafrost vulnerability, these legacy plots may provide rare baseline information from parks and vegetation types that are underrepresented in modern fire effects monitoring. SIPs will help develop a park-by-park inventory, evaluate data confidence and usability, summarize vegetation and geographic representation, and overlay plot locations with Alaska fire history to identify plots that have subsequently reburned.
In addition to the paired plot inventory, SIPs will conduct a broader regional scan of Alaska Region fire ecology datasets to identify locations with pre-fire, post-fire, repeat, or reburn information that could support future vegetation, fuels, LANDFIRE, and weather-related analyses. These projects will help NPS and Wildland Fire Service staff assess how legacy field data can inform fire effects monitoring, adaptation planning, LANDFIRE vegetation and fuels mapping, post-fire succession modeling, and future field revisit priorities. Final products may include a cleaned plot inventory, GIS layer, reburn/pre-post data assessment, confidence scoring framework, park-by-park summaries, climate–fire–vegetation gap assessment, prioritized plot roadmap, final report, and presentation for NPS and Wildland Fire Service staff.
DELIVERABLES
Deliverables will include a cleaned and documented paired plot inventory, GIS layer of plot locations with fire history and reburn attributes, park-by-park summary tables, and a confidence framework describing plot location, fire history, pairing, data completeness, and usability for future analysis. SIPs will also produce a regional scan of other Alaska Region fire ecology datasets with pre-fire, post-fire, repeat, or reburn information; a prioritized roadmap identifying plots or areas recommended for future analysis, field revisit, or data cleanup; and a concise final report and presentation summarizing key findings, data limitations, climate–fire–vegetation applications, LANDFIRE relevance, and recommended next steps for NPS and Wildland Fire Service staff.
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
Desired qualifications include demonstrated experience with GIS, ecological data management, and quantitative analysis using tools such as ArcGIS Pro, R, Python, or similar programs. Competitive candidates should have coursework or experience in fire ecology, vegetation ecology, disturbance ecology, landscape ecology, environmental change, remote sensing, natural resource management, or a closely related field. Experience working with fire history data, LANDFIRE, vegetation classification, fuels data, field monitoring protocols, geodatabases, or long-term ecological datasets is strongly preferred. Candidates should have a clear interest in Alaska, boreal forest, tundra, northern ecosystems, or fire ecology in cold-region landscapes. Candidates must be comfortable working independently with complex datasets, documenting assumptions, tracking uncertainty, solving problems, and producing clear, well-organized products for scientific and management audiences. Strong writing, attention to detail, communication skills, and the ability to follow a project through from data review to final deliverables are essential.
ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
POSITION SETTING
Duties associated with this position require that applicants are on site in Fairbanks, Alaska at the NPS Fairbanks Administrative Center. The Fairbanks NPS office houses the Park staff from Yukon-Charley National Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, as well as Inventory and Monitoring staff for two NPS Networks, and is located across the road from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. With this wide range of Park staff, serving in the Fairbanks NPS office is a unique opportunity to network with varied park staff that serve many roles in over eight different National Parks in Alaska. Fairbanks offers unparalleled skiing and opportunities to try various winter activities (snowshoeing, dog mushing, curling, ice carving, aurora viewing) and has all the amenities one needs (restaurants/grocery stores, entertainment, doctors/hospital, etc.).
HOUSING
Park housing is NOT available. The participant will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area.
Housing is available for selected candidate to procure for themselves, with options ranging from furnished units with water and utilities to dry cabins. Costs for housing with water and utilities typically range from $1,200 to $2,000 per month depending on distance from the town center. Dry cabins (waterless) are also available and typically range from $500 to $1,000 per month. selected candidate are encouraged to have a personal vehicle, particularly if housing is located more than a mile from the project site, given Fairbanks' environment.
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.
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.
