NPS Plant Technician

Title: NPS Plant Technician

Start/End Dates: May 6, 2024 – October 18, 2024

Stipend: $770 per week paid on a bi-weekly basis

Term: 24 weeks, 40 hours a week

Location: Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Status: 900-hour AmeriCorps Service Term

Benefits: AmeriCorps Education Award $3,447.50 after successful completion and access to Employee Assistant Program

Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) is a program of the non-profit service organization, Conservation Legacy, that is built on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) that operated from 1933 – 1942. SCC provides youth and young adults opportunities to complete conservation projects primarily on public lands. While serving with SCC, members receive training on job skills, conflict resolution, leadership, teamwork, and environmental stewardship. Programs are developed using a step ladder approach to provide a progression of skill development based on a member’s needs. Members receive a weekly living allowance, training, and an AmeriCorps Education Award (for qualifying individuals).

“The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspirations of this and future.” For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural and biological heritage of this landscape and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.

Acres of habitat that have been degraded by exotic plant infestation or disturbance will be restored to states with improved quality and quantity of ecosystem services. The pinyon and juniper forest that had historically dominated a large area at Mesa Verde National Park has been lost due to unprecedented large scale wildfire events, subsequent exotic plant invasion and climate change. Rare plants and vegetation communities are experiencing threats from climate change, disturbance, and exotic vegetation encroachment, understanding trends and health of these important resources will help to prioritize management action to ensure best practices are implemented that will preserve their continued existence. This internship will promote the continued persistence of native plant communities for the benefit of dependent wildlife, the cultural landscape and associated ecosystem services.

• Collect native seed for restoration

• Restore sites with native plant materials

• Collect data to track restoration outcomes

• Utilize Integrated Pest Management practices to decrease abundance of problematic exotic vegetation

• Collect data to track project actions and efficacy

• Conduct botanical surveys

• Collect and manage data important to assess health and trend

• College education in biological sciences

• Field work experience with vegetation management, botanical surveys, and native seed collection and processing

• History of successful participation with outdoor work with moderate to intense physical demands

• Basic computer skills and mobile tablet use

• Ability to conduct accurate and scientifically valid experiments or surveys

• Willingness to perform exotic plant management actions including pulling sawing and spraying herbicide

• GIS knowledge and experience

• Social competencies including conflict resolution, nonviolent communication, working on a team, and integrity

• Uphold the values of nondiscrimination and promotion of Diversity Equity and Inclusion

• Plant identification, seed collecting techniques, restoring planning and practice, data collection and management, pest management actions, study design techniques.

• Slips, trips, falls, hot field days

• Exposure to chemicals

• Use of hand tools

Housing Provided: May be provided

• Received or on track to receive high school diploma or GED

• Valid U.S Driver's License

• Per grant funding, candidate must be 18-30 years of age, up to 35 years of age if veteran status

• U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or Lawful Permanent Resident

• Willing to undergo and must pass required criminal history checks

To apply, please submit an updated resume and letter of interest along with the online application.

Conservation Legacy strives to create a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to experience the outdoors and improve our shared outdoor spaces. Conservation Legacy encourages applicants from all backgrounds to apply for this position. We are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Conservation Legacy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

*Internship is dependent on grant funding *