GIS Assistant (26 Weeks) - AmeriCorps at Conservation… · Lapwai

POSITION DETAILS
Position ID(s): 4554
Position Title: GIS Assistant - AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site Location: Nez Perce National Historical Park, Lapwai, Idaho
Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE
Duration: 26 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible Start Date: Yes
Start Date: 02/15/2027
End Date: 08/16/2027
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: $ 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: GIS, natural resources, vegetation management, data management, data visualization

PURPOSE
This GIS Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. Nez Perce National Historical Park, Big Hole National Battlefield, and Whitman Mission National Historic Site are administered as a tri-park group. The Natural Resources division is responsible for the natural resources at each of the park unit sites, resulting in a variety of natural resource data sets. The SIP’s project will assist with ensuring previously collected data is identified, organized, and included in the program’s GIS files for further analysis and reporting needs. They will also contribute to improving future data collection and quality by identifying SOP’s that can be followed. Spatial dataset updated by the SIP will meet NPS standards and guidelines. This will provide natural resource staff with data collection and management workflows that will ensure success with data management for the natural resource program data collection, information sharing, and management decisions.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Nez Perce National Historical Park is recruiting a participant to assist with natural resource data management. The participant’s major duties will focus on data management from previously collected data sets, recovering existing natural resource data sets from within the natural resource program’s stored data. Located and organized data will be summarized and analyzed by the participant, contributing to project reports and science communication. The participant will have the opportunity to use Python or R for statistical and geospatial analysis of data sets. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be developed by the participant to standardize and improve methodology for efficient, successful data collection. The participant will incorporate existing datasets into the natural resource program GIS and create R programming language that can be utilized by the program to improve and streamline data collection for future program monitoring and data collection needs. This will include using Field Maps/ Survey 123 to create GIS resources for the parks. The position will include moving data (as appropriate) into Geoportal/AGOL. The participant will also contribute to field work, participating in monitoring to assist with developing SOPs and workflows in alignment with the program needs.

DELIVERABLES
At the competition of the position, the participant will have 

1. Located, organized, and summarized natural resource data from the tri-park group in a way that can be used by program managers for future analysis and reporting needs.
2. Created layers and maps based on existing natural resource data sets. 
3. Contribute to NEPE, WHMI, and BIHO Local Resource Unit Guides for fore preparedness.
4. Used Python or R for visualization, statistical and geospatial analysis, and improve data collection methods and quality. 
5. Created SOPs to outline steps to continue proper data management of future data. 
6. Created science education product (story map, presentation, etc.) highlighting completed 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
Qualifications necessary for project success: 1) demonstrated ability in utilizing R for data science related projects, 2) demonstrated understanding of basic statistical analyses, 3) demonstrated ability to conduct projects self-sufficiently on assigned tasks. Applicant should demonstrate these qualifications by describing relevant coursework, school projects, previous job experience, or personal projects. Additional desired skills: 1) advanced use of R (for example: designing functions for use in R packages or utilizing nested dataframes for statistical analysis), 2) experience utilizing linear mixed-effects models and case bootstrapping, 3) experience collecting and summarizing vegetation or other natural resources data

ADDITIONAL POSITION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

POSITION SETTING
Nez Perce National Historical Park encompasses 38 small sites across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana that are affiliated with the Nez Perce indigenous culture.  It is a park about one people for all people.  Land owned by the park is not one contiguous land mass but consists of smaller sites surrounded by a patchwork of private, local, state, tribal and federal lands. The park falls into three basic ecoregions: the shortgrass prairies of the Palouse Grasslands and Missouri Basin, the sagebrush steppe of the Columbia and Snake River Plateaus, and the conifer/alpine meadows of the Blue Mountains, the Salmon River Mountains, the basins and ranges of Southwestern Montana, and the northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho and Montana. The duty station office is located in Spalding, Idaho on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.  The office is approximately 15 miles away from the Lewiston, ID / Clarkston, WA twin towns.  These two towns have a population of about 50,000 people. Other nearby towns include the university towns of Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID, both of which are just over 40 miles away and have populations of approximately 30,000 people each.

HOUSING
Park housing is NOT available. The participant will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area.

Unfortunately the park does not have housing on site. However, Lewiston, ID and Clarkston, WA are only 11 and 13 miles (roughly 16-19 minutes) away from the park and have housing available for rent (month to month lease). Rental units range from $450-$2000 for 1-3 bedroom units.  Other options include the college towns of Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA, about 40 miles away (roughly 45 minutes). Rental units range from $500- $2500 for 1-3 bedroom units. There is no public transportation that goes to the duty station from any of the surrounding areas, because of this, a personal vehicle is required.

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 GIS Assistant at Nez Perce National Historical 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!”