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Karst and Bedrock Conservation Plan Assistant– Geoscientists in Forests/AmeriCorps

Stewards Individual Placement Program
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The USDA Forest Service Lands, Minerals and Geology (LMG) in partnership with the Conservation Legacy and the Geological Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce the 2025 Geoscientists in Forests (GSF) Program —a new program— offering paid professional development opportunities to emerging geoscientists that leverage Agency capacity to conduct geologic work. 

The Forest Service Geoscientists in Forests (GSF) specializes in opportunities that address geoscience related needs and management priorities. The projects will involve predominantly field-oriented research, inventory and monitoring, and geoscience interpretation for agency staff and the public. With the GSF assistance, the USDA Forest Service can accomplish essential geoscience projects that would otherwise be difficult to complete owing to lack of full-time staff geoscience specialists.

The primary purposes of the Geoscientists in Forests Program are to:

  • Provide on-the-ground geoscience training and experience for the next generation of Forest Service geoscience stewards;
  • Promote an immersive, paid developmental experience for emerging geoscience professionals under Forest Service mentorship;
  • Address critical geoscience needs on National Forest System lands; and
  • Promote career exploration and professional development for recent graduates with attention to underrepresented populations.

Position Title:  Karst and Bedrock Conservation Plan Assistant– GSF/AmeriCorps 

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location:   

Hiawatha National Forest
St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie Ranger Districts
Region 9

 

W 1900 West US-2

 

St. Ignace, MI 49781

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants that submit application by January 31, 2025.

Terms of Service:

  • Start Date: May 19, 2025
  • End Date: Aug 8, 2025
  • Position Length: 12 Week Position
  • AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 hours

Position Summary:

The Geoscientists in Forests Program is seeking geoscience professionals to address critical needs on National Forest System lands. 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. The USDA Forest Service - Lands, Minerals, and Geology in partnership with Stewards will host a Karst and Bedrock Conservation Plan Assistant at the Hiawatha National Forest. 

The Hiawatha National Forest is developing a Karst and Bedrock Conservation Plan (Karst plan) to support land and vegetation management on the Forest. The goal of the Karst plan is to protect karst and karst-related resources including flora and fauna that depend on these features for survival, as well as groundwater and heritage resources. The plan will provide consistent guidance for land management activities occurring on or near the Forest’s karst features. Participant duties will include: 

  • Project leadership: Assist the project leader with development of the Karst plan. Document and help plan project development.
  • GIS Mapping: Use GIS to perform aerial extent mapping of karst, particularly epikarst features on the Forest, using the Forest’s imagery, Lidar and GIS data.
  • Perform field verification of remotely mapped karst features.
  • Database Management: Manage a geodatabase of karst and epikarst features for use by Forest land managers and resource specialists. Perform quality assurance/quality control on data.
  • Plan Development: Identify data gaps and research other remote sensing techniques and methods to obtain data to fill gaps in the Forest’s dataset.
  • Partnership Development: Identify partners that may have data that can contribute to Karst plan development.

The GSF participant will be part of the Forest’s soil and watershed program and will work closely with the program’s staff. Outside of the duties listed above there may be opportunities for watershed field surveys, Best Management Practices monitoring, and soil disturbance monitoring. There may also be opportunities to assist with project implementations, such as stream restoration projects. The participant may also work with experts from the Forest Service Eastern Region and Washington offices and academia to coordinate related efforts on characterizing karst on the forest. 

Description of Duties:

The Geoscientists in Forests participants primary goal will be completion of a Forest-wide karst inventory using remote sensing. The secondary goal will be field verification of as many features as possible. 

This project will provide the participant with a practical application of their GIS skills and opportunities for problem solving. In addition, the member will get the opportunity to improve and develop their communication and leadership skills. 

A successful project term will result in at least these three deliverables:

  1. Geodatabase – The participant will keep an organized geodatabase of mapped karst features on the Forest for use by resource specialists and Forest leadership.
  2. Map products – The participant will create a coverage map for areas of the Forest that have been checked for karst features and a reference map (or maps) of all karst features in the geodatabase at the end of their term.
  3. Short Report – The participant will provide a short report describing what was performed, the effectiveness of using GIS to identify and map karst features on the forest based on the results of field verification, and any recommendations for further identification and mapping of karst on the forest.

Qualifications:

  • United States citizen, United States national, or a Legal Permanent Resident.
  • At least 18 years of old, and to be eligible for Public Lands Corps certificate, must finish project while age 30 or under or if a military veteran, finish project while age 35 or under.
  • 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.
  • Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
  • Able to pass a federal background.
  • Possess a valid driver's license and a good driving record (if the GSF needs to drive a government vehicle during their position)

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Applicants should have a BS degree in geology (preferred) or be working towards the completion of their degree in geology with courses in petrology and sedimentology.
  • Completion of a field mapping course is also preferred. Applicants with additional coursework in karst geology and/or carbonate petrology will be strongly considered. One or more courses in hydrogeology would be helpful, but not required.
  • Applicants should also have strong GIS skills in ArcPro and ArcGIS Online and be familiar with using aerial imagery and Lidar data.

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional 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. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Additional Position and Community Information:

The Hiawatha National Forest is in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) and is the only national forest to border three of the Great Lakes. The Forest is divided into two units, a West unit in the central UP and an East unit near the eastern tip of the UP where the Geoscientist member will be stationed. This is a recently glaciated area, and the local geology and terrain of the Forest reflects this. The landscape is relatively flat with occasional low rolling hills, moraines, and sand dunes. Vegetation is a mix of conifers and northern hardwoods, with much of the area being lowlands supporting wetlands or peatlands. Karst-bearing rock is found throughout the Forest, although most known karst features are found within the Niagara Escarpment. Summers are generally mild with high temperatures generally not going over the mid-80s. The East Unit duty station is surrounded by three of the Great Lakes, including Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron. There are many outdoor recreation opportunities available in the area, as well as tourist destinations such as Mackinac Island near St. Ignace and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising, MI on the West Unit. 

This project is a Forest-wide effort and is currently based out of the St. Ignace Ranger District office. Most of the work will occur in an office environment (~70%) and the remainder in the field. The participant will be provided a workstation and laptop with relevant software to perform their duties. Most of the time will be spent mapping karst features using GIS and developing a geodatabase of karst data. A smaller portion of work will be spent in the field verifying mapping efforts or assisting soil & watershed staff (expect 1-2 days/wk). The selected individual should be capable of hiking through potentially thick forest and/or brush while carrying a light load of field equipment. The forest is generally level, requiring little if any climbing, and wetlands are common on the forest. Expect to deal with bugs all season long. Weather will generally be pleasant with moderate humidity levels typical of the northern part of the Eastern United States. Potential hazards include uneven bedrock surfaces and openings obscured by vegetation (especially in areas of epikarst), tick-borne diseases (requiring proper use of insect repellent and clothing), hot muggy weather, and unexpected stormy conditions. Potentially dangerous animals (e.g., black bears) are rarely encountered.

Housing Description:

The Participant will be housed at the Lake Michigan Cabin, which is a historic two-bedroom cabin with a full kitchen, living room, and bathroom. The cabin is located on US Highway 2 approximately 11 miles west of the St. Ignace Ranger District Office across from the Lake Michigan Campground and Day Use Area. 

The kitchen is supplied with various plates, bowls, glasses/mugs, silverware, cooking utensils, pots & pans, etc. The kitchen has a full sized refrigerator, stove/oven and microwave. Bedrooms are supplied with furniture including a twin size bed. The participant will be responsible for providing their own bed linens. 

Note that depending on the District's housing needs, and because the cabin is two bedrooms, the participant may have a housemate for the summer. The housemate may be a seasonal Forest Service worker or a member of a partner group or agency.

Is a personal vehicle required: Yes

Benefits: STEWARDS PROGRAM STAFF TO UPDATE

  • Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,956.35
  • Living Allowance of $600 per week
  • Additional Benefit of $100 per week

How to Apply:

Apply on-line at: https://stewardslegacy.org/open-positions.

Application Timeline: 

Preference given to applicants who submit applications by December 1, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Position will close on January 31, 2025.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

Program Contact information: Sam Rush, srush@conservationlegacy.org

Forest Service Contact information: Shane Flickinger, shane.flickinger@usda.gov

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with AmeriCorps requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Additional Details

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of 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 and accomplishment tracking.

Time Requirements:

  • Typically, this position is expected to serve 40 hours each week, but exact service schedules may vary.
  • Lunch breaks will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service
  • 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 an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
  • The participant will work closely with the Forest’s soil & watershed staff and Forest GIS staff. They may also be working with Forest Service and academic experts on karst. These folks will serve as a valuable knowledge base for the participant as well as an opportunity to network and develop contacts for job opportunities in the federal government. The Forest Service has numerous geospatial training courses available to improve GIS skills and the selected individual is encouraged to take advantage of these. Geology, soil, and watershed webinars are also frequently available to keep up with the latest science and techniques. There are occasional field-based trainings for geology, soils, and watershed, as well as opportunities for training related to federal law and land management such as NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act).