Vegetation Monitoring Team Member – Gulf Coast Network

Summary

American Conservation experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), is seeking ONE Vegetation Monitoring Team Member to monitor and protect significant natural resources in National Parks as part of the NPS Gulf Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network (GULN).

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

Start Date: May 18, 2026

Estimated End Date: November 14, 2026 (or 26-weeks after start date)

*a 26-week minimum commitment is required *

Location Details/description: Stationed at GULN office in Lafayette, LA.

The Gulf Coast Network is one of thirty-two Inventory and Monitoring networks nationwide. The network monitors natural resources in eight national parks, spanning from Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.

Habitats in the network’s parks include rich southeastern forests of hardwoods and pines, Black Belt prairie, barrier islands and seashores, coastal fresh to brackish marshes, cypress-tupelo swamps, pine savannas, loess Blufflands, and the dry scrub and grasslands of central and south Texas.

For more information about The Gulf Coast Network please visit the parks website.

position Overview: This is a 26-week position, working with the NPS Gulf Coast Network (GULN) as a member of a team that conducts field-oriented natural resources monitoring.

Primary duties include assisting GULN staff with a variety of field-oriented projects, including:

• Terrestrial vegetation monitoring in Gulf Coast Network parks, including data collection in long-term monitoring plots in forests, grasslands and scrubland;
• Organizing and packing field equipment to support monitoring teams of two or three;
• Entering and quality-checking monitoring data using in databases and spreadsheets, including Microsoft Access and Excel;
• Field operation and basic management of Global Positioning System (esp. Garmin) instruments and data;
• Occasionally providing field and data management assistance for other long-term monitoring projects, such as water quality monitoring, Texas tortoise monitoring, and amphibian monitoring ;
• Occasionally assisting with formatting and editing technical reports produced by the Networks, using Microsoft Word;
• Occasionally assisting with creating Geographic Information System maps (with ESRI’s GIS Pro software) to be used for natural resource inventory and monitoring projects.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Schedule: The ACE Member will work 40 hours per week on a schedule that alternates between a week of fieldwork followed by one to several weeks that are predominantly office work. For fieldwork, hours will vary depending on project requirements, with overnight travel required for most field trips. Fieldwork days may last 9-10 hours and start before 8:00 AM, with extra hours accumulating towards time off at the end of the week or during the following week. For office work, working hours are usually 8:30 AM to 5 PM Central time, with exact hours somewhat flexible.

Travel: The duty station for the ACE Member will be the GULN office, in Lafayette, Louisiana. About 40% of their work will require overnight travel. Travel and per diem costs are covered. Overnight travel will most often be to one of the eight Gulf Coast Network parks: Big Thicket National Preserve, Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, Vicksburg National Military Park, Natchez Trace Parkway, Gulf Islands National Seashore, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, and Padre Island National Seashore. The majority of fieldwork during summer 2026 is planned for the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. Occasional overnight travel to training/meeting sites may also be required.

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $700/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly. While traveling for projects, the member will utilize an ACE credit card to pay for lodging, as well as cover the per diem for meals & incidental expenses NTE $9,000.

This position is part of the Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement must meet the PLC Eligibility Requirements to be considered for this position. Members may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general eligibility information on our website.

Housing: Housing is the responsibility of the member and not provided by ACE or NPS.

Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support.

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be authorized to work in the United States. ACE does not provide sponsorship for employment visas.
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver’s license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request). Members must be 21+ to drive due to ACE’s insurance and liability requirements.
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website.

Preferred:

• Competitive applicants should have a background or coursework in botany, ecology, natural resource management, or a related discipline and have a demonstrated interest in this field.
• Knowledge, interest, and/or experience conducting vegetation sampling and monitoring
• Experience with field data collection methods
• Ability and willingness to do backcountry hiking, navigate in steep terrain, and work outdoors in high heat and humidity.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Garmin GPS units, and/or ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro.

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands: Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, hiking, carrying, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talking and hearing. Manual dexterity required for use of various tools, computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment. Required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch. Ability to hike over rough terrain.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus.
• Weight Lifted or Force Exerted: Frequently moves up to 25 lbs., ability to move up to 45 pounds.
• Environmental: Outdoor and indoor conditions. Work environment conditions can change frequently; working under adverse weather conditions and in various climates.
• Noise Environment: Moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic.
• Travel: This position requires domestic travel.

Environmental Conditions/Hazards: The ACE member(s) may encounter environmental conditions/hazards including extreme heat or cold, rocky terrain, swamp or wetland conditions, biting insects, and potentially dangerous wildlife. The member is expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow staff/members or resources.

Vehicle and Equipment Use/Safety: If a vehicle is required for the accomplishment of the duties, one will be provided by the NPS or ACE. Any tools required for the accomplishment of the duties will be provided by the NPS. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), typically provided by the NPS, will be mandatory for any activity that requires it. Strict adherence to NPS and ACE equipment training, certification and safety protocols is required.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to ACE’s online Application page for this position on our website.Early consideration will be given as applications are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC NPS Eastern Member Manager, Maya Opara-Nadi.

If you meet at least 70 percent of the qualifications, we want to hear from you!

ACE participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information when you are enrolled in a program to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

EEO:  Employment or Service with ACE is based upon ability, qualifications, attitude, and job-related factors. Every qualified employee, member, or applicant has the same opportunity for recruitment, hire, training, transfer, promotion, compensation, demotion, termination, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital or parental status, political affiliation, ethnicity, hair texture or style, arrest record, caste, hereditary status, endogamy, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.