Science in the Service Fellow, Tracking Endangered Species Habitat Conservation- Pacific Southwest Region, Region 8

Science in the Service Fellow, Tracking Endangered Species Habitat Conservation- Pacific Southwest Region, Region 8

SummaryAmerican Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking one Science in the Service Fellow to contribute to endangered species habitat conservation projects alongside Pacific Southwest Region staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.

Start Date: September September 2023Estimated End Date: December 2023

*a 640 hour commitment is required. May be completed in as little as 16 weeks if working full time but fellowship can extend 32 weeks or longer to meet hours requirement and fellow's schedule needs

Location Details/Description: Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, Carlsbad, CA (but some work can be completed virtually/teleservice- preferably located within Region 8)

In-Person reporting expectations are flexible and will be coordinated between USFWS and fellow.

The Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ecological Services program. The ES program helps lead conservation across the nation and administers the Endangered Species Act.

The Carlsbad Office has two office locations: Carlsbad, CA and Palm Springs, CA. With our partners, our goal is to establish a system of conserved, managed and enhanced habitats to support native wildlife across more than 50,000 square miles of Southern California.

Southern California is a land of contrasts. From the sandy coast along the Pacific Ocean, to the Transverse and Peninsular mountain ranges, to the Mojave Desert, these diverse geologic and climatic shifts support a multitude of plants, animals and fish, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. The Carlsbad and Palm Springs offices use a variety of conservation tools in partnership with federal and state agencies, tribes, local governments and private landowners to preserve these habitats and species for future generations.

For more information about the Carlsbad FIsh & Wildlife Office, please visit: https://www.fws.gov/office/carlsbad-fish-and-wildlife

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 is headquartered in Sacramento, California, and has federal fish and wildlife management responsibilities in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin in southern Oregon. The Region includes one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the United States, ranging from the arid sand dunes in the Mojave Desert to the snow-capped crags in the high Sierras; from rich farmland in the Central Valley to rain-soaked redwood forests along the Pacific coast. This highly diverse geography provides habitats for a vast array of wildlife. More than 42 million people live within the Region, and expanding population centers such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Reno, San Diego, and Las Vegas are increasing demands on natural resources, presenting unique challenges to the Region's conservation mission.

The Service is responsible for managing the National Wildlife Refuge System, operating fish hatcheries and fishery resource offices, enforcing federal wildlife laws, managing migratory bird populations, conserving and restoring habitats, and overseeing a federal aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars to state, fish and wildlife agencies.

For more information about the Pacific Southwest Region, please visit: https://www.fws.gov/about/region/pacific-southwest

Position Overview:

The US Fish & Wildlife Service strives to increase diversity in its workforce and maintain its relevance to a new generation of conservationists. Therefore, the Service's Region 8 has established the Science in the Service fellowship to promote job training and fellowship opportunities for students; expose students to the Service's conservation mission and develop in them an understanding of career opportunities in conservation; as well as to coordinate educational opportunities between affiliated colleges and universities and the Service to facilitate experiential opportunities that enhance student career development.

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.

The Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office (CFWO) completes 40 to 105 formal section 7 consultations and several small-scale HCPs each year in addition to implementing multiple regional Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs). Many of these consultations and HCPs include conservation of listed species habitat as part of the proposed action to offset project impacts. Conservation areas may occur at a different location for each project or they may consist of "credits" purchased from a conservation bank that supports listed species habitat. Due to the heavy incoming workload and an ever-growing list of completed consultations and HCPs, it is difficult to keep track of each individual project's compliance and completion and status. Conservation of listed species habitat as envisioned in consultations and HCPs is often incomplete, either due to staff turnover, lack of communication by the project proponent, or other complicating factors that prevent projects from completing requirements.

The fellow will help the CFWO follow-up on completed consultations, HCPs, and conservation banking agreements by entering projects in an internal database that will send automated notifications to CFWO biologists and project proponents when requirements have not been met. The fellow will evaluate administrative records for completed consultations, HCPs, and conservation banking agreements, coordinate with CFWO biologists, and work with project proponents to ensure that projects are in compliance. The fellow will also map project impacts and habitat conservation throughout the CFWO jurisdiction with a comprehensive, interactive GIS map that CFWO will use to visualize conservation areas linked to individual projects as well as conservation banks. This will allow the CFWO to ensure that impacts to listed species are minimized and conservation committed to in consultations, HCPs, and conservation banks is implemented.

The fellow will gain real world experience related to the policies, regulations, and conservation strategies of the USFWS for federally threatened and endangered plants and wildlife. The fellow will also gain contacts within the USFWS, and with other federal and state agencies, local biological consulting companies, and habitat managers.

The fellow will provide support and assistance under the guidance and direction of FWS staff in the following tasks:

• Task 1: Investigate compliance of 10 section 7 consultations, HCPs, and/or conservation banks. Deliverables: Coordinate with project proponents to implement project requirements that were committed to in consultation/HCPs/conservation banking agreements. Obtain missing information (i.e., construction monitoring reports, species surveys, land management plans) and add to administrative record. Station support: Training will be provided on relevant southern California species and ecology, conservation strategies, and wildlife/habitat management. Investigation may include field visits to conserved lands with CFWO staff, property owners, land managers, and other federal and state agencies to review the status of habitats and to develop recommendations for correcting deficiencies in management.
• Task 2: Enter completed projects and GIS data in CFWO internal tracking system. Deliverables: Project requirements committed to in consultations/HCPs/conservation banking agreements will be entered into CFWO database to allow for streamlined compliance tracking. Automated notifications to CFWO biologists and project proponents of project requirement due dates will be created. Project impacts and conservation areas will be mapped in GIS to allow CFWO biologists to better target conservation areas that are connected to other conserved lands. Station support: Training will be provided on GIS mapping and database management.
• Task 3: Prepare final compliance tracking presentation for CFWO staff and managers. Deliverable:The status of project compliance for the individual projects reviewed during the fellowship will be summarized and presented during the final week of the fellowship. Station support: Examples will be provided of prior fellow presentations. The presentation will also be reviewed and input provided by supervisors before it is presented to a wider audience.

Schedule: Duties will tentatively be carried out between 6am and 6pm Pacific, flexible within Monday-Friday, with schedules built around fellow's availability. Supervisor and member will collaborate together on setting member schedules. Bi-weekly totals should not exceed 80 hours. Time off may be granted and requests should be directed to ACE and the FWS for approval.

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute between 15-40 hours/week, depending on fellow availability and will receive a living allowance adjusted based on education level and work schedule to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

For example, a graduate student working 20 hours/week would receive a stipend of $340/week. An undergraduate student working 20 hours/week would receive a stipend of $320/week.

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

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general information online here.

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.

Developmental Opportunities:

Knowledge of USFWS Programs and Organizational levels (80 hours):

The fellow will work directly with several CFWO biologists and division managers to learn about the various conservation strategies of the USFWS for federally listed plants/wildlife and will gain exposure to the different programs and organizational levels within an Ecological Services office. Field visits to conserved lands will provide an opportunity for the fellow to see how our conservation strategies are working on the ground. The fellow will also learn about the integration between conservation banking and the National Wildlife Refuge system and be given opportunities to interact with refuge managers and biologists.

Leadership, autonomy, critical thinking and problem solving (180 hours):

The fellow will receive training and have CFWO biologists as a resource, but will conduct much of the work independently. The fellow will have the opportunity to take the lead on coordinating with external partners, management of the internal CFWO database, and GIS mapping of projects after initial training by CFWO staff. Critical thinking will be required to make decisions on whether projects are meeting their requirements. The fellow will also develop problem solving skills to help project proponents get their projects into compliance if they have not satisfied the project requirements.

Effective Oral and Written Communication Skills (60 hours):

The fellow will develop oral and written communication skills by coordinating CFWO staff, other federal agencies (lead agencies of section 7 consultations), local jurisdictions or private land owners (HCPs), non-governmental organizations, biological consulting companies, and members of the public to determine the status of project compliance and to interact with external partners in a non-confrontational way to obtain information related to project compliance. They will also have an opportunity to present findings of compliance tracking in an oral presentation to CFWO staff and managers.

Please note that the Science in the Service working group will assist stations in developing fellows via the following mechanisms:

• Virtual orientation
• Resume workshops
• Individual resume reviews
• Career advising
• Bi-weekly facilitated calls (near peer forum, leadership Q&A, career overviews, etc.)
• Informational interviews
• Mentorship program
• Administrative support
• Special Hiring Authority and USAJOBS training
• Regional symposium for final presentations

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required by U.S. government contracts
• Candidates must meet all eligibility requirements for Public Land Corps Hiring Authority. Please see the following link for more information on eligibility requirements: https://www.usaconservation.org/epic/#eligibility-requirements.
• 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 current and valid form of ID (will be required to provide copies of ID's upon hiring)
• If eligible to drive, a valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required two-part criminal history check
• 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: https://www.usaconservation.org/epic/#eligibility-requirements.
• Candidates will not be evaluated based on prior work experience, as none is expected.
• Ability to conduct field work involving hiking and carrying equipment

Preferred:

• Projects are developmental opportunities and should be suitable for undergraduate students. Applicants will be solicited primarily from 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students, and we may receive applications from graduate students, including Master's and Ph.D. Eligible areas of study include:
• Biological Sciences- i.e., Natural Resources Management, Biology, Wildlife Conservation, Fisheries, Zoology, Environmental Science, Ecology, Genetics, Microbiology, Chemistry, Land Management, Botany, Soil Science, Forestry, Invasive Species management, Plant Development
• Geographic and Information Sciences- i.e., GIS, Cartography, Geography, Hydrology, Statistics, Modeling, Engineering, Land Survey, Geology, Spatial Analysis, Remote Sensing

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

Physical Demands: Position is based indoors and outdoors. Demands may include stooping, lifting, reaching, talking, hearing, regular and recurring hiking, walking, and bending. Manual dexterity required for use of various tools, computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment, and may involve fine and precise procedures, delicate adjustments or exact measurements.

• 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 40 lbs., occasionally moves up to 40 lbs.
• Environmental: When outdoors, work environment conditions can change frequently; working under adverse weather conditions and in various climates. When indoors, office environment conditions; indoor air quality is good and temperature is controlled.
• Noise Environment: Outdoors- moderate to high noise such as hand and power tools. Indoors- moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic.
• Travel: This position may require 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 FWS or ACE Any tools required for the accomplishment of the duties will be provided by the FWS. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), typically provided by the FWS, will be mandatory for any activity that requires it. Strict adherence to FWS 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 the online application page for this position here:https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/. Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position, please feel free to contact ACE EPIC FWS Member Manager Nich Jackosky at njackosky@usaconservation.org or 628-888-9336.

EEO: American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

Current Openings for Science in the Service Fellow, Tracking Endangered Species Habitat Conservation Pacific Southwest Region, Region 8 Jobs at American Conservation Experience - EPIC