2025 NPS Academy Air and Water Resources Member - Acadia National Park

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with Acadia National Park, is seeking ONE member to contribute to the 2025 NPS Academy program alongside the National Park Service Staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

About NPS Academy: National Park Service Academy aims to support the development of a more representative NPS workforce by connecting dynamic, young adults through an experiential program designed around three themes - Connections, Diversity, and Legacy. Through participation, members build their conservation ethic, intercultural awareness, and career readiness skills and competencies. NPS Academy introduces participants to the NPS Universal Competencies that are foundational to all NPS career paths within a cohort of like-minded peers.

Program Goals:The main goals of NPS Academy are:

• Connect a diversity of young adults sharing a passion and curiosity for careers within the NPS
• Deepen participants' knowledge of and personal network within the NPS by fostering an NPS mentorship relationships
• Develop a network of emerging conservation and park leaders by building ambassadorship, storytelling, and leadership skills
• Create a more inclusive and representative future for public lands

Start Date: 05/18/2025 (flexible)

Estimated End Date: 09/05/2025 (flexible)

*a 16 week minimum commitment is required and participation in the orientation (March 17th - 21st, 2025) are required for each position*

Start and end dates are potentially flexible for the right candidate and are dependent on the Park needs. If your availability falls mostly within these dates, please apply. More information regarding specific dates will be shared in the interview process.

Location Details/Description: Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, serves as the duty station. Acadia National Park is located 50 miles southeast of Bangor, Maine, and 240 miles northeast of Boston, Massachusetts. Acadia National Park protects a landscape of rare scenic beauty. Acadia's mountains are the highest rocky headlands on the Atlantic shore of the United States, and the vistas from these mountaintops encompass forested woodlands, shimmering lakes, quiet marshes, bold rocky shores, and coastal islands. Surrounding the park on all sides, the ocean strongly influences the park's character. Visitation exceeds three million visits annually, with the highest visitation occurring in July and August.

Cell reception is spotty within the park, park headquarters, and at government housing accommodations. Acadia Headquarters (office and work site) is approximately 3 miles east of the village of Bar Harbor, where amenities are available such as, grocery, post office, library, fire/police, restaurants, and retail.

*Having access to a vehicle on personal time is advantageous for errands, etc.

For more information about Acadia National Park, please visit the National Park Service website.

Position Overview: This position will support resource management staff by carrying out field activities to support long-term air and water resource monitoring and research projects. This member will perform weekly checks and sample changes at the park's air research station every Tuesday morning. Tasks will include monitoring of visibility, particulates, ozone, precipitation chemistry, and weather. This member will conduct monthly water quality and quantity monitoring in 11 lakes and 11 streams throughout the park. Additionally, this member will collect swim beach water quality samples, and participate in annual stream macroinvertebrate monitoring. Work will be conducted from an inflatable boat or canoe, from the shore, or wading in a stream. The position involves calibrating and maintaining equipment in field and lab sites, conducting simple laboratory analyses, entering information into electronic databases and spreadsheets, and following standard operating procedures. This position requires use of vehicles, equipment, and watercraft to conduct these activities.

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: Mon-Fri, 8:00am - 4:30pm.

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $600/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

AmeriCorps Education Award Program: This position may be eligible for an 450-hour AmeriCorps Education Award while serving under the EAP 2024/25 grant year program, valued up to $1,956.35 upon successful completion of [a complete service term and 450-hrs. Please note, AmeriCorps position eligibility is not guaranteed and may not be available for all positions.

Loan Forbearance: AmeriCorps members may also be eligible for federal loan forbearance. Additional enrollment steps are required.

Qualifying Child Care Coverage: AmeriCorps members may also be eligible for qualifying child care coverage. Additional enrollment steps are required.

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 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: ACE members will be accommodated in provided shared park housing at no cost for the duration of the term.

Relocation Allowance: ACE members will have access to up to $1000 to be used for eligible relocation expenses. Further details regarding distribution of these funds will be provided during the interview process.

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. Specific training may include field safety training, operational leadership and required data collection procedures.

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required by U.S. government contracts
• 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).
• 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 or as defined by AmeriCorps.
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website located on our Indeed homepage.

Preferred:

An important reminder: all skills needed for this position will be trained on the job; a good attitude, curiosity for learning and plants, and a willingness to positively contribute to the team are the only skill prerequisites to finding success.

• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a 2 or 4 year degree and/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as [environmental science, chemistry, hydrology or other natural resource related subject matter.
• Knowledge of water sample collection and/or analysis, recent experience using small watercraft and operating vehicles, data quality control.
• Ability and willingness to successfully work in a team-based position, engage with diverse groups of people/visitors, safely conduct fieldwork, ensure adequate data quality.
• Deep interest in environmental fieldwork, scientific research, biological and/or physical sciences and NPS natural resource management practices.

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

Please use this information to determine personal ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

• 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 ladders, and/or crouch. Ability to hike over rough terrain and operate non-motorized watercraft. Heavy items (i.e. packs and equipment) must be lifted and carried on a routine basis. Laboratory work may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals.
• 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 50 pounds.
• Environmental: Outdoor and indoor conditions. Work environment conditions can change frequently; working under adverse weather conditions and in various climates. Mainly hot/humid conditions when outdoors. This position will work indoors 15% of the time in an office/wet laboratory.
• Noise Environment: Moderate to high noise such gas-powered outboard motors and other hand and power tools. Moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic.
• Travel: This position may require domestic travel between sampling sites. This position does not require unique travel.

Environmental Conditions/Hazards: The ACE member(s) may encounter environmental conditions/hazards including extreme heat or cold, rocky terrain, swamp, or wetland conditions, ocean waves, 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. This position will participate in safety training to prepare the member to routinely work outdoors and from canoe/zodiac or wading in streams.

Vehicle and Equipment Use/Safety: If a vehicle is required for the accomplishment of the duties, one will be provided by the Acadia National Park. Any tools required for the accomplishment of the duties will be provided by the National Park Service. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), typically provided by the National Park Service, will be mandatory for any activity that requires it. Strict adherence to National Park Service 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 NPS Academy Member Manager, Deja Charles.

ACE values an inclusive workforce - 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 hired to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

EEO: Employment with ACE is based upon ability, qualifications, attitude, and job-related factors. Every qualified employee 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, creed, sex, gender, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, citizenship status, genetic information (including of a family member), veteran or military status, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, 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.