Position Title: Wildfire Resource Protection Planning Fellow - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: REMOTE or Redwood National Park, Arcata, CA (Negotiable)

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants that submit application by August 22,2025

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: September 22,2025

• End Date: August 24, 2026

• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hour

Purpose:

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 Redwoods National Park will host a Wildfire Resource Protection Planning Fellow.

This Wildfire Resource Protection Planning Fellow is an AmeriCorps position that will serve in conjunction with the NPS Natural Resources Stewardship and Science (NRSS) and NPS Fire & Aviation Management (FAM) programs in the NPS Pacific West Region (PWR) which includes more than sixty national park units in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands. The PWR NRSS Program advances the stewardship of natural resources in parks and beyond to leverage landscape-scale conservation. It supports parks in policy direction and guidance, GIS mapping, data management, and technical assistance — engaging the best available science and managing amid continuous change. The PWR FAM Program addresses the risks and benefits related to managing wildfire and facilitates, the use of fire as a tool in national parks relative to safety, science, and stewardship.

 

This position will serve in a project coordinator/technical specialist role to assist and support PWR National Park Service units in developing Local Unit Resource Advisor (READ) Guides and READ Atlases. A Local Unit Resource Advisor Guide (LURG) is a written document which identifies values at risk associated with natural resources, cultural resources, infrastructure, and specially designated lands. It provides guidance for resource protection measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts to these values during planned and unplanned disturbance events such as wildfires, floods, and large public gatherings. An accompanying geospatial product to the LURG is the READ Atlas which is a collection of geospatial data organized to inform the location and nature of sensitive resources. It is designed for rapid and efficient deployment during emergency response incidents.

 

The fellow will be supervised and supported by the NPS PWR Regional Wildland Fire staff and guided by the NPS Local Unit READ Guide/ READ Atlas Template.

 

Candidates for the position must be able to pass a federal background check in order to obtain an official personal identity verification (PIV) credential. The work schedule will be 40 hours per week. Some travel opportunities will be available to coordinate directly with NPS professionals stationed throughout the Pacific West Region

 

Description of Duties:

Project Coordination (30%)

· Provide remote and in-person assistance to NPS park unit resource specialists in support of the development of Local Unit READ Guide content:

o Assist in the gathering and vetting of resource and geospatial data

o Assist in the development of local resource protection measures

o Support content development through the use of templates, examples, and job aids

· Track project progress and encourage attainment of completion deadlines

o Facilitate periodic check-in/ support sessions with project participants

 

GIS Product Development (30%)

· Support of the development of Local Unit READ Atlases:

o Assist, or independently develop, Local Unit READ Atlases

o Assist, or independently develop, standalone local unit resource protection map products

o Assist units in the determination of sensitive data standards

o Apply NPS geospatial standards and conventions to READ Atlas geospatial products

 

Editing (20%)

· Support the writing, editing, and proofreading of Local Unit READ Guide content

· Apply 508 compliance and NPS formatting standards to documents

· Recommend improvements to the NPS LURG/ READ Atlas Template

 

Training Facilitation (10%)

· Assist in the development, coordination, and implementation of in-person and remote Local Unit READ Guide/ READ Atlas trainings

 

Conservation Fellow Development (10%)

· Bolster professional development through wildland fire, resource management, and GIS courses

· Participate in wildland fire READ trainings and wildland fire READ assignments, as desired.

· Engage in opportunities to work directly with NPS professionals in a variety of fields throughout the Pacific West Region

 

Qualifications:

· Eagerness to learn and make a difference

· Interest in working with the National Park Service

· Ability to work well independently

· Strong interpersonal and organizational skills

· Strong written and oral communication skills

· Proficiency with the ESRI ArcGIS Pro application

· United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien

· Applicants must be between ages of 18-30 years old, or up to 35 for veteran, based on Public Land Corps Act of 1993 authorizing this AmeriCorps opportunity.

· 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.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

· Educational (B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., or PhD) in the biological, physical, social or cultural sciences and/or career experience in resource management and/or Geographic information Systems (GIS)

· Experience working in wildland fire or as a Resource Advisor (READ) is desired but not required

 

Additional Position and Community Information

· Position has a negotiable duty station, either Remote or Redwood NP. If duty station of Redwood NP is chosen, position will be expected to work out of an office in Arcata, CA or Orick, CA. The Humboldt Coast is a string of small communities along the Northwest Coast of California, from the largest city of Eureka (24,000 people) to Arcata (15,000) to many smaller communities in between. The climate is similar to that of southwestern Alaska, dominated by the marine environment and growing the largest trees in the world. The coast has housing as there is Cal Poly Humboldt nearby, groceries and other stores as elsewhere, with a wide range of opportunities in the larger communities.

· If Redwood is chosen as a duty station, a car is necessary.

 

Benefits:

· Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395.00

· Living Allowance of $685.00 per week.

· Additional Benefit of $120.00 per week.

· Healthcare Coverage if Eligible

· Childcare Coverage if Eligible

· Student Loan forbearance if Eligible (administered by MyAmeriCorps, directly)

· Interest Payments if Eligible (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly)

 

How to Apply: Apply on-line at: https://stewardslegacy.org/open-positions. In addition to your resume, please submit a one page cover letter highlighting why you are interested in this position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position.

 

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants who submit applications by August 22, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Position will close on September 12, 2025.

 

 

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

· Program Contact information: Emma Nehan-Springstead at enehan@conservationlegacy.org

· Service Site Contact information: Steve Buckley at Steve_Buckley@NPS.gov

 

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 the hiring manager.

 

 

Additional Details

Physical Requirements:

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.

 

Time Requirements:

· 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.