Watershed and Geology Program Assistant – AmeriCorps

GEOSCIENTISTS IN FORESTS PROGRAM

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 member’s 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: Watershed and Geology Program Assistant– AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

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

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: March 3, 2025
• End Date: May 23, 2025
• Position Length: 12 Week Position
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 Hour

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 Watershed and Geology Program Assistant at the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests

The Geoscientists in Forests (GSF) participant will support multiple programs including watershed, soil, and geology for the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests (GWJ). The Geoscientists in Forests (GSF) participant will primarily be serving with the Forest Geologist, Soil Scientist, and Hydrologist.

Under the Geology Program, the Geoscientists in Forests (GSF) participant will conduct inventory and monitoring of abandoned mine lands (AML), karst resources and geologic hazards. Duties will include conducting field assessments and monitoring throughout the national forest. Underground entry for conducting cave health assessments will be part of these duties. Additional duties may include project management of specific reclamation projects along with fossil location and identification. The member will serve under the guidance of the Forest Geologist. All field work will rely on topographic maps and satellite imagery to assist in determining where pertinent resources are located and through use of LiDAR, accurately document resource concerns and follow up action items or remediation needs.

Under the Watershed Program (i.e., soils, hydrology, air/climate), the member will inventory and assess risks to surface water quality, groundwater, groundwater dependent ecosystems, and stream habitat. The member will field verify and map the water resource, and assess the hydrogeologic setting, soils and vegetation, land use, etc. Other needs include conducting stream classifications, spring and karst inventories, as well as monitoring of project implementation and best management practices effectiveness. The participant will field verify and map springs/seeps and may collect flow data, water chemistry, aquatic life, etc. The member will also use a variety of protocols to monitor best management practices and overall soil and watershed conditions, and stream health.

The position will require a brief training by USFS personnel to become familiar with the applicable regulations and dynamics of hydrology and geology related projects and environmental impacts that occur on the ground. The position duration will be a minimum 12 weeks, with potential for the project to be extended for 4 additional weeks. This position requires long hours in the field, safety awareness when driving and hiking over rough terrain in all types of weather, as well as knowledge of data management and report writing.

This project is offered through the Geoscientists in Forests (GSF) in partnership with ?Lands, Minerals, and Geology at the USDA Forest Service National Headquarters?.

Description of Duties:

• The participant will produce a suite of products including:
  • Summary reports of findings
  • Photos, geospatial, and tabular data that provides location and attributes of documented watershed resources, AML, and Karst
  • Identified risks to these resources
  • Recommended corrective action or Best Management Practices to mitigate risks to watershed resources, AML, and Karst.

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:

• Relevant coursework in geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and mineralogy are preferred.
• The participant should be able to work independently or as part of a team, both in the field and in the office.

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 George Washington and Jefferson National Forests occur in two primary geologic provinces. The Valley and Ridge province consists of long, parallel ridges and valleys that are underlain by folded Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. The characteristic topography of this region results from differential erosion of linear belts of rocks that are repeated by folding and faulting. Rivers draining the Valley & Ridge province typically display a trellis drainage pattern. The oldest sedimentary layers in the Valley & Ridge are Cambrian (~520 Ma) and the youngest are Carboniferous (~300 Ma). A thick sequence of primarily carbonate rocks underlies the Great Valley (known as the Shenandoah Valley in central and northern Virginia), these rocks were deposited in a shallow tropical ocean along the southeastern margin of ancient North America (Laurentia). Well-developed karst topography is characteristic of the Great Valley, and many subsurface caverns exist. The Blue Ridge geologic province is a distinctive highland region that also exposes Virginia’s oldest rocks. In central and northern Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountains rise dramatically to elevations above 1,200 m (4000’) with local relief up to 1000 m. In southern Virginia, the Blue Ridge forms a broad plateau-like upland that rises over 500 m from the Piedmont along the prominent Blue Ridge escarpment. In the southwestern Virginia Blue Ridge, Mt. Rogers (1,746 m), forms Virginia’s highest peak.

The Blue Ridge forms a massif with Mesoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic basement rocks at its core and Neoproterozoic to Early Paleozoic cover rock on its flanks. During the Grenvillian (1.2 – 1.0 Ga) orogeny the Blue Ridge experienced the intrusion of a diverse suite of granitic rocks and widespread granulite-facies metamorphism, this magmatic and tectonic activity was associated with continental collision that ultimately produced the supercontinent of Rodinia. Two hundred and fifty million years later Neoproterozoic (750-700 Ma) granites intruded older basement rocks during an early phase of continental rifting that also produced basins into which coarse- to fine-grained sediment accumulated.

The project is primarily based out of the Supervisor’s Office in Roanoke, VA. The participant will serve intermittently with a Geologist, Hydrologist, Soil Scientist, and Fisheries Biologist, but will also do field work independently in steep forested terrain and in areas where historic strip mining and/or adit/shaft mining have occurred. Potential hazards include inclement weather and wildlife encounters (black bears, venomous snakes, etc.). The participant will be provided office space, a desk, and a computer equipped with the relevant software. The majority of time will be spent developing conducting field assessments, entering field data, writing reports, organizing photos, and creating GIS products. Work typically takes place Monday through Friday.

Housing Description:

A housing stipend of up to $2,000 a month will be provided, and the candidates will be encouraged to apply for their own short-term housing.

Is a personal vehicle required: Yes. A personal vehicle is required or for personal errands, for travel between housing and the work site, and for exploring the area independently during time off.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,565.08
• Living Allowance of $600 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $100 per week.
• Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
• Loan forbearance if Eligible
• Interest Payments if Eligible

Application Instructions:

Please submit resume and respond to all job-related questions. Positions will close on January 31st or when 75 applications are received. Applicants may apply for up to five open positions.

Application Timeline:

Positions open on December 1, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Position will close on January 31, 2025 or when 75 applications are received, whichever occurs first.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

Program Contact information: James Gasaway, jgasaway@conservationlegacy.org

Service Site Contact information: Robert Ballard, robert.w.ballard@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 selected participant will be provided opportunities for cross training by the Forest Geologist, Hydrologist and Soil Scientist and will learn established survey techniques for each of these program areas, including use of geospatial and remotely sensed data for planning of field surveys and projects. The participant will also spend time working in an interdisciplinary environment with other program areas including wildlife, fisheries, timber, engineering, and recreation to gain understanding of multiple resource management and the interrelationships of these program/resource areas in land and resource management planning and project development. This opportunity provides the participant a strong understanding of multiple resource management of public lands and prepares the participant for employment opportunities with federal agencies, consultants, or other employers and a program or project manager.