Natural Resource Management Assistant (26 Weeks) - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy; United States; On-site; USD 19,000 - 23,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award

Weekly Living Allowance

Relocation Allowance

Student Loan Forbearance

Student Loan Interest Payments

Job summary

Conservation Legacy is hiring a Natural Resource Management Assistant (AmeriCorps) to support GIS-driven park resource management at Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee. The role focuses on building and refining GIS data, maps, and workflows to aid cultural and natural resource decision-making and park operations.

The position runs for 26 weeks with AmeriCorps hours, includes education awards, and a fixed weekly living allowance.

Qualifications

• US citizen, US national, or lawful permanent resident.
• Must have high school diploma or equivalent, or commit to obtain before education award usage.
• Must complete required background checks for employer and host site.
• Available to participate for the full 26 weeks.

Responsibilities

• Refine and expand the park GIS database for cultural features (monuments, markers, buildings).
• Improve GIS data for natural/infrastructure features (streams, roads, ponds).
• Create/update baseline maps for planning, maintenance, and emergency response.

Skills

GIS skills

Geospatial data management

Team collaboration

Education

Undergrad/Grad GIS or Geography student

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

ArcGIS Online

Job description

POSITION DETAILS

• Position ID(s): 4533
• Position Title: Natural Resource Management Assistant - AmeriCorps
• Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
• Site Location: Shiloh National Military Park, Shiloh, Tennessee
• Number of positions available: 1

TERMS OF SERVICE

• Duration: 26 Weeks (not flexible)
• Flexible Start Date: Yes
• Start Date: 01/11/2027
• End Date: 07/16/2027
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.

BENEFITS

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award: $ 3,697.00 upon successful completion of position (pre-tax)
• Weekly Living Allowance: $ 675.00 per week, fixed rate (pre-tax)
• Relocation Allowance: $ 450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck) (pre-tax)
• Student Loan Forbearance if applicable (administered by MyAmeriCorps, directly)
• Student Loan Interest Payments if applicable (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly)

APPLICATION TIMELINE

Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, November 1, 2026. Applications will be reviewed after the application deadline passes. Positions will close after receiving 60 complete applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on November 1, 2026, whichever occurs first.

KEYWORDS: Field Data Collection, Resource Stewardship, ArcGIS, GPS, Data Management, Land Use Planning, Natural Resource Projects, Flora and Fauna Inventory

PURPOSE

This Natural Resource Management Assistant is an AmeriCorps position. The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of present and future generations. Continued advances in geospatial technology, field data collection, web-based mapping, and digital information sharing have made it increasingly possible for parks to manage resources more efficiently, accurately, and strategically.

Shiloh has already begun developing baseline GIS data and organizational structure for its spatial information; however, additional is needed to expand, verify, refine, and apply these data to broader park management needs. Because resource management staff have limited time to devote to large-scale GIS development and field verification, this position will provide valuable support in strengthening the park’s growing GIS program while also assisting with related natural resource management.

The Natural Resource Management Assistant participant’s contributions will help improve the park’s ability to document, organize, and use spatial data for both cultural and natural resources. The participant will support better decision-making in areas such as resource stewardship, invasive plant management, water resource monitoring, project planning, and general park operations. The data, maps, and workflows developed during the position will also support future compliance documentation, internal planning efforts, and educational or interpretive products for park staff and the public.

By helping build upon the park’s existing GIS foundation, the participant will contribute to a more modern, efficient, and sustainable approach to management of the park's resources in the years ahead.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Shiloh National Military Park, located in Hardin and Hardeman Counties in Tennessee and Alcorn County in Mississippi, was established on December 27, 1894. The multi‑unit battlefield preserves over 7,000 acres that include temperate forests, historic agricultural fields, historic structures, markers, and monuments, watersheds, a prehistoric Mississippian Indian Mound village that is a National Historic Landmark (NHL), and a national cemetery. The park’s purpose is to preserve and interpret the battlefields, sites, resources, and oral histories associated with Shiloh, Tennessee, Pocahontas, Tennessee, and Corinth, Mississippi, during the Western Campaign of the Civil War. The park is also home to a variety of flora and fauna, including over 1,000 species of vascular plants, over 220 species of birds, 59 species of mammals, 28 species of reptiles, 26 species of amphibians, and 51 species of fish.

Resource management staff seeks to incorporate GIS into all facets of park management. While the park has begun developing baseline spatial data and GIS organization, additional projects is needed to expand, verify, refine, and apply these data to a broader range of natural and cultural resource management needs. This position will serve as a Natural Resource Management Assistant position with an emphasis on GIS, while also supporting a variety of field‑and office‑based resource management projects. The position will be up to a 26‑week (six‑month) appointment under the supervision of the natural resources program manager.

The duties, tasks, and responsibilities of the participant may include:

• Building upon and refining the park’s existing GIS database for important cultural battlefield features, such as historic tablets, monuments, historic structures, historic fields, burial trenches, cemetery boundaries, and government buildings.
• Expanding and improving existing GIS data for important natural and infrastructure‑related features, such as streams, ponds, springs, roads, buildings, and other baseline park features.
• Integrating GIS to create, update, and maintain a series of baseline maps beneficial to natural and cultural resource management, planning, maintenance, emergency response, and park operations.
• Collecting GPS/GNSS field data and conducting field verification (ground‑truthing) of mapped features to improve the accuracy of park spatial data and associated records.
• Supporting invasive plant and other natural resource mapping efforts, including the development and refinement of GIS layers that may assist with treatment planning, monitoring, and long‑term resource stewardship.
• Assisting with water resource and other natural resource management tasks, such as water quality monitoring support, field observations, and related data organization.
• Helping organize, document, and improve GIS workflows, data structure, and map products so that resulting projects can be maintained and expanded by park staff in the future.
• Assisting the natural resources program manager with a variety of resource management duties, which may include both office and field assignments depending on park priorities.

DELIVERABLES

At the completion of this position, the participant will have assisted with water quality monitoring and completion of monthly field reports; developed, organized, and refined a meaningful body of baseline GIS data for the park; and created practical map products and new resource management layers to support park operations, planning, and stewardship. Deliverables may include baseline feature layers for roads, buildings, streams, ponds, springs, monuments, markers, cemetery boundaries, and other cultural and natural resource features; invasive plant mapping layers for priority species and treatment planning; and maps used for resource management, maintenance activities, emergency response, road closures, and project planning. The participant will have also assisted with field verification and GPS/GNSS data collection for selected features, support the integration of spatial information into park records and databases, and help document GIS workflows and data organization methods so that the resulting products can be maintained and expanded by park staff after the position.

QUALIFICATIONS

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• 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.
• Prior to starting the position, agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check for the employer of record, Conservation Legacy, and a separate government security background check for the host site.
• The applicant must be available to participate for the entire 26 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate should have strong organizational skills and produce thorough, accurate project products. Applicants should have knowledge of and experience with ArcGIS Pro and/or ArcGIS Online and be an upper‑level undergraduate or graduate student in GIS, geography, natural resources, environmental science, ecology, wildlife biology, forestry, or a related discipline. Preference will be given to applicants with at least 9–12 credit hours of GIS coursework, or equivalent applied experience. Preference will be given to applicants who have experience with GPS/GNSS data collection, spatial data management, geodatabase organization, and map production. Familiarity with natural resource field projects, such as invasive plant mapping, vegetation surveys, wildlife observations, water resource projects, or other field‑based monitoring, is desirable. The selected participant should be able to complete projects independently and as part of a team, communicate clearly, document workflows