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Position Title: Wildfire Resource Protection Planning Fellow - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Redwood National Park, Arcata, CA (Negotiable, teleservice eligible within commuting distance to NPS unit)

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants that submit application by August 21, 2026

Terms of Service:

Start Date: October 5, 2026

End Date: October 1, 2027

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hour Slot

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

Extensive experience working with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in particular the ESRI suite

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 weather 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.

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: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Position will close on August 21, 2026.

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

Our Commitment:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work 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. The ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the 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.

Orientation and Training:

Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.

Position will be expected to participate in trainings to obtain qualification as a Resource Advisor, as well as receive additional training pertinent to being an advisor in the management of wildland fire operations

$3,250 Professional Development Fund for travel and training

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.