Title: Biological Field Intern (2 Openings)

Start/End Date: May 20th, 2024 – November 1st, 2024 (anticipated)

Term Length: 24 weeks

Living Stipend: $600/week

Reports To: Fort Cavazos Natural and Cultural Resources Branch – Wildlife Management Team Supervisor

Location: 1939 Rod and Gun Club Loop, Fort Cavazos, Texas 76544

Status: 900-hour AmeriCorps Service Term; Full-time; 40 hours/week ****

Benefits: $275 weekly housing allowance; $2,500 travel budget; AmeriCorps Education Award $3,447 and Public Lands Corps Certificate* - both with successful completion of the internship; health insurance eligible.

AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities. Environmental stewardship programs help conserve natural habitats, improve energy efficiency, protect clean air and water, and help to mitigate the effects of climate change among other environmental efforts.

Conservation Corps New Mexico (CCNM)

Conservation Corps New Mexico, a program of Conservation Legacy and AmeriCorps partner, aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's. CCNM is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with conservation service work projects on public lands. CCNM operates programs across New Mexico and Texas that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. The CCNM Las Cruces office manages the Individual Placement Program.

Mentorship

These Individual Placement Positions are unique development opportunities. Interns are paired with a local supervisor and gain technical, hands-on experience in the work of these organizations or agencies. Site supervisors commit to facilitate career development; provide an introduction to numerous pathways within the conservation field; and create accessible, meaningful, learning opportunities and experiences for interns.

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Position Summary:

The Fort Cavazos Natural and Cultural Resources Management Branch - Wildlife Management Team protects and enhances the natural resources on Fort Cavazos so Soldiers can train in a realistic, unencumbered environment. Our organization's biologists and researchers work in various locations across the installation. Accessing locations, especially those areas that have vulnerable resources or are in difficult terrain, is critical to accomplishing the mission. The interns will help to improve access to critical locations across the installation. Additionally, the landscape has been littered with hunting stands and other abandoned equipment which pose a risk and hindrance to military training activities. Clearing the landscape of these impediments will allow for better troop access and improve the recreational opportunity for individuals using the iSportsman system.

Interns will have access to military and civilian leadership at multiple levels, and will be shadowing a variety of biologists, natural resource specialists, entomologists, agronomists, etc. They will have access to personnel who manage all aspects of an ecosystem. Staff will mentor the interns depending on their specific interests as they experience different tasks in the field.

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Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

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The following responsibilities will consume approximately 65% of the intern’s time on the installation:

• Trail Maintenance

  • Assist staff with clearing fallen brush and trimming low hanging branches to allow for vehicles to safely maneuver the trails.

• Environmental/Training Land Cleanup

  • Assist staff with locating/flagging items and documenting the GPS location for future removal.

The following responsibilities will consume approximately 35% of the intern’s time on the installation:

• Bald Eagle nest observation – under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) permit
  • Assist staff with GPS locating and monitoring nest sites throughout the internship.
  • Perform weekly monitoring for one hour.
• Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) projects
  • Assist staff with monitoring a variety of species of interest to include grassland birds, monarch butterflies, and bobwhite quail.
  • Participate and assist staff with community outreach events.
• Wild pig trapping
  • Assist staff with trap relocation, scouting sites, and loading/unloading pigs for transport.
• Black-capped vireo/Golden-cheeked warbler monitoring
  • Observe Golden-cheeked warbler and Black-capped vireo crews in the field and help crews with moving equipment or other tasks.
• Cowbird trapping - assist lead cowbird trapper with relocating traps and baiting needs.
• Assist fisheries biologist with electrofishing.
• Assist the wetlands biologist with stocking local ponds with game species several times throughout the year.
• Entomology/Pest Management
  • Assist the entomology team with field observations for pest infestations (multiple opportunities).
  • Assist the entomology team with insect trap monitoring.
• Check Station
  • Depending on the season, assist staff with turkey or deer check-ins.
  • Collect data and possibly specimens.
• Spotlight Lines
  • Late summer and early fall, assist staff with spotlight surveys for white-tailed deer.
  • Collect data for harvest limits during hunting season.
• Outreach – assist Outreach Coordinator with various events (to include Earth Day presentations) for local schools and community groups.

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Working Conditions:

• Interns may be required to lift up to 50 pounds and utilize small hand tools up to a chainsaw.
• A Department of the Army vehicle will be provided when possible. Generally, no vehicles will be available February 15th – June 30th annually. There may be very limited availability with prior coordination and some weekend availability. Travel funds will be allocated to interns to use a rental vehicle when requested. Interns should expect to ride-share with other government employees to field sites.

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Minimum Qualifications:

• Per federal grant requirements, this internship is for young adults between the ages of 18-30 (35 for veterans), inclusive, at the time the individual begins term of service.
• Bachelor's or associate degree in environmental or natural sciences.
• Valid driver's license.

Physical Requirements:

• To successfully perform essential functions, the individual is required to sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, etc. May be required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl for significant periods of time and be able to safely lift 50 pounds on a routine basis. He/she must be able to operate office equipment, telephone, and computer and reach with hands and arms.
• Ability to hike and navigate in rough terrain.
• Reasonable accommodation may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Participant Essential Eligibility Requirements/Participation and Expedition Behavior:

• Work effectively as a member of a team despite potentially stressful and difficult conditions. This may require problem solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences.
• Contribute to a safe learning environment, no harassment of others for any reason.
• Willingness and ability to complete all aspects of the program including conservation projects, education, training, and national service.
• Effectively communicate ideas and concerns as they arise directly to supervisors, colleagues, and organization staff.
• Appropriately represent Conservation Corps New Mexico, Fort Cavazos Installation, and AmeriCorps to the public and partners at all times.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and capacity to work in a fluid, changing work environment.

Safety and Judgment:

• Effectively communicate danger to others in the form of either a warning of danger others may be encountering or a notification of personal distress, injury or need for assistance. Must be able to do so at a distance of up to 50 meters and in conditions with limited visibility or loud background noise such as darkness or high winds.
• Effectively perceive and understand significant and apparent hazards and follow direction by others so that you will be able to successfully execute techniques to manage hazards. These directions may be given before the hazard is encountered or may need to be given during the exposure to the hazard. Ability to respond appropriately to stress or crises.
• Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in varied weather conditions.
• If taking prescription medications, participants must be able to maintain proper dosage by self- medicating without assistance from others.

Substance Free:

In accordance with a drug free workplace, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps and program activities and while on organization property.

Background Check:

A DOD background clearance must be completed before the selected candidate may report to duty. Fort Cavazos will provide instructions for completion of the clearance after an intern has been selected and will notify them when they have been cleared to start the internship. This process will determine the internship’s exact start date.

**** Interns will have access to government facilities and systems, and will be supplied with access to gov’t vehicles, equipment, and materials needed to work on the projects and activities as outlined above. Interns must adhere to all government regulations and policies for operating equipment, vehicles, security awareness, and safety.

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*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, interns must be between the ages of 18-30 (35 for veterans), inclusive, at the time the individual begins the term of service.

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. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, 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 a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

To Apply: Please submit an updated resume and cover letter along with the online application at https://corpsnm.org/individual-placement-openings. Consideration will be given as resumes are received and this position may close at any time. If you have questions, contact CCNM’s Individual Placement Program Director, Joy Hernández at jhernandez@conservationlegacy.org.

For more information about Conservation Corps New Mexico, please visit www.corpsnm.org. Conservation Corps New Mexico is a program of Conservation Legacy.

Required Skills

Required Experience

Essential Functions

• Help administer project safety program to maintain a safe and healthy work environment
• Helps provide technical assistance on the project, interprets contract drawings and submittals
• Assist assistant superintendent, project superintendent, and project manager with daily and weekly tasks including daily reports, daily safety walks, weekly quantity reports, and weekly schedule updates
• Understand the project schedule and the critical path
• Review content for the short-term plan
• Participate in the quality program including attending meetings, performing inspections, and verifying materials