Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the Eldorado National Forest, is seeking ONE Aquatic Technician to work alongside Forest Service staff. 

Local candidates are encouraged to apply! 

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

Start Date: April 21, 2025
Estimated End Date: October 3, 2025
*a 24-week minimum commitment is desired *

Location Details/Description: Placerville, CA Eldorado National Forest, Supervisors Office

The Eldorado National Forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada region within California and encompasses a total of 798,279 acres, which includes 193,027 acres of private ownership.

The Eldorado National Forest is bordered on the north by the Tahoe National Forest, on the east by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Humboldt-Toiyabe, and to the south by the Stanislaus National Forest. The Eldorado is within 3 - 4 hours of the San Francisco Bay Area and about 1 - 1 1/2 hours from Sacramento. It ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet in the foothills to more than 10,000 feet above sea level along the Sierra crest. The mountainous topography is broken by the steep canyons of the Mokelumne, Cosumnes, American, and Rubicon rivers. Plateaus of generally moderate relief are located between these steep canyons.

The forest is also home to 297 lakes and reservoirs (including both public and private acreage), which total 11,994 surface acres. 11 large reservoirs account for 9,000 acres. The rest are mostly small, high mountain lakes. Both the rivers and lakes provide excellent fishing opportunities. The Eldorado National Forest provides diverse recreational opportunities to the public. The Forest offers every visitor the chance to enjoy nature and be outdoors. In addition to two popular wilderness areas (Desolation Wilderness and Mokelumne Wilderness), the forest offers more than 70-day use and overnight developed recreation facilities across the forest for the individual, families and groups.

For more information on the Eldorado National Forest, please visit the USDA Forest Service website.

Position Overview: 

• The member will work with aquatics staff and conduct field work for a variety of species (California red-legged frog, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, Yosemite toad and Western pond turtle). 
• As needed, a percentage of the technician’s time may be scheduled to assist in other program areas (Wildlife, Botany, and Archeology), to accomplish high priority project needs and provide cross-training opportunities. Experience in other program areas is not required but a willingness to work across programs and learn about other resource areas is essential.
• The work requires physical exertion, such as navigating steep and uneven terrain to approach remote field sites and wading in rivers with unstable footing. In many situations, the duration of the activity (such as most of the workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. 
• Complete surveys (including night surveys) to protocol and providing accurate and timely documentation
• Some work will occur in a recent burned area and will require adherence to strict safety protocols. 
• GIS and data entry associated with field survey work
• Support other projects and responsibilities as needed by the Forest

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Schedule: Mon-Thurs, 7:00am - 6:00pm

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $795/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general eligibility information on our website.

Housing: ACE members will be accommodated in provided USFS Barracks depending on availability.  Each member will receive reimbursement for housing costs up to a weekly rate not to exceed $100 per week. 

Relocation Allowance: ACE members will have access to up to $500 to be used for eligible relocation expenses. Further details regarding distribution of these funds will be provided during the interview process. 

Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support. The Forest Service will strive to provide members the opportunity to shadow conservation professionals to learn about biology and related disciplines, but a foundational knowledge of biology and/or management is required for these positions.

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required by U.S. government contracts
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website located on our Indeed homepage. 

Preferred:

• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a natural resource field and have field experience.
• Ability to work independently at day or night including hiking, driving, following survey protocol
• Experience driving 4x4 and/or all-wheel drive vehicles safely in off-road conditions
• Experience hiking over remote, steep, and rocky terrain in adverse weather conditions (cold/hot temps, light rain, etc.)
• Experience surveying for amphibians
• Skill using compass, aerial photos, topographic maps and GPS units to locate survey areas in remote setting
• Flexibility in switching between day and night survey work (maintaining appropriate work/rest ratio)
• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and GIS
• Competency with data entry, summarizing and compiling data