Position Title: LiDAR Monitoring Technician Intern Region 3 – AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements – East

Site Location:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Crab Orchard NWR

6987 Headquarters Road, Marion, IL 62959

Terms of Service: 18 Weeks

• Start Date: 05/05/2025
• End Date: 09/05/2025
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 675 Hours

Purpose:

Stewards Individual Placement Program (STE) provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants within the program work with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to build institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. Stewards Individual Placements, an AmeriCorps affiliated program, is partnering with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to host a LiDAR Monitoring Technician Intern.

STE in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Region 3 is looking for individuals to serve as interns in the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Monitoring Project. LiDAR integrates the latest forest vegetation and ecosystem surveying technology into land management practices. Terrestrial LiDAR scanning (TLS), surveying, and monitoring protocols gather empirical data to inform active habitat management on refuges.

This 3-person team will develop a Terrestrial LiDAR Scanning (TLS) module, assessing impacts of hazardous fuels reduction (HFR) treatments. They will collect surface fuel plot data on national wildlife refuges in the Midwest Region. The TLS data collected will be used to demonstrate the effectiveness of fuels reduction treatments. This data will also be evaluated for application to other areas of management refuges or other Service-owned lands.

Interns will start at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and travel north through Sherburne NWR, Necedah NWR, and Kirtland Warbler WMA, gaining valuable experience at each location.

Click here to visualize and learn more about the Terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging Monitoring Program!

Description of Duties:

• Operate LiDAR Technology: You’ll use advanced equipment to collect valuable data that supports better land management.
• Accurate Data Collection: Record data from surface fuel plots, ensuring quality and consistency.
• Planning and Organization: Develop weekly plans for data collection and follow through on daily tasks.
• Tech Skills: Use iPads and laptops to manage and upload data, ensuring it’s stored in the right databases.
• Field Work: Travel to remote sites, drive 4x4 vehicles, and navigate through rugged terrain using GPS.

*** Training for the above duties will be provided by the USFWS team and current (in-field) LiDAR Technician interns. ***

Qualifications:

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• Between the ages of 18 – 30, Veterans up to 35 years of age
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
• Candidates that have progressed toward a bachelor’s degree in the related field (Natural Resource Management, Spatial Data Collection, Data Visualization, GIS, etc.)
• Candidates with experience in driving 4x4 trucks in remote locations are preferred.

Physical Requirements:

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. 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.

Working Conditions/Physical Effort:

The LiDAR Interns may work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on varying terrain and potentially under physically demanding circumstances.

These conditions:

• Present the possibility of injury and exposure to hazards such as heat, humidity, and insects.
• Require long hours in isolated settings
• Require physical exertion, outdoors, in all weather conditions on potentially difficult or hazardous terrain
• Require the ability to occasionally use hand tools and/or light machinery
• Require the willingness to travel frequently, work varying shifts, and potentially overnight stays.

Time Requirements:

• Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday to Friday, but exact service schedules may vary. A half-hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service.
• Members may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
•  Members must commit to a 36-to-40-hour work week schedule to meet AmeriCorps Ed Award Requirements.

Orientation and Training:

• Members will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
•  Members will receive a Stewards New Member Orientation with assigned program support.
• Stewards will provide Stewards 101 Training within the beginning of the term ‘s start to familiarize members with Stewards Model and service expectations amongst peers.
• Members will receive training by collaborating with staff throughout organization and meetings with local organizations with a shared mission.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $2,817.14
• Living Allowance of $600 per week.
• Field Gear Stipend of $500 as needed
• Relocation Stipend of $500 ($250 at the start and $250 at the end of service)
• Housing at each location to be determined

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.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

STE Program Staff:

Kahla Stewart

Program Coordinator

Stewards Individual Placements

(423) 402-6004

kstewart@conservationlegacy.org

Service Site Staff:

Chad Loreth

Wildland Firefighter (asst Fuels/Planning)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Region 3

chad_loreth@fws.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 accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.