GIS Member - Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP
Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking ONE GIS Member to contribute to a geodatabase development project alongside Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park staff.
For more information about ACE and to apply, please visit: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/869089.html
Start Date: 01/16/2023
End Date: 01/12/2024
*start and end dates are flexible, a 52-week minimum commitment is required *
Location: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Williamsport, Maryland
The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail is a trail network stretching from the Laurel Highlands in Western Pennsylvania to the mouth of the Potomac in Southern Maryland. The management and development of the trail relies heavily on partner organizations across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. National Park Service management of the trail falls under the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, which also encompasses the central portion of the trail.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park traverses 184.5 miles across four physiographic provinces, five counties in Maryland and West Virginia, as well as into the District of Columbia. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. Today it endures as a pathway for discovering historical, natural, and recreational treasures.
The park is known to support 200 rare, threatened, and endangered plant species and dozens of rare dragonflies and damselflies, as well as threatened amphibians, bats, and other mammals. The park is under constant pressure from external projects and development; given its spatial extent, the use of GIS is critical in the conservation and management of sensitive wildlife and vegetation.
For more information regarding Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, or the National Park Service, please visit: www.nps.gov/choh/
Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $720.00/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.
Housing: Housing is the responsibility of the member and not provided by ACE or NPS.
Scheduling: The member will be expected to complete the majority of their service within normal office hours at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP Headquarters in Williamsport Maryland.
Position Description: This member would be responsible for collecting existing GIS datasets from County, State, and Federal sources pertaining to areas in the vicinity of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. An emphasis will be placed on finding and organizing natural resources datasets. All collected data will be organized in a single geodatabase, labeled with appropriate metadata, and uploaded to an ArcGIS Online web map, where it will be accessible to park staff. This member would then compile a finding aid for the collected information which also identifies data gaps in the available information.
This member would also be responsible for initiating a data call from trail partners for any available GIS data, current or expired agreements with the trail, project proposals, or any other data the partners feel is important. The member would then organize and compile this information, and, if feasible, will develop a geodatabase and attach the collected management documents to the relevant portions of the trail network.
This position will allow the member to gain experience in geodatabase construction and management and metadata development. They will also have the opportunity to learn how to collect data with Survey123 and Collector and create workflows for managing data from field collection, through quality control, to a user interface on the portal. They will learn how to collect data with tablets, how to format and utilize external GNSS receivers, and how to set up and use total stations as well as basic orienteering. They would be working under the park GIS Specialist but would also be encouraged to gain field experience with the park biological technicians as they catalog rare, threatened, and endangered plant species in the park.
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.
Public Land Corps Hiring Authority:
Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a hiring authority upon completion of their term of service. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility.
Qualifications:
Required
- Members must be US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with 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 required criminal history checks.
- Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
- ACE Members must verify that they are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or have requested and been granted a medical or religious exemption to vaccination by the time they start their term.
- To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website here.
Preferred Skills:
- Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a bachelor's degree and/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as Geographic Information Systems or biological sciences.
- Knowledge of ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online.
- Ability and willingness to work independently, as part of a team, and to demonstrate initiative.
- Deep interest in Geographic Information Systems or biological sciences.
To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to the online application page for this position here: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/869089.html
Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position, please feel free to contact National Recruitment Specialist, Shannon Borowy at sborowy@usaconservation.org
EEO: American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.