Hydrological Intern (BLM Tucson)-AmeriCorps

Hydrological Intern (BLM Tucson) – AmeriCorps (1 opening)

Conservation Legacy Program: Arizona Conservation Corps

Site Location: BLM Tucson Field Office, 3201 E. Universal Way, Tucson, AZ 85756

Term of Service:

• Start date to be determined. We will reach out to applicants when position timeline becomes clear.

• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hours 

Purpose:

This is an AmeriCorps position with Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC), which is an AmeriCorps program of Conservation Legacy. The member selected for this position will be serving at BLM Tucson Field Office as an AmeriCorps member with Arizona Conservation Corps, and completing service projects for the Tucson Field Office. 

AZCC aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's, and is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with communities and conservation service projects on public lands. AZCC operates programs across Arizona that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. AZCC has program offices in Flagstaff and Tucson. 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM):

The BLM Tucson Field Office (TFO) manages more than 600,000 acres of desert, mountains, and grasslands within five southeastern Arizona counties and shares the international border with Mexico. The field office is responsible for stewardship of eight National Landscape Conservation System units: San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA), Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (LCNA), Ironwood Forest National Monument, four wilderness areas, 63 miles of river suitable for Wild and Scenic River designation and the Gila River Canyons passage of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The Tucson Field Office also oversees six properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and seven Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Public lands within the Tucson Field Office also provide excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation including world-renowned birding along the San Pedro River. The Tucson Field Office is a part of and shares office space with the BLM Gila District Office.

Description of Duties:

The Las Cienegas Landscape Restoration Environmental Assessment defines erosion control structures to be built in the National Conservation Area. The TFO is in the process of creating an agreement with Borderlands Restoration to survey the tributaries of Cienega Creek and identify areas where it would be appropriate to build these structures. The Hydrological Intern, under the direction of the TFO hydrologist, will make field checks and be in communication with Borderlands to ensure that their suggested plans fall in line with the guidelines established by the Environmental Assessment.

The Las Cienegas Regional Management Plan defines monitoring that should be done by the hydrologist. This includes monthly discharge measurements and recording of ground water levels. The intern will be taught proper field methods and then be responsible for collecting these measurements during the specified periods.

The TFO recently received federal groundwater rights on the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. These water rights are being monitored by the USGS. The intern would monitor other wells in the SPRNCA to provide supplemental data to USGS’s efforts to help pinpoint areas of concern. Additionally, they would be able to assist with e. coli sampling at San Pedro House and the Babocomari River to ensure that TFO is complaint with all requirements for these areas.

Training will be provided in Lentic and Lotic AIM, MIMs, EPA Watershed Academy, Rosgen Field Methods, and USGS Intro to Stream Gaging.

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Aide Borderlands with LCNCA Watershed Assessment.
• Act as a primary contact for field crew to aide with access and keys.
• Work with Survey Crew to Learn about erosion control methods.
• Provide TFO Hydrologist with progress updates.
• Assist with water monitoring at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (LCNA) and San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA).
• Assist with monthly discharge and quarterly groundwater level measurements.
• Deploy and collect pressure transducers.
• Maintain rain gauges.
• Conduct E. coli Sampling.
• Conduct monthly water quality samples at San Pedro House/Fairbanks/Empire Ranch.
• Assist with BDA Monitoring, Wet/Dry Mapping, MIMS, Lotic and Lentic AIM, and Rosgen Surveys.
• Collect Mescal Creek instream flow data.
• Conduct stock pond verification.
• Attend Upper San Pedro Partnership Meetings.
• Create a Story Map for Cienega Creek Wet Dry Data.
• Oversee Borderlands LCNCA Watershed Assessment.
• Ensure surveying is done correctly and timely.
• Help plan access routes to various parts of the watershed.
• Help Borderlands and TFO Hydrologist communicate.
• Gather discharge and water quality data from streams.
• Use hydroacoustic instruments or flumes to measure discharge.
• Calibrate and use a YSI Water Quality Meter.
• Locate testing sites and take photos and measurements.
• Help organize and store records of all measurements.
• Deploy pressure sensors into groundwater monitoring wells.
• Program and prepare sensors in office before field work.
• Locate monitoring wells using field maps or GPS.
• Carefully remove old sensor and deploy new one in the field.
• Download data from old sensor and create hydrographs.

Qualifications:

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• At least 18 years of age.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the AmeriCorps Education Award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
• Recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree in hydrology or a related field.

• Ability to work independently in remote locations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with GIS technologies including the creation of story maps preferred, but not required.

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 50 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. 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.

Time Requirements:

• Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break 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 Arizona Conservation Corps Individual Placement Program New Member Orientation at start of service that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395.00 with successful completion of position.
• Living Allowance of $500 per week.

• Additional Benefit of $200 per week.

• Public Lands Corps Certificate*
• Healthcare Coverage provided by The Corps Network and Cigna.
• Childcare Coverage.
• Qualifies for Student Loan forbearance and Interest Payment reimbursement through AmeriCorps.

*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, members must be between the ages of 18-30, or up to 35 if a military veteran, inclusive, at the time the individual begins the term of service and must complete 640 service hours or more to qualify.

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:

This position reports to Peter Christensen (Hydrologist) with the Bureau of Land Management’s Tucson Field Office.

To Apply:  

Please submit a resume and cover letter along with the online application by clicking the APPLY link on this page.

If you have questions, contact AZCC’s Individual Placement Coordinator Preston Sands at psands@conservationlegacy.org. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, 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. 

Salary : $200 - $500