Given Hispanic Access Foundation’s mission and vision we encourage those who culturally identify as Latino/a to apply; however we do not discriminate with regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, personal appearance, marital status, familial status, family responsibility, pregnancy or other pregnancy-related conditions, childbirth, disability, military/veteran status, citizenship status, religion or political affiliation, or any other status protected by federal or state law, local ordinance or Executive Orders. The Hispanic Access Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Remote
Project Title: Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan Climate Fellows
Project Type: Remote. Remote work, but with projected travel to selected regions as needed. Ideal preference would be applicants is that are locals to the desired region.
Duration: 52 weeks (12 months). Preferred Start Date of October
Site Regions: Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Sacramento, CA (West Coast), Albuquerque, NM; Austin, TX; Denver, CO (South West), Mobile, AL; Atlanta, GA (South East), Hadley, MA; Falls Church, VA (North East).
Housing: A $1400/month stipend is provided to cover the cost of housing
Relocation: $800/roundtrip
Commuting: $25/week
Weekly Stipend: $720 based on a 40-hour work-week ($18/hourly)
Benefits: Health Insurance, Generous Paid Time Off, Public Land Corp (PLC) Eligibility for 2 years– after completing 640 hours. PLC status provides special non-competitive hiring status when applying to select federal positions.
Vehicle/Drivers License Requirement: Recommended, but not required. A driver’s license is required to enter Army facilities and individuals entering will need to obtain a visitors pass with the ability to pass a background check.
Working Conditions: indoor office environment, telework, some travel and outdoor activities.
Application Deadline: October 1, 2023 11:59 pm EST. For application questions and problems, contact [email protected]
Application Requirements: Resume, transcripts, open ended questions,2-3 references that are available to talk with us about your work and lived experiences, fully submitted application.
Project Background:
Over the coming decades, Department of Defense (DoD) installations will experience significant risks from climate-driven changes in the environment, which could compromise the capacity of these lands to meet military readiness and operation missions. TO address climate risks, the DoD Integrate Natural Resource Management Plan (INRMP) Implementation Manual (DoDM 4715.03) calls for installations to address climate considerations when updating or revising their INRMPs.
To date, Army installations have incorporated climate-related issues in their INRMPS using guidance provided by Army and DoD through various means, to include: 1) integration of climate considerations throughout the INRMP and 2) inclusion of climate-related information as an Appendix to the INRMP. Revision and update cycles of INRMPs, human capacity, and availability of resources have influenced the level of effort dedicated to incorporating climate change into an installation’s INRMP.
The Assistant Secretary of the Army Installation, Energy, and Environment (ASA IE&E) has executed funds to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for climate change related projects across installations with a period of performance through 2027. Specific objectives include providing Army wide services in support of installation resiliency while incorporating climate change into existing INRMPs for Army installations.
The project aims to consider climate change for environmental planning on Army installations, and help answer questions related to the risk, vulnerabilities, and adaptive capacity of climate change on military lands. How will climate change directly and indirectly affect trust resources, species of concern, and infrastructure on planning-relevant time scales (e.g., the next 15,30, 50 and more years)? How will climate trajectories affect ecological trajectories and ecological transformation? What geographic areas might be “climate resilient” and what areas will transform into novel ecosystems over a given time frame? Based on our understanding of these changes, how can installations best adapt to manage resources as well as their infrastructure?
Project Duties:
This is a trainee assignment and the individual will be exposed to the following. If these example topic areas sound exciting to you then, you may be a great fit for this fellowship.
The project aims to develop a climate adaptation planning narrative template (Template) that utilizes existing plans, data on climate change and other stressors, ecological transformation analysis, and a structured decision-making (SDM) process to inform climate adaptation planning for multiple Army INRMPs. We are employing a multidisciplinary team of Climate Fellows with complementary skill sets to further develop and refine the prototype climate adaptation planning template in areas around the country.
The project will be executed in a Phased approach:
Phase 1 Objectives include: Fellows, in coordination with USFWS and Army staff (e.g., USFWS Science Applications, USFWS National Army Liaison, Army environmental leadership), will develop a template and narrative that allows installations to incorporate climate change into their INRMPs.
Phase 2 Objectives include: Fellows will work to deliver on writing a narrative that incorporates climate change considerations for as many individual installations as possible using the completed template. When complete, each narrative will serve as an aid in developing and carrying out adaptation planning and provide installation managers an overview of the climate exposures, risks, and vulnerabilities to targeted natural resources and existing goals of an INRMP.
Focus will be on utilizing a combination of DoD Climate Assessment Tools, USFWS Ecoregion Climate data, and other available datasets to analyze climate change future exposures, risks, and vulnerabilities on each installation. The goal is to develop the best framework and template for incorporating climate change into each INRMP, complete analysis of climate assessment tools to installation exposure risks and vulnerabilities for all installations and develop a set of examples of completed worksheets that other installations can utilize to develop and implement strategies and actions to reduce climate risks.
Specific tasks for Fellows include the following:
- Identify and review existing Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans (INRMPs), Climate Adaptation Guides or similar plans for the assigned Army installation or region
- Conduct literature reviews on localized species and habitats, climate change, adaptation, landscape scale conservation, use of spatial analyses and tools, and other pertinent publications related to climate change effects on natural, cultural, or societal resources specific to region of interest
- Engage with other FWS programs and Army for support, training, and identification of spatial datasets and tools
- Conduct analyses using available tools to better understand climate trajectories and ecological effects
- Develop general climate narratives of projected change and effects specific to the assigned Army installation or region
- Assess climate change vulnerability and risk for resources to develop recommendations and inform decision making
A total of 4 candidates will be selected for the first 12-month cohort that will focus on Phase 1 and the start of Phase 2.
Fellows will work and communicate with a Hispanic Access Program Associate during their fellowship. Fellows will be expected to participate in scheduled conference calls, webinars, and meetings conducted throughout their term. Fellows will capture photos and/or videos for reporting purposes and submit 5 blog posts highlighting their experience and development.
Learning Goals:
- Learn the structure of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and be introduced to all Service programs
- Learn the structure of the Army and be introduced to all Army Environmental Components
- Gain an understanding of how to incorporate climate change considerations and adaptation into planning, guidance, and policy for Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans for Army installations
- Understand a variety of methods to communicate science and engage audiences across all demographics
- Connect and develop networking ties with managers, scientists, conservation professionals, resource specialists and partners throughout FWS and the Army
Mentoring:
The Fellow will have access to a variety of different employees, styles, and viewpoints throughout USFWS programs and regions and will interact with Fellows from other internships and programs. The team of Fellows will report to Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation and Science Application staff, with daily work overseen by the National Army Liaison and National Climate Change Scientist within USFWS. Fellows will also receive support from a mentor at each location. Supervisors, mentors, and support staff will work regularly with Fellows and will provide opportunities for career development. Additionally, Fellows will have ongoing opportunities to interact with each other and regular check-ins with the FWS Oversight Team.
Since each Fellow comes with a unique background and different goals, an Individual Development Plan will be developed during their first week to identify areas of interest. With thousands of employees in various programs at headquarters and networking opportunities at USFWS and Army facilities across the country, additional shadowing opportunities can be arranged to meet the interest(s) of the Fellow.
Inclusion:
Leadership regularly addresses FWS commitment to diversity and inclusion in hiring, recruiting, and retaining staff, and in engaging the public and partners. The Office of Diversity and Inclusive Workforce Management (ODIWM) developed a Diversity Implementation Plan (DIIP). The Workplace Culture Transformation Team (WCCT) and the Barrier Analysis Team (BAT) are leading efforts nationally to implement the DIIP. The Fellow will work closely with the Connected Communities Team Coordinator in supporting those teams, or any other Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) efforts.
Leadership Development:
An individual development plan will be created for the Fellow with a focus on leadership opportunities. One avenue will be to encourage the Fellow to observe different leadership styles and to even select a few managers to interview about their leadership approach. The Fellow will participate and help inform discussions, brainstorming sessions, and decision-making meetings for strategic planning, national-level training and conferences, and assessment and evaluation related to climate change and adaptation.
Qualifications that will allow you to excel in the role:
- Enthusiasm for conservation, positive attitude, self-starter and organized, mature and responsible, adaptable
- Willingness to learn
- Recent college graduates with a bachelor’s and/or completion or progress towards an advanced degree(master’s or doctorate) capable of committing to a 12 month long fellowship
- Ability to communicate well verbally and in writing, and communicate science effectively
- Familiarity with landscape ecology, climate change science, natural resource management and GIS (Geographic Information System)
- Knowledge of or strong interest in one of the following broad topic areas:
- Geospatial Biology/Spatial Ecology/GIS Specialist
- Wildlife Conservation/Fisheries/Ecology/Forestry
- Marine Biology/Oceanography
- Hydrology/Water Resource Management/Water Policy or Law
- Environmental Economics or Planning/Environmental Justice/Public Lands Governance
- Climate Change Ecology/Landscape Conservation Design or related sciences
- Proficiency with Microsoft Suite. Proficiency or knowledge of general modeling techniques/software, statistical programs (e.g., R, Python, etc.), and ArcGIS system software
- Knowledge of threatened and endangered species and critical habitat is preferred
- Ability to work with a team and independently
- Experience working on military lands conservation issues and familiarity with the Sikes Act preferred but not required.
Minimum Requirements:
Past experience, for example completed 52 weeks of standard level fellowship or another validated internship. Ages 18-30, up to 35 years for veterans. Possess US citizenship or US residency. Fellows must undergo a government background check if selected.
