Position Title: Fisheries Conservation Steward - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office; 500 Desmond Drive SE, Lacey Washington 98503

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants who submit applications by November 16, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Terms of Service:

• Ideal Start Date: March 1, 2027
• End Date: Aug 27, 2027
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 hours, 26 weeks

Purpose:

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to provide institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. Stewards partners with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to facilitate the WaterCorps Program to provide opportunities to federally enrolled Tribal Members seeking to gain experience in the water resources field. This WaterCorps position will be hosted by the Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, who is seeking a Fisheries Conservation Steward.

The Fisheries Conservation Steward is an AmeriCorps position that will support aquatic biological field research, population monitoring, invasive species removal, habitat projects, fish hatchery rearing, and fish hatchery evaluation efforts. In addition to supporting the mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this Fisheries Conservation Steward will gain a wealth of career building field, lab, and hatchery experience. They will also gain exposure to the multiple federal, state, local, and tribal governments as well as non-profit conservation partners we work with. This position also includes local and regional (WA, OR, ID, and HI) career development training that will prepare the participant to find and compete for relevant employment opportunities beyond this experience.

The mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Our office oversees a large variety of fish and aquatic work in western Washington. This includes population monitoring projects, fish behavior studies, invasive species removal, habitat restoration, and hatchery evaluation. Our work plays an important role in informing land and fisheries management decision making.

Description of Duties:

• Biological field sampling in aquatic environments, including but not limited to minnow trapping, electrofishing, hook & line (angling), screw trapping, and netting (seining, gill and/or tangle nets) in rivers, lakes, and/or saltwater shorelines.
• Fish identification and data collection (species, length, weight, scale samples, tag scans, genetics, etc.).
• Fish marking, tagging, and tracking (coded wire tags, PIT tags, external tags, and radio telemetry tagging and tracking).
• Invertebrate and limnology sampling.
• eDNA water sampling.
• Abiotic data collection such as river substrate sampling, water salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature.
• Habitat surveys (wetted width, maximum depth, pebble counts, canopy cover, etc)
• Collecting and entering field data into a database. Database management.
• Laboratory processing and data collection, including fish stomach sample identification and sediment sample analysis.
• Fish Hatchery Evaluation: mass marking of juveniles, tag retention sampling, tag scans on adults, biological sampling of tagged adults, and tag extractions (lab) and linking tag number to biological sampling data.
• Supplemental Hatchery Support: fish rearing, spawning, and transfers. Raceway (tank) maintenance, water quality monitoring, fish health monitoring, and fish per pound size and growth tracking measurements.
• Supplemental support for education and outreach programming such as events and school activities such as Salmon in the Classroom. This includes tribal specific outreach programming.
• Supporting upkeep of sampling instrumentation used for core position functions.
• Conducting projects in and around rivers, lakes, and salt water. This includes wading and potentially motorized and/or human powered watercrafts.

Qualifications:

• Must be a member of a Federally recognized Indian Tribe, Band, or Village; Alaska Native; or meet one of the following descriptions:

• • Persons who possess at least one-half degree Indian blood derived from Tribes Indigenous to the United States.

• • Descendants of Members of Federally recognized Indian Tribes, Bands or Communities who were residing on any Indian Reservation on June 1, 1934 – shown by providing information asked on a BIA Form 4432.
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete National Service Criminal History Checks for Conservation Legacy and the host site.
• Have a strong interest in a career in aquatic and natural resource conservation science.
• Can lift at least 40 pounds.
• Can hike at least 4 miles on uneven ground.
• Can wade in water, including in and across rivers.
• Can serve long days, including early morning departures and late evening returns.
• Can serve in inclement weather.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Relevant college degree or coursework is preferred but not required. Coursework could include biology, fisheries/aquatic science, forestry, wildlife biology, oceanography, ecology, and environmental science.
• Personal, educational, and/or professional experience capturing and handling aquatic organisms such as fish. Personal experience can include recreational and Tribal subsistence fishing. Professional experience could include commercial harvest of fish and other aquatic species.
• Boating experience. This includes human and/or motor-powered watercrafts in rivers, lakes, and/or saltwater environments.
• Swimming proficiency (for snorkel survey work and personal safety when working in and around water).

Additional Position and Community Information:

Our Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office is based out of Lacey, which neighbors Olympia and Tumwater. There are ample opportunities for local outdoor recreation, arts, entertainment, and cuisine. Finding affordable housing can be challenging, but our office assists in seeking out opportunities in the area for our AmeriCorps members.

Our Fisheries Conservation Steward must have their driver’s license. It is preferred for the member to have a personal vehicle. Public transportation is an option, but our field schedules are very dynamic with occasional early arrivals (5:45 am) as well as night project requirements. It is vital for our Fisheries Conservation Steward to arrive on time.

Our Commitment:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work 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.

Time Requirements:

• Typically, this position is expected to serve full time each week, but exact service schedules may vary according to project needs. Lunch breaks and days off will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service hour accumulation.
• Member must complete all required service hours to obtain the AmeriCorps Education Award.
• 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 orientation that includes program expectations and AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• Member will receive job training for our field, hatchery, and lab methodologies and protocols. Field methods include electrofishing, minnow trapping, beach seining, invertebrate sampling, and snorkel surveys.
• Member will receive safety training. This includes staff led training as well as opportunities through outside sources. Professionally sourced safety training could include First Aid & CPR, Swiftwater Rescue, and/or Wilderness First Responder certifications.
• Member will receive professional development training. This includes resume building and counseling, job searches and applications, networking, and interview preparation and strategies.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,697.50 (pre-tax)
• Living Allowance of $600.00 per week (pre-tax)
• Additional Benefit of $120.00 per week (pre-tax)
• Free Healthcare Coverage (opt in)
• Childcare Coverage (opt in)
• Student Loan Forbearance if Eligible (administered by MyAmeriCorps, directly)
• Interest Payments if Eligible (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly)

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.

How to Apply:

Find position in table here: https://secure.entertimeonline.com/ta/conservationlegacy.careers?ShowJob=738773058. Open position, review full position description and click apply.

In addition to your resume, you must upload a copy of your Tribal ID proving you are enrolled in a federally recognized Tribe, Band, or village. Please also submit a one-page cover letter highlighting why you are interested in this position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position.

Supervisor/Mentor Name and Contact Information:

• Service Site Contact information: Dan Spencer at Daniel_Spencer@fws.gov
• Program Contact information: Nicole Cabral at ncabral@conservationlegacy.org

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 accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.