CRDIP Cultural Resources Member- Shenandoah National Park

Summary: American Conservation Experience (ACE), in partnership with the National Park Service, seeks one member to work on cultural resource projects alongside Shenandoah National Park staff as part of ACE's Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP).

For more information about ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.

The Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program is a professional development internship that introduces students who are from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in the National Parks to career opportunities within Cultural Resource Management (CRM) in the National Park Service. CRDIP participants will have the opportunity to attend professional development webinars and write blogs about their work.

Start Date: ASAP

Duration: 20 weeks

Location: Shenandoah National Park is nearly 200,000 acres of forests, meadows, and peaks along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia. The Park's backcountry of steep rugged terrain contains over 500 miles of trails, including 104 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and nearly 80,000 acres of federally designated wilderness. Skyline Drive, the scenic tour road through the Park, is a National Historic Landmark that traces the crest of the Blue Ridge for 105 miles from Front Royal to Waynesboro, VA.

For more information regarding Shenandoah National Park, please visit: www.nps.gov/shen.

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $600/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Housing: The selected ACE member will be accommodated in park housing at no cost to the member, for the duration of the term.

Housing consists of several homes with double occupancy bedrooms. Housing will most likely be at the park headquarters area in Luray, VA, or within 20 miles. If housing is located further than 10 miles from Luray, VA, a government vehicle is intended to be provided for transportation to and from work site. If one is not available, there will be a travel allowance provided. Luray, VA is 5 miles from Park Headquarters and has the standard community amenities (grocery stores, theaters, shops, restaurants, a library, etc.). Laundry facilities are provided in park housing.

Members will have use of a government vehicle for work-related travel. Mobile phone reception is location-dependent and spotty in the park. A personal vehicle is required for transportation related to personal needs (e.g., food shopping). The site is remote and there is no reliable public transportation, although taxis are familiar with the area and regularly provide rides to-and-from the Appalachian Trail crossing in Thornton Gap.

Scheduling: The selected member is expected to be flexible with working hours, team participation, and evolving duties. The park is a dynamic work environment with emerging needs and priorities rearranging activities on a regular basis.

Position Description: Cultural Resources Management in the National Park Service is administered through programs in Anthropology, Archeology, Cultural Landscapes, Ethnology, Historic Structures, History, and Museum Management. Additionally, cultural resource staff normally administer a park's Tribal Relations and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance programs. This position will involve small projects and learning opportunities across all these program areas, with more detailed and time-intensive projects in the Archeology, Cultural Landscapes, Historic Structures, and NHPA areas. The member will work "in-the-field" with the park's buildings and utilities (B&U) staff, accomplishing projects involving carpentry, stonework, and plumbing skills applied to historic structures. The member will work with ACE Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) members and park staff on these projects. Currently, park staff are upgrading campgrounds, re-roofing park buildings, repairing historic decking, re-setting stones on historic and non-historic stone walls along Skyline Drive, and rebuilding headwalls and tail walls on drainage structures along Skyline Drive.

The member will be expected to select, develop, and implement a "capstone" project as part of their service. This project should take approximately 200 hours (1/4 of the internship) and can be accomplished as part of a CRDIP/TTAP team effort and can involve additional ACE and Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) crews. The project should improve the condition of a historic resource within 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 fields, shadowing different work groups, and working alongside experienced tradesmen and professionals.

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 to represent ACE and the NPS in a professional and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing team member.
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Willing to undergo and pass the required criminal history checks.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members must verify they are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or have been granted a medical or religious exemption 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 archeology, architecture, history, American Studies, political science, historic preservation, or engineering.
• Knowledge of the principles of social science or historical research, historic preservation, archeological fieldwork, or architectural documentation and plans development.
• Deep interest in human history, historic preservation, parks, and visitor communication.
• Practical trade skills such as accurately measuring, cutting, and finishing wood, metal, stone, glass, and other historic building materials.
• Familiar with safe work practices on construction sites and ready to take safety courses (e.g. OSHA 10, Operational Leadership, etc.) that will improve skills in these areas.
• Physical ability and willingness to lift and manipulate heavy building materials and components, dig and record archeological test units, break rocks, hike significant distances (i.e. 4-6 miles) over rough terrain carrying heavy objects, use radio equipment, apply the principles of the building trades and historic preservation to historic structures and cultural landscapes
• Work is often accomplished in view of the public, and ACE members should be ready to explain what is being done, refer visitors to sources of more information, and assist visitors with needs that are not "central" to job duties.

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/. 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 ACE EPIC Recruitment Specialist, Shannon Borowy, 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.

Current Openings for CRDIP Cultural Resources Member Shenandoah National Park Jobs at American Conservation Experience - EPIC