Archaeology Technician - Tahoe National Forest, American River Ranger District

EPIC • Foresthill, CA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the US Forest Service, is seeking one archaeology technician to contribute to the Heritage program alongside Tahoe National Forest Staff. For more information about ACE, please visit our website. Start Date: May 4th, 2026 (05/04/2026) Estimated End Date: October 1st, 2026 (10/01/2026) a 16-week minimum commitment is required Location Details/Description: American River Ranger District (Foresthill, California) The Tahoe National Forest is located in the northern Sierra Nevada (east of Sacramento) and extends from the foothills across the Sierra crest to the California state line. It includes over 850,000 acres of public land interspersed with 350,000 acres of private land in a checkerboard ownership pattern. Rivers, snow-capped peaks and dense forests offer outstanding recreation year-round. A complex set of ecosystems are found as the terrain ascends from 1,500 feet along the western boundary to over 9,000 feet along the crest. The forest provides a variety of resources and opportunities and is managed by the Forest Service. The American River Ranger District is located in Foresthill, California. Foresthill is a beautiful mountain community, located 17 miles east of Auburn and Interstate 80. Foresthill is surrounded on the south and west by the Auburn State Recreation Area, on the north by BLM lands, and on the east by National Forest. The American River Ranger District is distinguished with a portion of Granite Chief Wilderness, the North Fork American Wild River and Placer County Big Trees (northernmost grove of Giant Sequoias). For more information about the American River Ranger District, please visit the Tahoe National Forest website. Position Overview: The Archaeology Tech will support Forest Service initiatives by providing technical support to the heritage resource staff. Crew members are responsible for a variety of tasks, including participating in cultural resource inventory surveys, collecting and editing GIS data, adapting pedestrian survey strategies, preparing data for reports and completing site records, conducting data entry into the NRM heritage database, and completing additional tasks as determined by Forest Service staff. The purpose of the position is to serve as a field crew member for archaeological surveys. The crew member will assist the crew lead in ensuring work is accomplished within established standards and procedures.. The survey team will execute surveys in support of multiple Forest Service priority projects. 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.

Requirements

• Members must be authorized to work in the United States. ACE does not provide sponsorship for employment visas.
• 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).
• Members must be 21+ to drive due to ACE's insurance and liability requirements.
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.

Nice To Haves

• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a bachelor's degree in Anthropology, or a similar cultural/natural resource field and/or have relevant experience in archaeological fieldwork.
• Knowledge of the basic theories and practices of archaeology in order to compile technical reports and site records
• Knowledge of the techniques of archaeological reconnaissance in order to adapt survey strategies to identify a large variety of artifacts and features
• Practical knowledge with GIS
• Ability to perform library and archival research to locate and obtain pertinent background information
• Skill using a compass, aerial photos, topographic maps and GPS units to navigate survey areas and to locate/record sites
• Must be able to adhere to instructions, procedure and use initiative in carrying out assignments in accordance with the archaeological crew lead
• Experience recording historic and prehistoric cultural resources
• Ability and willingness to hike off trail in steep rocky terrain and in changing weather conditions.

Responsibilities

• Performs on-the-ground pedestrian surveys to locate and document surface historic and prehistoric cultural resources
• Prepare data to be included in cultural resource inventory reports and prepare site forms.
• Enter site and inventory information into the NRM cultural resource database, and onto GIS maps.
• Monitor cultural resource sites to ensure approved standard protection measures are implemented and adequate and document changes in site condition over time.
• Conduct inventories of Forest cultural resources in areas of proposed Forest Service projects.
• Researchers will reference materials such as State and National Register files, historic documents, archeological reports, maps and aerial photos
• Ensures that archeology work assignments are carried out in a safe and timely manner according to established standards and procedures
• Review work in progress to see that standards for pre-field research, survey design, site recording, graphics, and final report are being met
• Assists other members or FS staff on methods of cultural resource inventory

Benefits

• Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $920/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.
• Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship.
• Housing Allowance of up to $280/week will be available.
• Gear Allowance: New ACE members will have up to $500 to spend on eligible gear purchases, and returning members or FS employees will have up to $250.
• Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support. Specific training may include Wilderness First Aid, and various USFS Required AgLearns courses.
• ACE members will have up to $500 to spend on eligible training/professional development opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees