Individual Placement - Cultural Resources Participant

Student Conservation Association

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Individual Placement will have broad exposure to the Science and Resources Management Division at Big Bend National Park and will specifically work within the Cultural Resources Program under the direct supervision of the Park Archeologist and Museum Specialist. Projects will consist of a mix of field work and museum work. Field work will include performing archaeological site condition assessments throughout the park on sites that span a history of over 13,000 years, including significant indigenous cultural sites as well as later period sites associated with nineteenth and twentieth century ranching, farming, and mining prospects. In addition to archaeological site assessments, the intern may have the opportunity to participate in historic preservation work including adobe maintenance and repair. Museum work will include cataloging, labeling, and organizing archaeological materials, as well as compiling and entering metadata for historic photographs. Through this work, the intern will gain a wide range of experience and an understanding of the complexities, challenges, and ultimate rewards of working with the National Park Service and our Tribal partners and local community to manage cultural resources on over 800,000 acres.

Requirements

Successful applicants should have some prior field experience and college or graduate level coursework in archaeology, historic preservation, or a related field.
General knowledge and the ability to navigate and perform basic database entry and map making using ArcGISPro is necessary.
Experience and willingness to hike, camp and navigate in backcountry settings and tolerance of heat and a wide range of weather is necessary.
Driver's license
Vehicle for personal transportation
All participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger.
Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States.

Nice To Haves

College degree and/or graduate level coursework in anthropology, archaeology, historic preservation, or a related field.
Previous archaeological field school or other professional or volunteer archaeological fieldwork experience.
Basic knowledge and ability to identify lithic artifacts and stone tools as well as fire-cracked-rock and cultural features such as earth ovens, burned rock middens, and hearths.
Previous experience identifying material culture and features typically associated with nineteenth and twentieth century archaeological sites.
Experience navigating with a GPS.
Ideal applicants will have demonstrated experience and training working with ArcGISPro to upload data and create maps and surveys.

Responsibilities

Revisiting archaeological sites in the park and performing condition assessments to identify impacts to sites since they were last recorded as well as updating missing or new data.
Entering data in the field and downloading and integrating the data with the park specific database as well as the overall NPS database.
Assist with historic preservation projects and structural maintenance and condition assessments.
Cataloguing objects and historic photographs, database management, condition monitoring, annual inventories, and routine exhibit maintenance.