Title: Mesa Verde National Park Indigenous Interpretive Intern

Stipend: $720.00/week total. ($600/ week living stipend ; $120/week housing stipend) Deposited bi-weekly.

Term: Two 16-week positions, Full Time, May 15–September 2

One 25-week positions, Full Time, May 15–November 4

Reports to: Mesa Verde National Park Interpretive team

Location: Mesa Verde National Park

Status: Full Time

Housing: Housing Provided by Mesa Verde National Park (no cost)

Benefits: AmeriCorps Education Award $1,374.60 after successful completion of term.

Number of Positions: 3

Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps’ Mission:

*Our vision is to lead our Nations back to ecological and cultural well-being by engaging underrepresented Indigenous youth and young adults in conservation service programs that reconnect participants to the land, their cultural heritage, and their traditions. We work to remove barriers to participation, education, and employment by partnering with local community organizations, agencies, and institutes of higher learning to create paid service and career training opportunities, personal and professional development, and pathways to postsecondary education and employment. Ancestral Lands serves local tribal communities in the regions we operate. Preference will be given to Native American Applicants .

National Park Service Mission:

The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. **

**

Mesa Verde National Park Indigenous Interpretive Intern - Individual Placement (IP) Overview:

This internship is designed for members of one of Mesa Verde’s associated Pueblos and Tribes who are interested in sharing and interpreting the Indigenous history and archeology of Mesa Verde National Park. In this position, you will work in ancestral sites and cliff dwellings like Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Square Tower House. You will hike trails, climb ladders, lead tours, and provide formal and informal interpretation to the visiting public. Interns will work alongside park rangers to provide front line visitor services including staffing the visitor center desk, answering visitors’ questions, politely enforcing rules designed to protect sites, and assisting in emergencies. Interns will also pursue job shadowing and career development activities along with projects to promote the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in the interpretation of Mesa Verde National Park.

**
**This position is perfect for recent high school graduates and college students looking to gain experience working with the National Park Service in public land management, interpretation, and education.

**
Essential functions and responsibilities:**

• Location: Mesa Verde National Park, located in southwest Colorado, with elevations ranging from 6,000 to 8,500 feet above sea level. The Park receives up to 4,000 visitors each day from diverse nationalities, ages, educational backgrounds, etc.
• Physical Demands: Duties require extensive walking, standing, climbing steep inclines, and hiking undeveloped trails. Most trails include hiking along cliff edges, descending and ascending 100 ft. or more into canyons, and climbing ladders. One ladder is 32-ft tall; however, most are 10-20 ft. tall. Strenuous physical exertion may be required during medical assists.
• Potential Discomforts: Work is performed outdoors, under a variety of conditions that include temperature/weather extremes. Summers can be very hot, sunny, dry, and dusty, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Early spring and fall conditions can be cold, windy, and may be snowy.
• This is a frontline position that will include frequent visitor contact with repetitive questions.
• Interns must be physically able to climb wooden ladders up to 32 feet in height, crawl through tunnels, and negotiate uneven steps and trails and steep drop-offs.

Interns must comply with all DOI and park-specific guidance regarding Covid-19 safety procedures.

Required Skills

General Qualifications:

• Must be able to stand and walk for extensive periods, and in some cases, over rough surfaces or inclines carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, etc.
• Must be able to climb ladders, including ladders up to 32-feet tall.
• Must be able to work full days outside in high or low temperatures, or adverse weather conditions.
• Must be comfortable and proficient speaking to large groups of people.
• Must have a valid drivers license and be comfortable driving steep and windy roads.
• Must be available to work evenings, weekends, holidays, shift work.

Required Experience

• Some educational or practical background in history, archeology, geology, biology, or ecology.
• Basic public lands experience including hiking, camping, or other outdoor recreational activities.

Requirements:

• 18 years of age or older
• S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident Card, INS form I-551
  • For Permanent Residents: A passport indicating that the INS has been approved it as temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence A departure record (INS 194) indication that the INS has approved it as temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence.
• Participate in occasional offsite in person/virtual meetings, trainings, and presentations

This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.

To apply, please submit an updated resume and letter of interest along with your online application.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ancestral Lands Individual Placements Program Coordinator, Shonto Greyeyes at sgreyeyes@conservationlegacy.org

General Qualifications:

• Must be able to stand and walk for extensive periods, and in some cases, over rough surfaces or inclines carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, etc.
• Must be able to climb ladders, including ladders up to 32-feet tall.
• Must be able to work full days outside in high or low temperatures, or adverse weather conditions.
• Must be comfortable and proficient speaking to large groups of people.
• Must have a valid drivers license and be comfortable driving steep and windy roads.
• Must be available to work evenings, weekends, holidays, shift work.