SECC & Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Archeology Intern 2021
Title: Archeology Intern
Reports to: Allison Harvey, Archeologist; Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Location: Gatlinburg, TN
Status: Seasonal, Full-time, Exempt (AmeriCorps National Service Terms)
Stipend: $150 weekly (paid bi-weekly)
Health Benefits: Health Benefit Eligible
Other Benefits: On-site housing provided. Training, uniform shirts, and protective equipment provided. Other development opportunities as available. Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of service term.
Position Dates: 6/7/21 – 8/28/21 (12 weeks) OR 6/7/21 – 11/20/21 (24 weeks)
Positions Available: One 12-week Intern AND One 24-week Intern
Positions open until filled.
Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC):
SECC empowers young people to attain compassion, responsibility and grit through community service, hard work and environmental stewardship. SECC is a local, non-profit, AmeriCorps affiliated organization based out of Chattanooga, TN. SECC selects young adults ages 18 - 35, to complete conservation work projects on public, private, and municipal lands throughout the Southeast. SECC fosters the personal development of corpsmembers through environmental stewardship projects and experiential learning. Through community partnerships, SECC provides hands-on job training opportunities to young adults while simultaneously meeting natural resource needs throughout the Southeast. SECC positions focus on place-based learning, life skills development, appreciation of diversity, civic responsibility, and career development. SECC also provides an opportunity for interns to learn about the local environment, environmental issues and introduces individuals to recreation and resource management careers.
Position Description:
Great Smoky Mountains NP (Park) was established in 1934 and encompasses 800 square miles of land in North Carolina and Tennessee. It is known for its incredible diversity of plant and animal life but also for its cultural history. Archeological evidence supports human use and occupation of this area dating back at least 12,000 years. Documented historical use includes Cherokee and European occupants. This history of this land is most visible to the public through the hundreds of pre-park homesteads and associated structures (late 1800’s through early 1900’s) and the CCC (1930’s-40’s) era build roads, trails, bridges, and buildings.
The Cultural Resource Branch (under the Division of Resource Management and Science, Great Smoky Mountains NP) - The NPS and by extension the Park's mission is to ensure the continued preservation of the diverse cultural resources found within the Park so that current and future generations may continue to enjoy and appreciate those resources. The Cultural Resource Branch supports that mission through research, documentation, and inventory work; planning and compliance; and stewardship through reoccurring condition assessments and maintenance efforts.
The interns will support the Cultural Resource Branch and benefit current and future park visitors by completing condition assessments of known archeological sites and through field survey to find, identify, and document new sites. Their work will better inform Park Management and allow for better informed decision making.
The Park is seeking two qualified students as full-time (40 hours per week) summer interns. The positions are based in field, laboratory, and office settings. The selected individuals will gain experience in investigating and documenting archeological sites, identifying cultural materials commonly found in the Appalachian Summit region, and the proper handling of archeological specimens. The selected individual will work closely with the Park Archeologist in conducting archeological site condition assessments, field site investigation, and reporting, as well as laboratory methods and materials processing/preparation.
Responsibilities Include:
· Determine survey areas and routes of travel
· Create field maps
· Collect, check, and pack field equipment
· Drive and hike to and from survey areas
· Follow established field protocol for visual/pedestrian survey and shovel test pit (STP) survey
· Complete shovel testing in high probability locations
· Document resources in keeping with NPS protocols
· Upload GPD data and process NPS protocols
· Upload field photographs and create photo logs
· Store paper records and artifacts for processing and curation
· Maintain and rehab field equipment
Minimum Qualifications:
· Two years of college and/or an associate degree
· Coursework in History, Anthropology, Archeology, Cultural Studies, and/or related disciplines
Preferred Qualifications:
· College majors in History, Anthropology, Archeology, Cultural Studies, and/or related disciplines
· Experience with GPS data collection and ESRI’s ArcGIS
· Field school or special topics study in any of the previously stated disciplines
· High level of experience/proficiency/expertise in outdoor sports or recreation as inclement weather, terrain, working conditions, and field expectations are demanding
AmeriCorps Qualifications:
To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 and 30 (exception for Veterans up to age 35), and a US Citizen, National, or Legal Permanent Resident that has received a high school diploma or GED. All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and federal criminal background check. Must be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (individuals are eligible if they have not already completed 2 full years of AmeriCorps service, or 4 AmeriCorps service terms, whichever comes first – please contact us if you are unsure of your eligibility).
Compensation:
Interns earn a living stipend of $150/week ($300 dispersed bi-weekly before taxes) via direct deposit. On-site housing, training, uniform shirts, and protective equipment is provided. Upon successful completion of their term, interns will receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for tuition at Title IV accredited learning institutions, AmeriCorps approved non-traditional continued education or paying off student loans.
Participation and Expedition Behavior:
· Work effectively as a member of a team despite potentially stressful and difficult conditions. This may require problem-solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences.
· Contribute to a safe learning environment, no harassment of others for any reason.
· Willingness and ability to complete all aspects of the program including conservation projects, education, training, and national service. Members must commit to participating in all crew/team activities, including service days in local communities where applicable.
· Effectively communicate ideas and concerns as they arise directly to supervisors, colleagues, and organization staff.
· Have the cognitive ability to learn necessary skills and apply them to effectively carry out the service work requirements.
· Appropriately always represent the Program and AmeriCorps to the public and project partners.
Safety and Judgment:
· Effectively communicate danger to others in the form of either a warning of danger others may be encountering or a notification of personal distress, injury or need for assistance. You must be able to do so at up to 50 meters and in conditions with limited visibility or loud background noise such as darkness or high winds.
· Effectively perceive, understand, and follow direction by others so that you will be able to successfully execute appropriate and perhaps unfamiliar techniques to manage hazards. These directions may be given before the hazard is encountered or may need to be given during exposure to the hazard.
· Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in varied weather conditions
· Perceive and comprehend significant and apparent hazards, including those hazards previously identified by others.
· Respond appropriately to stress or crises.
· If taking prescription medications, participants must be able to maintain proper dosage by self-medicating without assistance from others.
Environmental Ethics:
Learn and practice ‘Leave no Trace’ techniques.
Outdoor Skills and Fitness (where appropriate):
· Learn and safely perform fundamental outdoor living/travel and work skills as appropriate to the project. Additionally, remain adequately hydrated, fed, and properly dressed to remain generally healthy and safe, avoiding environmental injuries.
· Live in a physically demanding, possibly remote environment for an uninterrupted period of up to several weeks. Conditions of this environment may vary significantly and may include severe and/or trying weather. The remoteness is such that it may require at a minimum one hour, but perhaps up to 12 hours, to reach the nearest advanced medical care.
Substance Free:
In accordance with a drug free workplace, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps and program activities and while on organization property.
This program is available to all eligible applicants, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or religion.
To Apply:
Follow the SECC link, Conservation Legacy Positions (silkroad.com), and complete the application. Please include a resume, three references, and copy of your transcripts (unofficial okay). You can put the references in a word doc and upload it alongside your resume. A cover letter is encouraged but not required.
If you have questions regarding the position, please contact:
Allison Harvey - Archeologist
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
865-430-0340
allison_harvey@nps.gov
If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact:
Darby Reed
Enrollment Coordinator
Southeast Conservation Corps
(304) 860-0320
dreed@conservationlegacy.org