Archaeology Technician (BLM AmeriCorps - Klamath Falls Field Office)

The Great Basin Institute (GBI), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Klamath Falls Field Office (KFFO), is recruiting two AmeriCorps Archaeological/GIS Technicians to support the KFFO cultural resource program. The selected technicians will qualify for Public Land Corps (PLC) noncompetitive government hiring status (see below for explanation) upon successful completion of this position.

The BLM KFFO encompasses approximately 217,000 acres spread across Klamath County, from the crest of the Cascade Mountains to the Basin and Range Province. Recreation opportunities are aplenty in this region and include hiking, camping, visiting cultural resource sites, and wildlife viewing. The town of Klamath Falls (pop. 22,420) is located at the southern shore of Upper Klamath Lake along the west coast Amtrak line and is approximately 60 miles east of Medford and Ashland, OR and approximately 170 miles southeast of Eugene, OR. Klamath Falls is located just east of the Pacific Crest Trail and within an hour of Crater Lake National Park and Lava Beds National Monument.

During the field season, the technicians will lead a number of pedestrian surveys and ensure that the resulting inventory and cultural resource data are appropriately documented and archived. The technicians will, during non-field-going times work to verify/create GIS data for cultural resources to ensure that the correct geospatial data is stored in the BLM OR/WA and SHPO databases. This archaeological archiving and records management project will provide the successful applicant with exposure to federal data, records and database systems, provide insight about how a federal land management agency operates under a multiple-use mission, and will offer the opportunity to develop and sharpen skills related to GIS and data management. Upon completion of this position, the technicians will be better prepared with the cultural resource inventory and geospatial skillsets necessary to function in today’s cultural resources field. 

Being a member of the cultural resources team on the KFFO,  may also involve a variety of cultural resources management activities including but not limited to:  

• Conducting/participating in cultural resources surveys.
• Documenting archaeological sites and architectural resources.
• Intensively recording previously documented cultural resources.
• Monitoring archaeological sites and architectural resources.
• Carrying out mitigation for archaeological sites and architectural resources.
• Drafting/reviewing/editing cultural resources reports.
• Organizing cultural resources data in analog and digital files housed at the KFFO.
• Working on geospatial data correction for cultural resources.
• Participating in volunteer events designed to increase public participation with public land stewardship.
• Participating in the youth program designed to involve youth with cultural resources educational activities.
   

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

Approximately 75 percent of the work is in the office. Office work involves using GIS to create maps and conduct analysis. Organizing and correcting analog and digital records and files. Planning and organizing field projects and educational events. Duties in the office will require a significant amount of sitting, focused on computer work as well as working with paper documents.

Approximately 25 percent of the work is in the field. The fieldwork will involve driving and walking over rough, rocky, and sandy terrain with wide variations in temperature ranging from below freezing in the fall and winter to above 90 degrees F during the summer. Duties required for outside work involve walking, bending, climbing hills, and lifting and carrying various materials or supplies which are occasionally heavy.

BLM equipment used – Computers, tablets, GPS units, cameras, 4x4 vehicles, and recording equipment (tape measures, compasses, clinometer, etc.). Training will be provided for all equipment. Safety trainings are also provided, as safety is our first priority. 
 

Location: This position is based in the BLM Klamath Falls Field Office, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
 

Compensation and Benefits:

• $1,187.70 biweekly living allowance, not to exceed $29,098.06 total
• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (1700-hour): $7,395 upon successful completion of term;
• Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with the option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance;
• $25,000 Basic Life & AD&D insurance at no cost;
• Access to Pro Deals;
• Housing will not be provided and the selected participant will be expected to procure housing on their own
  • Biweekly housing reimbursement of $650 will be provided to the selected participant
• Per diem: Camping per diem provided per night in the field

Segal Education Award:
After successfully completing an AmeriCorps term of service members are eligible to receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. Award varies based on term of service. You can use the award to repay qualified student loans and to pay current educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs.

Student Loan Forbearance:
If you are currently paying on any federal student loans you have the option to put those loans into forbearance during your time as an AmeriCorps volunteer, that will allow you to cease payments while serving.

Interest Accrual Repayment:
As an AmeriCorps alum, you are eligible to have the National Service Trust pay all or a portion of the interest that accumulated on your qualified student loan(s) during your term of service. These payments are made in addition to the Education Award and are not deducted from your Education Award balance. To be eligible to have accrued interest paid: The loan must have been placed in forbearance for the service period, and you must have successfully completed a term of service and received an Education Award.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Eligibility:
AmeriCorps Volunteers qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Special Position Benefits: 
The completion of a successful term under the BLM KFFO Cultural Resources Youth Assistance Agreement with positive performance reviews allows for the BLM to confer non-competitive eligibility for government hiring to the individual for two years following completion of the position.  

This non-competitive eligibility allows an individual to apply for federal non-competitive merit promotion positions (internal government hires). This means that after all program requirements have been met, the individual may apply for a job without having to compete with the general public. However, the individual will compete with other competitive service qualified applicants.

Our office vigorously pursues working with individuals to enable them to transform non-competitive eligibility into permanent careers with the federal government

Because the agreement under which this position is being advertised is a Public Lands Corps Youth Assistance Agreement, all applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 30 years old at the time of application (up to age 35 for veterans).

• Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, History, or allied discipline with coursework in GIS;
• Educational and field experiences related to archaeology;
• Experience using ArcGIS;
• Exposure to reviewing and interpreting cultural resource data in reports, maps, photographs, etc.;
• Interest in strengthening current skills in developing, editing, organizing, and managing digital files using databases;
• Written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to effectively communicate BLM land management (multiple-use) principles and cultural resource management concepts;
• Experience working with the BLM and/or working in Eastern Oregon/Northern California region is desirable. 

Additional requirements:

• Ability to work independently and in a team setting to accomplish project goals;
• Possess strong organizational skills with the ability to meet deadlines and produce professional deliverables including draft documents for team review;
• Flexibility and capability to meet the demands of rapidly changing plans and schedules;
• Possess a valid, state-issued driver’s license and clean driving record with experience safely operating 4WD vehicles on and off paved roads;
• Willingness and ability to consistently enact high performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the mission of GBI and goals of BLM;
• Complete a DOI BI. Applicants who already possess a fully adjudicated BI will be strongly considered; and
• Ability to meet AmeriCorps eligibility requirements: (1) U.S. citizenship or legal resident alien status, (2) eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (limited to earning equivalent of two full-time education awards), (3) pass National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) name search and federal criminal background check, (4) adhere to the rules, regulations and code of conduct as specified in the Member Service Agreement; and (5) not engage in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.