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Historian Yosemite National Park

Employer Description:

The Great Basin Institute, founded at the University of Nevada, Reno in 1998, is a mission-driven non-profit organization headquartered in the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. GBI has been a leader in the conservation stewardship field for over two decades, supporting thousands of individuals pursuing a career in public land management or advancing their academic standing.  The NPS is responsible for protecting and managing over 420 individual “units”, including 63 National Parks, 74 National Historic Sites, and other designated areas such as battlefields, monuments, nature preserves, and more.

In cooperation with the National Park Service Yosemite National Park, the Great Basin Institute (GBI) is recruiting a Historian Intern to work cooperatively with National Park Service staff at Yosemite.  

Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra.  The Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and almost a hundred of miles of hiking trails.  Park resources include the village of El Portal where many employees live and the town of Mariposa is close by for shopping and restaurants.

Your work will include: 

Working as a member of an interdisciplinary team on projects related to the inventory, assessment, treatment and maintenance of cultural resources by helping to develop support Determinations of Eligibility and National Register Nominations; and Cultural Landscape Inventories (CLIs) and Cultural Landscape Reports (CLRs).

Providing Historic Context Statements to support the above reports.

Investigating the backgrounds and chronology of resources associated with the Park’s pre-European and post European contact.

Locating and organizing Federal resource documentation required for Park projects to take place.

Providing support service for project compliance review to better understand Cultural resources that new construction may impact.

Employing the application of National Register of Historic Places bulletins, guidelines, and criteria as applied to cultural buildings, structures, and landscapes.

Meeting with park staff to collect research data and conducting research online and at local, state and national archives, as needed.

 

Minimum required:

Bachelor’s degree in Public History or a related field (history, archeology, etc.);
Experience obtaining and evaluating historical evidence through primary and secondary research sources;
Skills to provide historic site data research in the field;
Ability to seek out and compile previous and current copies of all Federal resource documentation required for Park projects to take place;
Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience; with a committed to DEIA guidelines for storytelling;
Self-motivated and self-directed individual who is capable of working independently or part of a team toward mutual goals and objectives;
Successful applicants must complete a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation (BI) or submit paperwork to NPS human resources indicating an active and fully adjudicated BI has already been completed prior to beginning position. If you already have a fully adjudicated BI, please let us know in your application.  

Preferred:

In addition to the above, preference given to Master’s degree or credits/coursework towards a Master’s degree in public history or related subject and/or commensurate experience;
Solid understanding of National Register guidance and its application in evaluating historic structures;
Skills to provide site data research and entry for National Park Service historic resource database;
Experience creating interpretive materials for an internal and possible external online presence for this Branch; 
Motivated, detail-oriented, self-starter that has the flexibility to handle competing and changing priorities and possesses strong organizational skills;  
Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license. 

Successful applicant must complete a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation (BI) or submit paperwork to NPS human resources indicating an active and fully adjudicated BI has already been completed prior to beginning position. If you already have a fully adjudicated BI, please let us know in your application.