National Park Service: Interpretation Intern for Sitka NHP

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

This announcement is not a request for applications.

This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service’s intention to award financial assistance for the following project activities.

Grants.gov Opportunity Number : NPS-DOIP19AC00829

Project Title: Interpretation Intern for Sitka National Historical Park

Recipient: Student Conservation Association

Anticipated Federal Funding ; $27,331.79

Non Federal Cost Share: $9,110.60

Total Anticipated Award Amount: $36,442.36

Award Instrument: Task Agreement under P15AC00031

Period of Performance: 8/26/2019 – 5/30/2019

Legal Authority: 16 USC 1723

CFDA: 15.931 Conservation Activities by Youth Service Organizations

NPS Point of Contact : James Cato

ARTICLE II – PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

A.    Project Goals – The broad goals of this task agreement are to give a young interpretation professional their initial—or early career—experience in the professional interpretation environment, as well as to provide the park with input from a newly trained professional with up-to-date academic education and training.

B.     Project Objective – The objective of this Task Agreement is to support and stimulate work and/or education and training opportunities for young adults through collaborative participation in Sitka National Historical Park’s Interpretation Division.

ARTICLE III – PUBLIC PURPOSE

This task agreement serves the public purpose of promoting and stimulating education, job training, responsible citizenship, community involvement, and the understanding and conservation of natural and cultural resources.  This project will motivate youth to be involved with resource interpretation, protection, and preservation in Sitka, and in their own communities.

ARTICLE IV – STATEMENT OF WORK

The Student Conservation Associate in this program will be provided educational opportunities to learn about resource interpretation and education at a National Park. Specifically, the intern will learn about the natural and cultural heritage of Sitka National Historical Park. The intern will be involved with hands-on projects that teach interpretation of core park natural and cultural resources. The project will build resource stewardship ethics in its participants so they may continue to promote natural conservation and historic preservation activities in their own communities and beyond.

The Student Conservation Associate will learn:

• How to conduct formal interpretive programs and conduct activities in accordance with Tilden’s Principles of Interpretation,

• The principles of information interpretation; specifically, how to provide the public with friendly and accurate information about Sitka NHP,

• How to conduct roving interpretation in a park setting,

• How to conduct curriculum-based education programs in a non-classroom setting,

• How to produce NPS-quality media products using desktop publishing software (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite),

• How to plan and prepare temporary museum exhibits, working with the Curator,

• How to act around brown bears and how to react when certain behaviors occur, how to do 1st Aid and CPR, and how to use NPS radios,

• How to work in a work environment that includes NPS and Sitka Tribe of Alaska employees, and

• How to interpret Tlingit, Haida, and Russian American resources, including the 1804 Battlefield and Fort Site, the Totem Trail and totem poles, and the Russian Bishop’s House.

The training will take place indoors and out-of-doors, with the intern moving between multiple projects and working with several collaborators during their experience. The training requires moderate physical exertion including bending, lifting, and carrying, as well as attention to detail and project-tracking skills.