| Public Land Name: | Oregon Caves National Monument | | Position Title: | Education Specialist / Geologist (2 positions) | | Position ID Number: | 118 | | Location: | Cave Junction, OR | | Position Description: | The GeoCorps participant will spend about 50% of the time (2.5 days per week) in the auditing, development, and presentation of geologic programs and tours for the public and college-level geology groups. Of this time, 20% will involve conducting cave tours and other types of geologic presentations for the public. 80% will involve auditing of the cave tours of other interpreters for the accuracy of the geologic content and how well it was communicated (typically at least 60% of the presentation). These evaluations will be based on training by John Roth (Natural Resources Specialist - geology MS), Matthew Klozik (Lead Cave Guide), George Henning (Chief of Interpretation) and recent texts on communication skills, Roth’s park geology summaries, two cave encyclopedias, Hill, & Forti’s Cave Minerals of the World, Klimchouk et al. Speleogenesis, Palmer’s Cave Geology, the Werker’s Cave Restoration, etc.. How effectively such information is communicated will be evaluated by using a standardized audit form. The other 50% of the time (2.5 days per week) will involve working on geology-related projects in resource management in both caves and forests.
The types of projects will vary depending on the interests and skills of the participant but will involve: 1. Initiating NPS-wide abiotic cave climate monitoring protocols being developed under contract and in regional and NPS-wide workshops. This will include measuring stream flow, infiltration rates, carbon dioxide, temp., RH, dissolved O2, turbidity, cave wind mostly in six caves. 2. Continuing a program of determining calcite solution and deposition using both calcite solubility data and the weight of hand specimens within various areas of the cave under different water inputs. 3. Describing and photographing thin sections for use in exhibit and book projects. 4. Room-by-room inventory of cave geologic features and processes and input into GIS layers. Work assignment will be eight hours a day, five days a week. Participants will likely also have the opportunity to apply for GS3/4/5 positions for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Prior to starting this position a government security background clearance will be required. This position is offered through the Geological Society of America's GeoCorps America Program in partnership with the National Park Service’s Geoscientists-in-the-Parks Program. | | Qualifications: | Applicant must have completed two years toward an undergraduate degree in geology, including at least one geologic field course. A course in petrography is preferred. Reliability and self motivation are crucial. The position will be most appealing to individuals with an interest in developing a wide range of skills in both public speaking and field geology. A background or interest in ophiolite and structural geology, carbonate hydrology, metamorphism and/or speleology is preferred but not required. Public speaking skills and an ability to develop short public programs or deliver cave tours are important. Photography, graphic drawing skills, basic computer and GPS skills, knowledge of Microsoft Access or similar databases, and an ability to research via internet sources, are desirable. Basic, technical caving skills/experience as well as an ability to crawl through confined spaces are not critical but will make the applicant more competitive. Applicant must have a valid driver’s license. | | Position Dates: | Jun - Sept; 12 weeks; start/end dates flexible | | Payment: | $2750; housing provided | | Housing Available: | Dormitory style housing, located in the monument's historic chalet, will be provided at no cost to the participant. The facility has a kitchen, laundry room and TV room with satellite connection. Showers and restrooms are located at the ends of the halls. Room will be shared with one other person. Work stations are within a 1-2 minute walk from this building. However because of the monument’s distance from the nearest town, it is recommended that the participant has their own transportation. The participant will need to bring personal bedding items. | Physical/Natural
Environment: | The monument is located in the Siskiyou Mountains of extreme southwestern Oregon, part of the Klamath Geologic Province, one of the most varied and complex geologic regions in the world. The bioregion’s high biodiversity is largely the result of an orographic geo-complexity and age that promotes speciation and migration and reduces extinction rates. Located at 3,700 to 5,400 feet in elevation, the monument is about 1.5 hours by car from the coast and 2.5 hours from Eastern Oregon deserts. The monument is part of the 210-171 Ma (million year old) Rattlesnake Creek Terrane. This terrane has had one of the most complex and longest “ride” of any rock slab, first as a mid-ocean rift, then as volcanic islands, a deep ocean trench, and sediments mashed between colliding plates, and then as or in basins expanding and deepening over both land and sea. Subduction up to 12 miles deep metamorphosed rocks by heat and pressure 170 to 167 Ma. Rising granite-like batholiths welded us to the continent 164 to 160 Ma and metamorphosed more rock. The terrane is many miles thick, but faulting shortened its sequence here, exposing 3 of its 5 “formations” in the monument. When the ocean-continent collision slowed down 159 Ma, a fast sinking plate pulled on adjacent rock and/or buoyant rock slabs came in at an angle to converging plates. West of the volcanic arc, this stretched and sagged rock to form a backarc basin, now one of Earth’s most complete and largest exposed ocean crusts, the Josephine Ophiolite. The islands partly sank into this back-arc basin. Basins repeatedly opened and closed due to changes in how fast and at what angle ocean floors and continents converged. This tectonic switching generated granite that thickened the continent. The now deeper continental edge may have bent/ stressed the sinking slab. Increased collision speed and/or collision with a buoyant mini-continent then broke the upper part of the slab off from the lower part dragging it down or the denser part of the slab was otherwise removed, thus ending subduction. | | Work Environment: | The participant’s work will include both surface and cave field work; auditing ranger tours and giving programs to the public on a half mile paved tour in the main cave. Working on Saturdays and Sundays is sometimes required. Rain can be expected during the months of October through May with summers being mostly dry. High temperatures at the monument are commonly n the mid-80’s to low 90’s with cooling to the low 50’s during the evening. Grocery stores, pharmacy, banks, restaurants, laundry, and medical clinic are in Cave Junction, located about 18 miles from the site. | | # of current Applicants: | 14 |
If you have questions about the application and selection process, please contact Anny Jones. If you have questions about any aspect of the position — description, qualifications, housing, dates — please contact the primary or secondary contact below:
| | PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | John Roth | | Title: | Natural Resource Specialist | | Street Address: | 19000 Caves Hwy. | | City/State/Zip: | Cave Junction, OR 97523 | | Phone: | 541-592-2100-230 | | Email: | John_E_Roth@nps.gov | | Website: | http://www.nps.gov/orca |
| | SECONDARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | George Henning | | Title: | Chief of Interpretation | | Street Address: | 19000 Caves Hwy. | | City/State/Zip: | Cave Junction, OR 97523 | | Phone: | 541-592-2100-225 | | Email: | George_Henning@nps.gov | | Website: | http://www.nps.gov/orca |
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