| Public Land Name: | BLM Old Spanish National Historic Trail | | Position Title: | GIS Technician | | Position ID Number: | 176 | | Location: | Santa Fe, NM | | Position Description: | The GeoCorps participant will be part of a multidisciplinary project which integrates geology, history, geography, cultural resource management, planning, and GIS. The participant will work with National Historic Trail administrators and managers from BLM and NPS to develop and map trail management corridor options for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. The corridor options will emphasize the preservation and protection of those segments of the historic trail which still retain historic landscape integrity and have high scenic value, while limiting the "corridor footprint" to the minimum necessary to achieve protection goals. The trail corridor proposals will be developed in a GIS. The proposals will map corridor boundaries, locate segments of trail which would afford visitors a "vicarious experience" akin to the experience of the historic travelers, identify vehicle access, and locate interpretive facilities (kiosks, existing signage, visitor centers). The management corridor proposals will be based on in-field and GIS analysis of trail qualities including view sheds, settings, and scenic landscapes, as well as trail preservation, public access, and historic integrity.
Because the substrate along the trail corridor includes a wide variety of geological formations, an understanding of the role of the substrate in preserving or exhibiting trail traces will be essential for project success. Data layers to be developed for the GIS analysis include vehicular access, scenic overlooks, view sheds, scenic quality, trail preservation and condition, and interpretive facilities. The participant will have the opportunity to work with BLM and NPS geographers, cartographers, and GIS experts, as well as landscape architects, planners, archaeologists, and historians. The project will familiarize the participant with current issues in integrated land management, recreation management, and historic preservation.
The Old Spanish Trail was a mule packtrain trail which crossed the West from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California between 1829 and 1848. Because the mules could travel country off-limits to wheeled vehicles, some stretches of the trail still retain their remote, challenging, and beautiful character. Although there were no European settlements between New Mexico and California during the historic period of trail use, the trail route today links outdoor recreation meccas such as Durango, Grand Junction, Fruita, and Gunnison, Colorado, and Moab and Cedar City, Utah. As the trail corridor proposals are developed, the GeoCorps participant will have an opportunity to visit several pristine stretches of the historic trail as it crosses northern New Mexico, southwestern and central Colorado, central and southern Utah, northern Arizona, southern Nevada, and southern California. Prior to starting this position a government security background clearance will be required.
| | Qualifications: | Applicants should have completed at least two years towards a degree in geography, environmental science, natural resources management, landscape architecture, or related fields. An interest in the intersection of natural and cultural landscapes, and in landscape management is desirable. Applicants should be able to work well independently, with little supervision, and be able to work collaboratively with others. Applicants will need knowledge and experience with cartography, ArcGIS and ArcMAP, GPS, and the MS Office Suite. Applicant must have a valid driver's license. | | Position Dates: | May 20 - Aug 5; 12 weeks; start/end dates flexible | | Payment: | $2750; plus $2250 housing allowance | | Housing Available: | The GeoCorps participant will be responsible for securing his/her own local housing. A housing allowance of $2,250 will be provided in addition to the $2,750 stipend, along with information and suggestions for short-term rentals in the Santa Fe area. | Physical/Natural
Environment: | The participant will be based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe is a city of around 90,000 people. It sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at an elevation of 7,000 feet, in pinyon-juniper woodland. Summer temperatures are ordinarily in the 80s and 90s; summer monsoons arrive in July and continue through August. The mountains afford good summer hiking, including the Pecos Wilderness and the Jemez, and good mountain biking; the Rio Grande, north of Santa Fe, offers some rock climbing, rafting and kayaking opportunities. Santa Fe also offers an extraordinarily rich array of cultural opportunities, including Native American arts, easy access to national parks and BLM-managed monuments, world-class art and history museums, dance and music, including opera and classical performances, and a variety of outstanding restaurants. | | Work Environment: | The GeoCorps Intern will be based in the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management State Office, and can expect to perform most work in the office environment. Field trips to verify and/or collect data on trail segments may take the intern to remote locations in northern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. There is limited air service to Santa Fe; the regional international airport, in Albuquerque, is an hour away by freeway. | | # of current Applicants: | 12 |
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: | Sarah Schlanger | | Title: | Lead, Old Spanish Trail | | Street Address: | Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office
PO Box 27115
1474 Rodeo Road | | City/State/Zip: | Santa Fe, NM 87502 | | Phone: | (505) 438-7454 | | Email: | sarah_schlanger@blm.gov | | Website: | http://www.nm.blm.gov |
| | SECONDARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | Allen Bollschweiler | | Title: | Geographic Sciences Team Lead | | Street Address: | Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office, Post Office Box 27115 | | City/State/Zip: | Santa Fe, NM 87502 | | Phone: | (505) 438-7442 | | Email: | allen_bollschweiler@blm.gov | | Website: | http://www.nm.blm.gov |
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