| Public Land Name: | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | | Position Title: | Cave and Karst Technician | | Position ID Number: | 205 | | Location: | Three Rivers, CA | | Position Description: | The participant will be focused on field work related to understanding the effects of fire and fire suppression activities on karst watersheds and ecosystems. The participant will be involved with (1) water quality and quantity analysis of both surface and subsurface (cave) streams, this will include assisting with data logger management and maintenance, taking field readings of water quality parameters, assisting with water sampling, processing samples for transportation, and data management; (2) assisting with continued inventory of karst features (caves, springs, sinks) across park karst landscapes; and (3) assisting with invertebrate monitoring focused on species likely to be impacted by fires (generally aquatic) within park caves. Participant will also assist with other related field work as needed. Other related tasks will include processing water samples for analysis in a lab environment and using park computers to enter data into a variety of databases and spreadsheets using Microsoft Access and Excel. This work is now of great importance to the parks due to recent fires in several karst watersheds in the parks. These watersheds contain cave-adapted species of invertebrates endemic to the parks. 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: | Applicants must have completed at least three years toward an undergraduate degree in the geosciences or related fields. Applicants with experience in caving and hydrology field methods will be given preference. Additionally, completed coursework in GIS, experience using GPS units will make the applicant more competitive. The participant should be able to work in a rugged field environment with little supervision and work and communicate well with co-workers. Applicant must be physically able to perform assignments during several successive days of hiking cross-country in a rugged mountain terrain in hot and arid weather conditions. Computer skills in Microsoft Access and Excel are required. Applicant must have a valid driver’s license and good driving record. | | Position Dates: | May-August; 12 weeks; start and end dates are flexible | | Payment: | $2750; housing provided | | Housing Available: | Housing will be provided at no cost to participant. Housing will likely consist of shared park service 2-4 bedroom homes with 1-3 roommates at park headquarters (Ash Mountain). | Physical/Natural
Environment: | Sequoia/ Kings Canyon National Parks are located in central California in the Southern Sierra Nevada with an elevation range from 1,500 ft to the highest point in the continental United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,495 ft. The parks contain more than 260 caves including the longest caves in California. Many of these caves contain rare species, unusual minerals, and paleontological and archaeological resources of concern. Lower elevation areas are often oak savannahs; upper foothill elevations often include areas of thick chaparral brush; extensive coniferous forests cover most of the mid elevations of the parks and alpine areas include open alpine meadows, occasional trees and extensive areas of open rock. | | Work Environment: | The field work will primarily consist of hiking to caves located in the western foothills of the parks with an elevation range of 1,500 ft to about 6,500 feet with occasional trips to an alpine caving area located at around 10,000 ft elevation. The caves are located in remote parks of the park. Accessing these sites requires a combination of vehicle transportation (car or truck) with drives of up to two hours on narrow roads with many curves, and hiking on and off trails. The hikes to cave locations range from 0.2 miles round trip to 6 miles round trip. Weather is hot and arid with average high temperatures in July and August at 97° F; early summers is usually hot, sunny, and dry with relatively clear conditions, while mid- to late summers will be very hot, sunny and dry with rare thunderstorms in late afternoon at high elevations. Sturdy footwear is a must. Park headquarters and housing are at Three Rivers, CA, 35 miles east of Visalia, CA. While not necessary, it is recommended that participant have a personal vehicle. | | # of current Applicants: | 16 |
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: | Joel Despain | | Title: | Cave Specialist | | Street Address: | 47050 Generals Hwy. | | City/State/Zip: | Three Rivers, CA 93271 | | Phone: | 559-565-3717 | | Email: | joel_despain@nps.gov | | Website: | http://www.nps.gov/seki |
| | SECONDARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | Benjamin Tobin | | Title: | Cave Technician | | Street Address: | 47050 Generals Hwy. | | City/State/Zip: | Three Rivers, CA 93271 | | Phone: | 559-565-4271 | | Email: | benjamin_tobin@nps.gov | | Website: | http://www.nps.gov/seki |
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