| Public Land Name: | BLM Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument Interpretive Center | | Position Title: | Education Specialist | | Position ID Number: | 207 | | Location: | Fort Benton, MT | | Position Description: | The GeoCorps participant will facilitate geological education training programs with education docents and staff of the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center. The goal will be to develop knowledge and foster a comfort level with people who will be presenting geologic programming to the students and the general public at the center. Similar to Project Wet and Project Wild training courses, this position will seek to “train the trainers”. This position will require someone who can make geologic information and programming relevant, enjoyable and informative to interpretive center staff and docents – who likely have had no prior geologic training. The participant will gain familiarity with geologic educational themes that are unique to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and its surroundings as well as the geologic programs that have already been developed or are under development for the center.
Specifically, the GeoCorps participant will develop three training programs for education docents and staff at the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument Interpretive Center. One program will focus on fundamentals of geology and geologic principles. A second program (which may be more than one trip) will provide on-the-ground exploration of unique geologic features or areas within the UMRBNM. A third program will work with the docents and staff to gain comfort and familiarity with the geologic education program developed for the site.
For each presentation developed, a notebook and video will be created so future staff and volunteers may continue to review the programs in subsequent seasons. The notebook will contain a written outline of the presentation, bullets highlighting information, illustrations and copy-able examples and hand-outs and materials necessary for a complete and successful presentation. The participant may conduct programs off-site as needed and assigned; will disseminate general information to visitors about the Monument and Wild and Scenic Missouri; may assist staffing the visitor center/interpretive center front desk or river management staff; and may be required to conduct other duties as assigned.
Prior to starting this position a government security background clearance will be required.
| | Qualifications: | Applicants should have general knowledge of the principles and techniques of interpretation or education. Extensive knowledge of one or several aspects of the natural, historical or cultural history of the UMRBNM, including geology, is highly preferred. Skill in oral communication to greet the public and conduct presentations. The successful applicant must be self-motivated and able to work with limited supervision after the initial training period. The applicant must be able to maneuver and operate in a mixture of office and field work, which can include long periods of standing or walking on rough, uneven ground; bending, crouching, stooping, stretching or reaching to observe occurrences or place and retrieve equipment or devices; lifting and moving moderately heavy items (e.g., computer equipment, small boxes of pamphlets). Applicant must be physically fit, able to stand for long periods of time and lift boxes that weigh up to 40 pounds. A government vehicle can be used for travel as they are available. A current, valid state drivers’ license will be required to drive a government vehicle. The successful applicant will also attend CPR and First Aid training (or provide certification if still current). A background check may be required before the applicant can begin. | | Position Dates: | May 15 - Aug 15; Start/end dates flexible | | Payment: | $2,750; plus $1,500 housing stipend | | Housing Available: | Housing is not provided with this position, however free laundry facilities are provided for field staff. There are a number of reasonably priced rental units within the town of Fort Benton. A housing allowance of $1,500 for 12 weeks will be provided in addition to the $2,750 stipend provided. | Physical/Natural
Environment: | The landscape of the National Monument and the Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri River is deceptively dissected. There are high buttes and outcrops, such as Square Butte and Round Butte, and rolling bench lands that are very productive for farming despite only 12 inches of precipitation per year. Between these buttes and benches are drainages; shallow at first but eventually forming steep and dramatic coulees and canyons as they join the Missouri River. These coulees cut through the surface to expose the underlying sandstone, basalt and even dinosaurs that once roamed this inland coastal seashore. Periods of volcanic activity can be evidenced by deposits of shonkinite which make spectacular formations such as Grand Natural Wall and Citidel Peak – features noted in Lewis and Clarks’ journals in 1805. Bentonite clays from previous volcanic eruptions can give present day travelers their own geologic lessons as their vehicles become mired in “gumbo” after the briefest summer showers. Glaciers left their footprint on the land as well, causing the Missouri to capture another stream’s channel that flowed in the opposite direction. All of these stories and more can be told with a trained corp of volunteers and staff at the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center in Fort Benton.
Fort Benton and surrounding area info: Spring rains typically come in May and June and can be mixed with snow. Summer temps can easily reach 100 degrees or more. Wind is our constant companion, at times gusting between 45 to 75 mph. Winter brings sub-zero temps followed by warming Chinooks, sometimes raising temperatures 40 or 50 degrees in minutes. All of these extremes affect the local geology, giving rise to the landscape that surrounds this relatively undiscovered location.
| | Work Environment: | Work Environment Work in carried out in both normal office space, with adequate lighting, heating, ventilation, etc. Off-site programs may be in an outdoor environment where climate, weather, and terrain require care in how the student works. The participant will work 40 hrs per week, and days worked will include weekends and holidays.
Fort Benton is a town of about 1,500 people and is approx. 40 miles north east of Great Falls, MT which has a population 70,000 (including the military base). Fort Benton was originally established as a fur trading fort in 1846, and is situated on the banks of the Missouri River at the head of the Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River.
| | # of current Applicants: | 18 |
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: | Connie Jacobs | | Title: | Interpretive Center Director | | Street Address: | 701 7th Street
P.O. Box 1389 | | City/State/Zip: | Fort Benton, MT 59442 | | Phone: | 406-622-4020 | | Email: | connie_jacobs@blm.gov | | Website: | http://www.mt.blm.gov/ldo/um/docs/interpretivecenter.htm |
| | SECONDARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | Ruth Miller | | Title: | Interpretive Specialist | | Street Address: | BLM Montana State Office
5001 Southgate Drive
| | City/State/Zip: | Billings, MT 59101 | | Phone: | 406-896-5037 | | Email: | ruth_miller@blm.gov | | Website: | http://www.mt.blm.gov/ldo/um/docs/interpretivecenter.htm |
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