Employment opportunity with the National Park Service

Founded on a consortium of partnerships, the GIP Program helps match students and physical science expertise with park projects and needed services. Park physical and integrated science needs include disturbed lands, paleontology, water resources, shoreline change, cave/karst, volcanology, mineral and petroleum development, and air quality. Projects include inventory and monitoring, site restoration, research, or interpreting cutting-edge discoveries to park staff and the general public. While the duration of projects varies, they usually span 8-12 weeks. Positions are on a volunteer basis and often supply some support or a stipend. Information about GIP opportunities can be found at http://www2.nature.nps.gov/grd/geojob/.

The above website also provides information about applying for "seasonal" and "permanent" positions, or go directly to the Office of Personnel Management site at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/. Duties of seasonal employees may include working information desks and visitor centers, providing interpretive walks and talks, and preparing and presentingevening slide programs. Large western parks, such as Glacier, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain may hire up to twenty seasonal park rangers.Often these employees return each year, so competition for some positions can be difficult. Permanent positions are highly competitive, with applicant previous experience a relevant selective factor.

The National Park Service accepts seasonal employment applications all year. To apply, log on to www.sep.nps.gov. Parks fill positions from this applicant pool on an as-needed basis. For instance, parks that attract numerous winter visitors such as Joshua Tree or Big Bend hire more applicants in the winter, while parks in mountainous areas, along the coasts, and in Alaska maintain larger summer staffs.