Individual Placement - Cultural Resources Curation

Student Conservation Association•Bloomington, MN

2d•Remote

About The Position

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Southwest Region (Region 2) is seeking a person with an undergraduate degree to assist with compliance efforts in support of 36 CFR § 79, Curation of Federally Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections. The position would work closely with the USFWS National Curator and Headquarters (HQ) NAGPRA Lead and Region 2 Cultural Resource (CR) and Visitor Service professionals. The position would be remote but would include regular correspondence and collaborative work with USFWS HQ and Region 2 CR staff. The position would offer insight into the responsibilities of federal curation, specifically within the Department of Interior (DOI), and NAGPRA compliance. The position would also assist with improving collections stewardship efforts across the Southeast Region by interfacing with USFWS staff at National Wildlife Refuges and Hatcheries. The goal of the position is to obtain more information on the Museum Property (MP) housed at USFWS facilities in the Southwest Region in order to gain a better understanding of USFWS MP stewardship responsibilities.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in history, anthropology, or a related field with experience working with federal collections.
Must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger.
Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States.

Nice To Haves

Ability to prioritize work products based on due dates
Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal supervision
Willingness and comfort to communicate via email, video conference calls, and phone calls with supervisor, as needed
Skilled in reviewing and quality controlling their own work products prior to submitting them to supervisor for review
Comfortable accepting edits to work products in order to create a more refined deliverable
Open to learning new things, asking questions, and developing themselves professionally.

Responsibilities

Work directly with the USFWS National Curator and Region 2 CR staff on crafting a survey for USFWS facilities in order to create a baseline inventory for all MP housed in the region.
Work on finalizing the Scope of Collections (SOC) document for Region 2 USFWS facilities, which will enhance collecting practices across the region.
Craft a guide on how to use and fill out the SOC to be used by USFWS field staff.
Review data and information from previously completed MP inventories in order to compile and streamline data for use in reporting efforts at the HQ level.
Work with the National Curator to develop a familiarity with Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the necessary requirements outlined in 43 CFR § 10.
Assist with the creation of Itemized Lists (43 CFR § 10.10) and Summaries (43 CFR § 10.9) in support of NAGPRA compliance across USFWS.
Accompany the National Curator on a site visit to a non-federal facility in order to conduct inventories in support of 36 CFR § 79 and enhance the agency’s knowledge of MP in order to improve reporting and stewardship efforts.