POSITION DETAILS
Position Title: Visitor Use Management Assistant
Park Unit: Grand Teton National Park
Location: Moose, Wyoming
Number of positions available: 1
Can this position be fully remote: NO
INTERNSHIP DATES AND LENGTH
Duration: 12 Weeks (not flexible)
Start Date: 01/06/2025
Flexible Start Date: YES
LIVING AND RELOCATION ALLOWANCE:
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
Relocation Allowance: $400.00
CURRENT NUMBER OF APPLICANTS: Under 75 (This posting will close after receiving 75 complete applications or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 16 June, whichever occurs first.)
POSITION DESCRIPTION
This position will work in Grand Teton National Park, which has seen increased and changing visitation in the past 10 years. Understanding the trends, characteristics (use levels, timing, and type),and impacts of visitor use and experience is vital as the park continues to work through the visitor use management framework. This position will assist the park social scientist with winter use monitoring and data collection, including developing sampling plans, coordinating monitoring logistics, and data collection. Additionally, this position will also organize, analyze, and report winter data that are collected, as well as existing datasets that focus more on summer use. The position will also work with interpretation staff and the park social scientist to present finding to the broader public, park managers, and partners.
POSITION IMPACT
Visitor use management seeks to understand how to best balance visitor experiences and resource conditions. It is a topic that is inherently interdisciplinary. This position will assist the social scientist in ensuring that data collection efforts that have been and are being invested in are used to their full value. This data can only be used to inform decisions if it is maintained reported out in meaningful ways. By doing so, the park units can ultimately make better decisions on data collection investment for the purpose of protecting the park’s natural and cultural resources, as well as providing opportunities for high quality visitor experiences.
DELIVERABLES
Deliverables will include collated data sets such as hourly trail counts, vehicle counts, and user type. As prioritized with the supervisor, deliverables will also include analyzed dataset workbooks and reports demonstrating findings. Additional work products include data management protocols and standard operating procedures, power point presentations and /or social media posts, and reports using previous data such as summer trail reports, pathway use reports, and vehicle count reports.
DESIRED INTERN QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates should be seeking or have a degree in fields such as human dimensions of natural resources, social science, natural resource management, outdoor recreation planning, or resource management and policy. Ideal candidates would have experience and comfort with analyzing complicated datasets in excel or other programs, and data management. Candidate would have completed coursework or have relevant experience in basic statistics and research methods. Additionally, ideal candidates have some experience with maintaining, setting up, and downloading data from equipment such as trail counters. Ability to collaborate with others and work independently or part of a small team will both be required. Candidates ideally will have an interest and comfort level with presenting to both peers and park managers.
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. legal permanent resident (“Green Card holder”). Prior to starting this position, a government security background clearance will be required. The applicant must be available to participate for 12 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.
WORK SETTING
Work setting will include both office and field work, with the majority of the time (~75% being office work). Office setting will be in a cubicle area with multiple people in their individual cubes. Working with a computer and occasional meetings will be the focus of the office work. Some field work will occur for winter use monitoring. Field work will be scheduled in consideration of weather to ensure the incumbent safety.
VEHICLE AND DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
- Applicant must have a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
- A personal vehicle is recommended for this position.
HOUSING
Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant. Housing will be available within Grand Teton National Park, located approximately 30 or 45 minutes north of Jackson, WY. Jackson is a small town of approximately 10,000 permanent residents, and has 3 grocery stores, a wonderful public library, and a few stores to pick up basic necessities (e.g. Target).
Housing will likely be shared housing (i.e. Living space and kitchen will be shared). There is also potential to have share a bedroom and bathroom as well. The incumbent will be responsible for their own bed linen, dishes, and small appliances.
KEYWORDS
Data analysis, data management, visitor use management, social science, monitoring
IMPORTANT NOTICES
This posting will close after receiving 75 complete applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 16 June, whichever occurs first. Once you begin applying for a position, the application must be completed in one sitting. You cannot save and return later to complete it. Applicants can apply for up to five Scientists in Parks Intern positions per winter. You need to complete a separate application for each position in order to be considered. You should receive a confirmation email after successfully submitting an application. Sometimes institutional email filters/settings can redirect or block emails related to the application. We recommend watching spam, junk, and promotional email folders in case your service delivers messages there. Please visit How to Apply for additional resources and information about applying (i.e., learn what materials to have ready for applying, find a worksheet that previews application questions, etc.)
LEARN MORE
https://www.scientistsinparks.org/