Minidoka National Historic Site – Maintenance and Facilities Management Internship

Maintenance and Facilities Management Internship

Idaho Conservation Corps – Minidoka National Historic Site

National Park Service

Individual Placement

Jerome, Idaho

 Position Summary:

The National Park Service is recruiting two 16-week (640 Hours) summer interns at Minidoka National Historic Site (MIIN). The interns will serve the Facilities Management division. This internship is located in a National Park Service Unit. The interns will conduct a variety of tasks associated with the use and management of park resources. The purpose of the position is to supplement the permanent facilities workforce by performing duties designed to: (1) maintain and repair of grounds, exterior structures, buildings, and related utilities; (2) learn a variety of trade practices associated with occupations such as natural resource maintenance, cultural resource preservation, landscaping, facilities upkeep, and painting, and other related trades; (3) support park staff in managing park resources. Interns may also interact with visitors while performing maintenance work.

Northwest Youth Corps (NYC):

Northwest Youth Corps was created in 1984 to offer teenagers and young adults an education-based, work experience modeled after the historic Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s. Today, we serve over 1,000 youth and young adults each year across a four-state region who restore critical habitat, build trails, lead volunteers, educate youth, and respond to local and national disasters.

Minidoka National Historic Site (MIIN):During World War II, approximately 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated without due process of law. Although little remains of the barbed-wire fences and tar-papered barracks, the Minidoka concentration camp once held over 13,000 Japanese Americans in the Idaho desert. Established in 2001, Minidoka National Historic Site preserves their legacy and teaches the importance of civil liberties. More information at www.nps.gov/miinDuties and Responsibilities: Major duties are related to learning and working alongside personnel in Facilities Management division at Minidoka National Historic Site in Jerome, Idaho. The intern will maintain the landscape and buildings of the historic site by learning skills in: facilities, custodial, and trail management. It is also the intern’s responsibility to make a conscious effort to be situationally aware of visitors when maintenance work is in close proximity to them, be respectful and mindful of them.  

Facilities: Performs such duties as picking up trash from grounds, raking leaves or grass, pulling weeds, watering, and trimming grass, washing motor vehicles and cleaning hand tools. Responsibilities include maintaining historic buildings, managing time and work schedule, and occasionally providing general facilities assistance to others in the maintenance of buildings, grounds, roads, trails, etc. Occasionally drives UTV, passenger cars, tractors, riding lawn mowers, and pickup trucks ¾ ton size to and from job sites.

Custodial: Performs such duties as cleaning, washing, and maintaining park buildings. Responsibilities include but not limited to, cleaning and polishing floors/restrooms/museum spaces/windows, managing cleaning equipment, moving heavy furniture, sweeping and mopping, and disposing of waste. Occasionally works on ladders and scaffolds to change light bulbs, wash walls, etc.

Trails:  Performs all aspects of trail maintenance and construction as assigned by the trail’s maintenance work leader, or designee. Examples of the work performed include: clears brush and fallen logs from trail corridor; constructs, cleans, and maintains trail structures such as turnpikes, waysides, cribbing trail tread, riprap and rock retaining walls; constructs new segments of trail; and performs rehabilitation and meadow restoration on abandoned or heavily impacted sections of trail. Maintains the tools and equipment used in safe operating condition. Ensures work is performed safely and within prescribed NPS standards. May assist with other park crews and/or projects on an irregular basis.

Working Conditions:

Outside work is usually performed under all kinds of weather conditions. Indoor work is often accomplished in office buildings or in well-lighted, heated and ventilated areas such as warehouses, loading docks, or trade shops. Frequently exposed to weather and temperature extremes, drafts, noise, dust and dirt, poisonous plants, sunburn, insect bites, and the possibility of bruises, muscle strains, cuts and scrapes. Work requires the intern to follow proper safety procedures and use standard safety equipment such as hardhats, gloves, ear protectors, safety glasses, and steel-toe shoes to avoid possible hazards in the work area. Intern may be exposed to vibration from heavy equipment and to skin irritations from strong cleaning solutions used in stripping floors, etc. Care is required to avoid serious injuries when working on ladders and scaffolds and when using heavy powered equipment. 

Required Qualifications:

• Attention to details, time management skills, and ability to work independently.
• Basic understanding of cleaning, grounds maintenance and lifting procedures.
• Knowledge of the proper use and routine operator maintenance of hand tools and equipment, and the location and proper storage of materials, tools and equipment.
• Ability to lift or move light to medium-weight objects and to use basic hand tools such as rake, hand-truck, and brush.
• The intern performs work that requires moderately heavy to very heavy physical effort. The incumbent routinely lifts, pushes, pulls, and carries items weighing 50 pounds, and up to 150 pounds (or more) with assistance. Work will routinely require walking several miles per day over park trails to and from job sites.

Desired Qualifications:

• Ability to handle and control heavy powered equipment and to do minor maintenance on this equipment.
• Ability to work safely and properly using industrial cleaners, basic hand and yard tools, and equipment such as a rake, pitchfork, wheelbarrow, hand pump sprayer, hand truck, shovel, riding lawn mower, (manual) hammer, screwdriver, wrench, and pliers.
• Knowledge of and ability to perform trails maintenance and construction and safely use the heavy hand and power tools associated with trails maintenance and construction (e.g. axes, shovels, hammers, rock bars, weed eaters, etc.).
• Ability to complete tasks and problem solve on own, self-reliant, and motivated to properly perform duties.

Duty Location: Duties are performed at Minidoka National Historic Site in Jerome, Idaho. Interns will be required to make their own housing arrangements in the local southern Idaho area. Housing reimbursement may be available upon request. Terms of Employment:

• Each intern will complete the 16-week program starting mid-May through early-September 2024. The interns will average 40 hours of labor per week, minus holidays.
• The internship schedule will be Monday through Friday (8a-4:30p), with some potential weekends – July 4th weekend will be a mandatory work weekend.
• Interns are responsible for providing their own housing and food. Personal transportation needed.

Program Benefits:

• $8960 total living allowance, prorated monthly.
• While housing is not provided, housing fund may be available upon request.