Valles Caldera Spanish Heritage Intern (PLC) – ONSITE – Valles Caldera National Preserve

Start/End Dates: May 26, 2025 – October 10, 2025 (20 weeks)
Compensation: $688 per week
Medical Insurance: Not provided
Application Due: February 7th, 2025

The Latino Heritage Internship Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers.

Additional Requirement:

• You must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
• No personal vehicle is required for this position

Position Description: 

This intern will explore the Spanish heritage of the park, which plays a significant role in the establishment of Valles Caldera, the preservation of its 90,000-acre landscape, and its cultural heritage. The intern will gather various cultural stories and collaborate with the team to determine the best methods for sharing these stories.

The intern will work with the team’s Visual Information Specialist to develop web content, an audio tour, wayside exhibits, and material for the park’s upcoming multimedia exhibit. They will also collaborate with educators and local teachers to create cultural heritage lesson plans aligned with New Mexico history teaching standards.

Additionally, the intern will help ensure that all educational and interpretive content is fully accessible in Spanish. They will have the opportunity to work with the dendroglyph volunteer team cataloging hundreds of tree carvings from the late 1800s and early 1900s created by Latino shepherds.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct research and write content.
• Work independently and collaborate effectively with others.
• Live and work in a remote location.

Qualifications:

• A background in history or Southwestern cultures is preferred but not required.
• Strong research and writing skills are essential.
• Fluency in spoken and written Spanish is ideal.
• Must be a team-oriented individual who can also work independently and take initiative.
• Housing is located 4 miles into the park and approximately 25 miles from the nearest town. The intern must be willing and able to live in a remote area and have their own transportation to access essential services.

Interns in this program will receive 800 hours toward Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. See below for more information about PLC.

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s), the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal, term, or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on USAJobs.gov and selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information, see DOI Personnel Bulletins 11-02 , 12-13, and 17-03.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.