John Muir National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service (NPS), is located in Martinez, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and preserves the home, estate and legacy of one of the world’s most influential conservationists, who is also considered as a forefather of U.S. National Parks. In addition to caring for the centerpieces of the park - Muir’s four-story Victorian family home and its orchards - the NPS is charged with protecting 326 acres on the slopes of Mount Wanda. The Mount Wanda parcel is a small remnant of the 2600-acre ranch owned by Muir and his family, and is now almost completely surrounded by the suburban development typical of the East Bay. Muir often sought refuge on Mount Wanda and would take his daughters, Wanda and Helen, on walks to admire the trees, wildflowers, and birds. Harboring diverse flora and fauna, Mt. Wanda is currently composed of plant communities that are representative of the East Bay Hills, such as extensive grasslands, oak woodlands and forests, California laurel forests, and chaparral.
The main responsibility of the intern will be to assist with implementation of a diverse set of natural resource management activities at the site. This includes: invasive inventory, monitoring and control; native plant revegetation; and wildlife inventory (50%). Intern will also assist with community education and outreach in most, if not all, of these program areas, such as helping coordinate youth outreach and education in collaboration with the local schools and community organizations (30%). Intern will also assist with data management, report writing, literature review and research, and other administrative duties (20%). EDUCATIONAL AND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Our staff helps manage three other NPS units in the east Bay Area that will offer diverse opportunities for tours and work experiences. There may be opportunities to work at other local National Parks, such as Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Memorial. Though not yet scheduled, there will commonly be opportunities to attend recurring workshops and symposiums.