The Medicine Wheel is an ancient stone structure built on top of Medicine Mountain at 9,640 feet (2,938 m) above sea level. The site is staffed seven days a week for 10 hours each day. Interns will work at the interpretors cabin near the main parking area and at the Medicine Wheel, which is 1.25 miles away. Staff at the cabin greet visitors as they arrive and provide interpretation of the site, forest information, and answer general questions about the area. All Staff help maintain the site by performing duties, such as cleaning bathrooms, painting facilities, repairing fences, clearing pathways, etc.. Staff is required to walk the 1.25 miles between the Medicine Wheel and Interpreters cabin each day. Weather on Medicine Mountain can change rapidly from one extreme to another. Occasional snow can be expected during the early and later parts of the season, and thunderstorms with lightning and hail are common throughout the summer.
The site is a Sacred Native American Traditional Cultural Property and National Historic Landmark where hundreds of Native Americans make a pilgrimage each year, with many having either public or private ceremonies. Many people from around the world visit the site to learn a about Native American culture. Approximately 10,700 visitors came to the Medicine Wheel in 2018. We are looking at establishing one or two guided tours each day, but generally, interpretation will be impromptu and often cursory. Various chronometric data sources, including dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, and projectile point chronologies have been used to establish the duration of Native American use of Medicine Mountain, which extends nearly 10,000 years into the past.
Lodging will be provided at the nearby Porcupine Ranger Station. This facility serves as living quarters and as a Forest Service work center. Other seasonal and permanent employees will be housed periodically at the site. Past interpreters often spent time socializing with interpreters and staff at the Burgess work center and Shell Ranger Station. Opportunities to work with Forest Service staff conducting a variety of Forest Service management tasks will also be available.
Compensation
– $250/week* Living Allowance
– $1,100* To/From Travel Allowance, paid once with first paycheck
– USFS bunkhouse Housing provided on-site
– Eligible for AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,718, received upon successful completion of position
– Eligible for the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority upon successful completion of position (640hrs minimum of service)
*All Allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes
AmeriCorps Background Check
It is SCA's policy that all AmeriCorps-required background checks must return cleared results prior to the position's start; this includes being fingerprinted for the FBI check. Otherwise, the AmeriCorps award will be removed, or the position's start date will be delayed due to non-compliance.
*For SCA's COVID-19 guidance, please refer to www.thesca.org/covid
Position ID: PO-00734312
Expected Dates: June 5, 2023 - September 3, 2023
Training Provided: Forest orientation that includes; First aid/CPR, Defensive Driving, ethics and conduct, Thunderstorm and lighting preparedness, site information and interpretation.
Educational/Recreational Opportunities: Interpreters will have educational opportunities, including Native American culture, archaeology, natural history, and public land management. Outdoor recreation activities are abundant. Shopping, entertainment, and dining opportunities are also available
Handicap Accessible?: Yes
Main Area of Focus: Education and Interpretation
Further Details
AmeriCorps Eligible: Eligible
Driving Logistics: Recommended
No transportation is provided to reach shopping facilities. One should expect to share rides with other interns. Distances are too far to walk.
Housing or Stipend Provided?
A. Partner will provide suitable housing for the member
Forest Service compound with housing is approximately 4 miles from site. Transportation is provided to and from site for work. Housing is usually a Co-ed bunkhouse, and may or may not have a roommate, shared living areas, kitchen, and bathrooms. Washer and dryer are in each building. Cellular reception is not available at the living quarters but can be accessed within a short drive. WiFi is expected to be installed by the beginning of the season, but access will be limited to low-data-use activities such as checking email, websites, weather, etc. No streaming or download services will be allowed. Occasionally cabins and/or trailers are provided for housing. Cookware and utensils are provided. Interns need to bring all personal items; toiletries, bedding/ or sleeping bag, etc.. Intern must be able to go shopping and to get around for personal use as Government vehicles are not available for this. The nearest services are Bear Lodge Resort, but these are very limited. Full services can be found approximately 40 miles to the west in Lovell or at slightly greater distances in Greybull, Powell, Dayton, and Sheridan.
The living quarters are surrounded by the scenic Bighorn Mountains and vast tracts of Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, and State of Wyoming public lands, with many opportunities for hiking, fishing, camping, rockhounding, mountain biking, and even rock climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon (requires a ~3 hour drive). Yellowstone National Park is approximately 3.5 hours to the west, and the Black Hills are approximately 4 hours to the east.
Indoor/Outdoor: Outside
US Citizenship: Yes