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Internship-Arctic Interagency Visitor Center

The Student Conservation Association
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Internship-Arctic Interagency Visitor Center

 

#1062

Coldfoot, Alaska

 

Job Description

 

Arctic Interagency Visitor Center Intern

 

8 weeks // July 22 to September 15

 

 

Immerse yourself in a wildly beautiful part of Alaska and meet people from all over the world who seek adventure along the Dalton Highway! Work with Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service staff to interpret Alaska’s Arctic at the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center.

 

The Arctic Interagency Visitor Center is provided to the public through a successful tri-agency partnership between Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Park Service (NPS).

In this position you will represent the USFWS, and Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges in Coldfoot, Alaska. You will serve the public from the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center (AIVC) front desk, greeting visitors, answering questions, and inspiring visitors to make personal connections with the USFWS managed lands and other nearby federal public lands like the Gates of the Arctic National Park (NPS) and the Dalton Highway Corridor (BLM).

As one of our team members, you’ll Interact with travelers from around the world. The reasons for journeying north are as unique as the individuals who step through the door. Serve adventurers on once-in-a-lifetime trips or meet truckers who make their living on the infamous “Haul Road.” Working at the Arctic Interagency Visitor offers opportunities to explore wilderness outside your back door and build rural living skills in a small, welcoming community.

Major duties include:
-Create and present weekly formal interpretive programs, pop-up programs or guided walks (training and coaching provided!)
-Create or redesign an interpretive product such as a brochure, poster, education kit or temporary exhibit
-Write interpretive messages for websites and social media
-Care and cleaning of a beautiful, award-winning visitor center

-Support and train volunteers

 

Please note, work will occur entirely inside the AIVC or on nearby trails. The visitor center is located 250 miles north of Fairbanks, which is open 7 days a week from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Accordingly, this internship requires someone with the ability to be flexible and comfortable with varied shifts for the entire internship - including morning, evening, and weekend shifts.

The selected intern will always collaborate with other volunteers and interns but is expected to contribute a self-directed work style. The AIVC atmosphere is professional and teamwork-oriented, with three agencies (USFWS, NPS, and BLM) working together to serve the visiting public using the highest level of professionalism during all duties.

Applicants should be: 1) mature 2) able to maintain a positive attitude in challenging environments 3) comfortable with 24-hr sunlight 4) able to practice high emotional intelligence 5) able to be resilient while in a remote location with limited resources and cell/internet connectivity.

For questions about this position, please contact Hanna McBrearty at 612-716-0409 or hanna_mcbrearty@fws.gov

 

Compensation amounts:
$300 - weekly living allowance.
$750 - one time RT travel allowance if travelling from Alaska.

$1500 – one time RT travel allowance if travelling from the lower 48.

Free Housing

AmeriCorps eligible ($1,565 education award)
*All allowances subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes
This position is Public Lands Corps eligible

 

Additional info: The Dalton Highway is a rough, industrial road that begins 84 miles north of Fairbanks and ends 414 miles further north at Deadhorse, an industrial camp at Prudhoe Bay. It provides a rare opportunity to traverse a remote, largely unpopulated part of Alaska. Each year, thousands of visitors travel up the road to experience unique highlights such as the Yukon River, Arctic Circle geographic marker, Brooks Range and continental divide, and sweeping North Slope. 

 

Coldfoot, Alaska is 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle in the Brooks Range Mountains. The area is rural and remote with few modern amenities found in cities but there are ample mountains to climb, and forests, tundra, and rivers to enjoy. Nearby opportunities for hiking, rafting and berry picking are plentiful--as are the mosquitoes! Summer weather is typical of Arctic mountainous areas - it can be cool and rainy, or warm and sunny. Snow and temperatures below freezing can and do occur during summer, but there are also days that feel quite hot. Occasionally, wildfire smoke creates unhealthy air quality levels.  

 

Facilities and services are extremely limited for the hundreds of miles north and south of Coldfoot. Gas and cell service are available only in Coldfoot. The nearest grocery store and medical facilities are 250 miles away in Fairbanks. Schedules allow periodic trips back to Fairbanks for services and resupply.

 

Large mammals live in the area, including black bears, grizzly bears, moose and wolves. Interns are expected to keep a clean campsite and worksite to avoid attracting bears. Bear spray will be provided, and interns will be required to carry it while working outdoors. Coldfoot's population soars to around 40 people in summer. It is light all night, but by mid-August, viewing the aurora becomes possible when the sky is clear and darkness returns. Alaska’s Arctic is remote, rugged, and environmental conditions can be extreme. It’s also disarmingly beautiful, globally unique, and vast beyond measure. Applicants should be prepared to embrace both the beauty and reality of life the Arctic.

 

Recreational and Social Opportunities include:

  • Hiking, rafting, gold panning, berry picking, and birdwatching.
  • Spectacular aurora displays in late August and early September.
  • Excursions to the Arctic Ocean, Continental Divide, and some of the least visited National Parks & National Wildlife Refuges.
  • Community celebrations of summer solstice, 4th of July, and an end-of-season BBQ roast.
  • "Family dinner"-style coworker meals.
  • Meeting interesting travelers and scientific researchers from all over the world.

To learn more about USFWS, visit: www.fws.gov
To learn more about Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge, visit: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kanuti/ or https://www.facebook.com/Kanuti.Refuge/
To learn more about Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, visit: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/yukon_flats/ or https://www.facebook.com/YukonFlatsNationalWildlifeRefuge
To learn more about Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, visit: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/ or https://www.facebook.com/arcticnationalwildliferefuge/
To learn more about the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, visit https://www.blm.gov/learn/interpretive-centers/arctic-interagency-visitor-center
To learn more about Gates of the Arctic National Park, visit: https://www.nps.gov/gaar/
To learn more about the Dalton Highway Corridor, visit: https://www.blm.gov/visit/dalton-highway



*For SCA’s COVID-19 guidance, please refer to www.thesca.org/covid