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OR-3985
June 21-September 12, 2011 (all sessions include weekends)
Must commit to one full session; may participate in more
The Historic Elk Lake Guard Station lies along the beautiful and popular Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway. It was originally built in 1929, and was afterward in regular use for almost seven decades. In the late 1990s, after the log cabin was "de-commissioned" as a full-time Forest Service guard station, it was in dire need of maintenance and repair. From 1998-2001, the Forest Service and Passport In Time volunteers worked to restore the landmark. In 2001, the Guard Station, by then designated a national historic site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), re-opened its doors as an FS Visitor's Center. Since that time, PIT volunteers have been recruited to staff the Elk Lake Guard Station, and serve as professional-caliber interpretation/information specialists for the site's thousands of annual visitors.
Continuing that tradition, we need your help as uniformed Forest Service representatives again this year! Volunteers will keep the station clean and tidy, and will provide a full range of information and interpretive services to visitors. Each of the 12 sessions will be a week long - Tuesday through Monday - and will include weekends.
Number of openings: 12 (1 individual or couple per session)
Special skills: Must be able to perform required duties with minimal supervision after orientation, communicate effectively with diverse audiences, and present a consistently friendly and helpful attitude; FS uniform will be worn during working hours and will be provided by project; knowledge of FS history and Deschutes National Forest recreation geography and policies helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: The Guard Station is available as sleeping quarters (use strictly controlled); water, bath facilities, refrigerator, microwave oven (otherwise no cooking facilities); camping/RVs not permitted at station; tent and RV camping available at Snow Creek Guard Station (~10 miles); water, pit toilet, full hookups; Sunriver and Bend are full-service communities with hotels/motels, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for personal bedding/camping equipment, food, cook stove if staying at Elk Lake G.S. (no charcoal grills/campfires allowed), and transportation
Nearest towns: Sunriver, 30 miles; Bend, 35 miles; LaPine, 45 miles
Applications due: Filled!
OR-3980
May 16-20, 2011
Must commit to full session
The Malheur National Forest is once again sponsoring a lithic (stone tool) analysis project and needs your help! The focus of the project will be the identification and classification of artifacts from a collection recovered during surveys conducted over the last 30 years, and will be a mix of training and hands-on activity. PIT volunteers will be exposed to a wide range of artifact types, including formal tools, tool fragments, and manufacturing debris (flakes). Participants will learn to visually classify artifacts, identify evidence of use-wear, tabulate data, and analyze results. Data collected during the project will be entered into the Forest database.
Information on past PIT projects on the Malheur National Forest can be found on the Malheur National Forest web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/ecology/pit.shtml.
Number of openings: 6
Special skills: Previous lithic analysis and/or computer database experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: FS housing in historic Supervisor's House available at no charge; full kitchen, bath, laundry facilities, and other amenities; John Day is a full-service community with motels, restaurants, RV parks, and a range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging (if opting not to stay in FS housing), food, extra water, and transportation
Nearest towns: This laboratory project will be located in John Day; Canyon City, 2 miles; Mount Vernon, 8 miles
Applications due: March 13, 2011
OR-4041
July 25-29, 2011
Must commit to full session
Join us this summer in the beautiful rolling hills and upland meadows south of the majestic Strawberry Mountains! For the past several years, we have investigated archaeological sites associated with the headwaters of the Malheur River system. The area is rich in natural resources such as plants, game animals, significant fish runs, and obsidian for tool stone, all of which would have made it a haven for past cultures. The obsidian tools and tool production fragments recovered from the landscape have provided us with much information about the past, particularly in the form of sourcing data. These data have, in turn, allowed us to develop models of the riverine travel routes past peoples may have used to obtain the stone. This year, we will expand on our earlier efforts by testing sites along these routes. PIT volunteers and FS archaeologists will excavate several of the sites using trowels and other hand tools. All sediment will be screened, and artifacts will be collected and bagged. We will take charcoal and soil samples from any identified feature areas, and we will source any newly recovered obsidian to refine our current data.
We received word only very recently that we had funding for this project, so we are looking to fill it quickly and get a small number of volunteers on board to begin next month. Volunteers will apply to the PIT Clearinghouse as usual, but applications will be submitted to the project leader upon receipt. We will only accept applications until slots are filled, however, so apply today! See you in July!
Number of openings: 3
Special skills: Must be physically capable of sitting and kneeling for long periods each day in hot, dry conditions; previous excavation experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Tent camping at no charge at FS campground near work site; water, composting toilets; developed campgrounds available in Prairie City and John Day; amenities vary, fess apply; Prairie City and John Day are full-service communities with motels, restaurants, and a range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment/lodging, food, and transportation
Nearest towns: Prairie City, 28 miles; John Day, 30 miles
Applications due: Ongoing until filled
OR-3995
June 20-24; 27-July 1, 2011
Must commit to 1 full session; may participate in both
Join us this summer as we explore the past! Located deep within a river valley in the Cascade Mountain Range and surrounded by pine forest, lies an open lithic scatter. Initial estimates of the site place it somewhere within the Middle to Early Archaic periods (ca. 8,000 B.C. - A.D. 1). The artifact assemblage from previous studies includes projectile points, bifaces, scrapers, and utilized flakes. Small amounts of faunal material have also been recovered, and evidence suggests some intact features. During this PIT project, volunteers and Forest staff will map and excavate the lithic site. As we screen sediment, we will inventory and provenience recovered cultural materials, and we will backfill all units at the project's close.
There will be a short hike required to get to the site each day, though the Forest Service can provide transportation from the campground to the project location. Be sure to bring plenty of water during this project - we will be a long distance from the Ranger Station! Also, June weather can be unpredictable out here, so bring clothing and camping gear suitable for any climate. Insect repellent is recommended. A limited number of solar showers can be provided to volunteers, so be sure and request one early, if needed. We'll be looking at some interesting archaeology, and this is a great place to explore during your off hours, so we hope to see you in June!
Number of openings: 12 (6 per session)
Special skills: Previous archaeological excavation experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Tent camping at no charge at nearby FS campground; vault toilets; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, and water; transportation between camp area and work site provided by FS
Nearest towns: Project based out of Tiller; Canyonville, 26 miles; Shady Cove, 26 miles
Applications due: April 18, 2011
OR-4037
September 12-16; 19-23, 2011
Must commit to 1 full session; may participate in both
Come to the Umpqua National Forest for year two of the Thirsty Gulch project! Last summer's goals were to document the extent of disturbances at the site where illegal digging had taken place and to analyze the stratigraphy near the vandalism. Our excavations of a small portion of the site turned out to be very informative: we recovered projectile points, scrapers, bifacial tools, and lithic debitage, all of which date the site to at least the Late Archaic period (ca. 100 B.C. - A.D. 1500). Truly a great success. However, during the last two days of the 2010 project, we recovered unexpected data - which left many questions! We return to Thirsty Gulch this year to conduct additional testing and further refine the site's age. As before, PIT volunteers and Forest staff will excavate 1x1-meter units and screen for archaeological materials. Our efforts will help us to develop and answer many new questions and help to further prepare the Determination of Eligibility for the site's placement on the National Registry of Historic Places (NRHP). Join us this fall as we unearth new information about the Umpqua National Forest's rich cultural history!
Number of openings: 8
Special skills: Previous archaeological excavation, screening, and/or artifact identification experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Camping available at no charge at FS campground on the South Umpqua River; vault toilets, no potable water; some space for RVs, no hook-ups; water for cooking and cleaning available at Tiller Ranger Station, solar showers available upon request; there are two small stores within 6 miles of campground; limited services and supplies; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, drinking water, and daily transportation to ranger station (~4 miles from campground); FS will provide transportation to and from worksite
Nearest towns: Canyonville, 26 miles; Shady Cove, 28 miles
Applications due: July 11, 2011