OR-3719
June 17–23, June 23-30, July 1–7, 8–14, 15–21, 22–28, July 29–August 4, August 5–11, 12–18, 19–25, August 26–September 1, September 2–8, 9–15, 2008 (including weekends and holidays)
Must commit to full session; may participate in more
For the summer of 2008, the FS is seeking professional-caliber interpretive/information specialists to serve as uniformed Forest Service representatives for week-long sessions at Historic Elk Lake Guard Station. PIT volunteers helped restored the 1929 log cabin guard station during projects in 1998 through 2001 reconstruction efforts. Check out “Previous Projects” on this website for a recent account of staffing Elk Lake Guard Station.
This historic guard station is located on the beautiful and popular Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway. The Forest Service dedicated Elk Lake Guard Station in 2001 as a historic site and information center. Many outstanding PIT volunteers have staffed it for the past six summers. The volunteers selected to serve this year will provide a full range of information and interpretive services to visitors, and keep the station clean and tidy.
Number of openings: 1-2
Special skills: Must be able to perform duties with minimum supervision, communicate effectively with diverse audiences, and present a consistently friendly and helpful attitude; must wear Forest Service uniform; knowledge of Forest Service history and Deschutes National Forest recreation geography and policies helpful, but not required. Information about the surrounding national forest will be provided.
Minimum age: 21 years old; families welcome
Facilities: RV facilities or camping at Snow Creek Work Center, ~10 miles from the guard station; strictly limited use of guard station cabin as sleeping quarters and adjacent structure with flush toilet, shower, running water, and refrigerator; no cooking facilities
Nearest towns: Bend, 35 miles; Sunriver, 40 miles; La Pine, 45 miles
Applications due: Ongoing
OR-3773
September 8-12, 2008
Must commit to 3 days
We will walk and hike across the varied landscape of the Fremont-Winema National Forest, relocating and documenting the condition of previously recorded cultural sites. Monitoring and evaluating site conditions helps forest managers understand where environmental or human-caused damage is occurring and prioritize protection and management of important sites. Volunteers will work with the Forest Archaeologist, discuss site protection measures, and brainstorm site interpretive possibilities.
The sites we will visit range from prehistoric lithic scatters and house pit villages to historical period logging camps and early homesteads covering a vast time period of 10,000 years ago to 1950 A.D. The Forest also has the only site in the continental United States that was bombed by the Japanese during World War II.
Number of openings: 3
Special skills: Must be able to comfortably walk 1–3 miles per day on uneven forested and desert terrain
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Campgrounds, RV parks, and motels in and around Lakeview
Nearest towns: Project based in Lakeview; Klamath Falls, 96 miles
Applications due: July 7, 2008
OR-3702
January-December 2008 (including weekends)
Must commit to 5 days
Think of this as an "artist in residence" program for PIT volunteers. If you have specific skills you would like to contribute to the heritage program on the Malheur National Forest we would like to hear from you! Projects could include landscaping and maintenance of historic buildings, scanning historic photographs, computer database entry, writing an article on local history, or monitoring archaeological and historic sites. You propose and develop your own project in consultation with the Forest Archaeologist.
You’ll need to be self motivated, able to work with a minimum of supervision, and be willing to commit to a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer time per week. We’ll help get you started and provide housing in our historic Supervisor’s House. This unique residence was designed and built in the 1930s by the Work Progress Administration and is located in downtown John Day. It makes a great base from which to explore the natural and cultural history of eastern Oregon! Individuals, families and small groups are all welcome to apply. Please contact the Malheur National Forest Archaeologist Don Hann to discuss possible projects and available times (dhann@fs.fed.us 541 575-3081).
Number of openings: 6
Special skills: Personal skills that would benefit the prehistoric and/or historic sites on the Malheur NF (see description for ideas)
Minimum age: 10 years old; under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Group housing is available at no charge in the historic Supervisor's House in downtown John Day; motels and RV parks are available in town at the volunteer's expense
Nearest towns: Office project in John Day
Applications due: Ongoing
OR-3701
April 21-25, 2008
Must commit to full session
The Malheur National Forest is sponsoring a lithic (stone tool) analysis project. This is an opportunity to learn how archaeologists analyze stone tools and debitage (waste flakes from stone tool manufacture). The program will be a mix of training and hands-on analysis of actual artifacts recovered during the 2006 and 2007 summer PIT projects on the Forest. We will examine a wide range of artifact types and look for evidence of use on the tools. Tasks will include visual classification of debitage, description of tools and tool fragments, examination of use-wear patterns, tabulation of the data, scanning of artifacts, and analysis of the results. Artifact data will be entered into a Forest Service corporate database.
Information on the 2006 Summer PIT project and the 2004 Lithic Analysis project can be found on the Malheur National Forest web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/ecology/pit.shtml
Number of openings: 8
Special skills: Computer skills helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 16 years old; under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Group housing is available at no charge in the historic Supervisor's House in downtown John Day; motels and RV parks are available in town at the volunteer's expense
Nearest towns: Office project in John Day
Applications due: February 18, 2008
OR-3708
April 28 - May 2, 2008
Must commit to full session
The 100th anniversary of the Siuslaw National Forest on the central Oregon coast provides impetus to delve into historic documents for answers to puzzling questions. Why does the Forest Service own historic buildings at the Heceta Lightstation? Who named Cannibal Mountain, and why? Did early rangers use river boats rather than horses to manage the forest? Who was Archie Knowles, and what legacy did he leave? What can we learn about global warming from studying past fire history and shoreline erosion? We'll review and index numerous records in the heritage library, while gleaning interesting and nearly forgotten facts that contribute to the unique history of our coastal forest.
Number of openings: 15
Special skills: Critical reading and data entry helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: District trailers and RV parking available on request; numerous motels, developed campgrounds and RV parks located nearby
Nearest towns: Project in Waldport; Yachats, 8 miles; Newport, 16 miles; Florence, 34 miles
Applications due: February 25, 2008
OR-3707
May 5 - 9, 2008
Must commit to full session
Our Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping project continues, returning to our homestead database. This season we'll create data points from homestead records to enhance detail on our historic heritage layer. Working directly from primary documents dating to the 1910s and 1930s, we'll transfer cultural site information into map format. Location of created meadows, orchards and stream channels will provide interdisciplinary teams with cultural landscape information heretofore not easily retrieved, but helpful in planning terrestrial and aquatic restoration projects.
Seasonal low ocean tides this week offer good opportunities for beach walks and seafood gathering to reward the PIT Team.
Number of openings: 15
Special skills: Mapping and data entry helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: District trailers and RV parking available on request; numerous motels, developed campgrounds and RV parks located nearby
Nearest towns: Project in Waldport; Yachats, 8 miles; Newport, 16 miles; Florence, 34 miles
Applications due: March 3 , 2008
OR-3748
June 2–6, 2008
Must commit to full session
Volunteers needed for archaeological surveys on two tributary drainages of the South Umpqua River! Our survey efforts will focus on areas that have a high potential for archaeological sites, but where few if any previous inventories have been done. Both tributary drainages are geologically unique with a good potential for a wide-variety of archaeological sites ranging in age from 6,000 years before present to approximately 250 years ago. Sites we are likely to encounter include open lithic scatters, quarry sites, rock shelters, culturally-modified trees, rock cairns, historic (turn-of-the-century) Forest Service trails, and isolated stone tools.
Number of openings: 4
Special skills: Must be physically fit and able to hike several miles per day in brushy, steep terrain; photography, drawing, compass skills and lithic material identification experience helpful but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Camping in FS campground, vault toilet, fire pits, and picnic benches, no potable water; FS will provide transportation to a water source; volunteers responsible for personal camping gear, food, initial drinking water and water containers; solar showers upon request; nice swimming hole at campground
Nearest towns: Tiller, 17 miles; Canyonville, 42 miles
Applications due: March 31, 2008