Volunteer
Job Description
FROM: https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a093d000000oCC1AAM/astronomy-volunteer
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ADDRESS: El Morro National Monument; HC 61 Box 43; Ramah, New Mexico 87321
DEPT: National Park Service
DATES: 5/22/2023 – 9/30/2023
DESCRIPTION:
El Morro National Monument is an International Dark Sky Park! With very little light pollution, the park offers fantastic views of the night sky. El Morro is seeking qualified volunteers to assist in developing and presenting evening walks, astronomy talks, Star Parties, and other Night Sky programming.
Located in rural New Mexico, El Morro is surrounded by ranches and large areas of wild public lands. Excellent opportunities to view the night sky abound. El Morro is currently in the infant stages of hosting night sky programs. Although the park’s main themes interpret more than 1,000 years of human history and multi-layered cultural connections, the staff has been expanding programming to explore the night sky that forms a backdrop to this ancient landscape.
The park is seeking qualified volunteers to join us in our programming efforts. If you would like to be a part of public astronomy programs and share the splendors of the sky with the general public, consider applying and sending your resume. The ideal applicant is communicative, self-motivated, knowledgeable, approachable, and a good public speaker. Volunteers are expected to support the NPS mission. The job may require working with crowds and a diverse public in both independent and team modes.
Start and end dates for the position are somewhat flexible, but a minimum 2-month commitment is required.
Primary tasks include preparing for and giving evening stargazing events 3-4 times a year. Help care for and maintain the park’s telescope and other astronomy-related equipment. Assist with astronomy program logistics. Other tasks include presenting both formal and informal programs and talks about the night sky. Volunteers are welcome to bring their own equipment but the park is not responsible for any damage. Volunteers are expected to gain a good knowledge of telescope operations and basic maintenance. The park does not have a permanent observing facility, so set-up and take-down is required with some moderate lifting.
The volunteer will also assist with daily operations of the visitor center, aiding seasonal and permanent staff with a variety of duties. These include but are not limited to: staffing the visitor center; handling bookstore sales; operating a cash register; opening and closing facilities according to standard operating procedures; assisting with organized groups; recording visitation statistics; answering telephones; driving a government vehicle; utilizing park radios; assisting with community outreach events; roving park trails; and assisting with special projects.
Selections will be made based on:
- Knowledge of the sky, astronomical equipment, and techniques.
- Communication skills and experience working with the public.
- Availability and time commitment. (Minimum 2-month commitment is required.)
- References and other factors that indicate suitability for this program.
- Resume.
Resume should include:
- All positions held within the last 3 years
- Other applicable paid work and volunteer experiences. For each listing, include a brief discussion of duties, period of work, hours per week, supervisor, and supervisor contact information.
- List and elaborate on astronomy/stargazing skills.
- List and elaborate on communication skills.
- Include 3 references.
- Include available time commitment.
Note: If park housing is provided, a minimum of 32 hours of volunteer work per week is required.
- General Assistance
- Other Trade Skills
- Public Speaking
- Visitor Information
- Working with People
El Morro is a remote duty station. The closest town for groceries, restaurants, and other services is Grants, NM, approximately 55 miles east of the monument. Due to the lack of public transportation in the area, the volunteer must have a personal vehicle. At El Morro, cell reception and WiFi may be available, limited, or altogether non-existent, depending on the volunteer’s carrier service. WiFi, however, is available in the employee housing area.
General Park Information:
All other rocks in America do not together hold so much history as do those of El Morro National Monument. Rising 200 feet above the valley floor, this massive sandstone bluff was a welcome landmark for weary travelers. A reliable waterhole hidden at its base made El Morro (or Inscription Rock) a popular campsite. Beginning in the late 1500s Spanish explorers and missionaries, followed by American surveyors, western immigrants, and soldiers, passed by El Morro. While they rested in its shade and drank from the pool, many inscribed their signatures, dates, and messages. Ancestral Puebloans, living in a 600-room pueblo on top of the bluff over 700 years ago, began this trend by carving hundreds of petroglyphs. El Morro was proclaimed the second National Monument in the National Park system on December 8, 1906. The vast continuum of human history inscribed upon the rock and preserved in the ancient ruins makes El Morro National Monument a handbook of the cultural history of the Southwest. The majestic bluff, shady pool, high desert forest (7200 ft.), and sweeping vistas make this a natural wonder as well.