Position Title: Canyon of the Ancients- Visitor Services Individual Placement- AmeriCorps
Conservation Legacy Program: Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps
Site Location: Canyon of the Ancients National Monument
Dolores, CO 81323
Terms of Service:
- Start Date: 06/01/2026
- End Date: 09/25/2026
- AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 300 hours (17 weeks)
Purpose:
Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps Mission
Our vision is to lead our Nations back to ecological and cultural well-being by engaging underrepresented Indigenous youth and young adults in conservation service programs that reconnect participants to the land, their cultural heritage, and their traditions. We work to remove barriers to participation, education, and employment by partnering with local community organizations, agencies, and institutes of higher learning to create paid service and career training opportunities, personal and professional development, and pathways to postsecondary education and employment.
*Ancestral Lands serves local tribal communities in the regions we operate. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages. Native American applicants are encouraged to apply.
Bureau Of Land Management Mission
The Bureau of Land Management's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) encompasses 176,000 acres of federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Monument is located in the Four Corners region of southwestern Colorado, about 50 miles west of Durango, 10 miles west of Cortez and 12 miles west of Mesa Verde National Park. The Monument was designated on June 9, 2000 by Presidential Proclamation to protect cultural and natural resources on a landscape scale.
The Monument contains the highest known archaeological site density in the United States, with rich, well-preserved evidence of native cultures. The archeological record etched into this landscape is much more than isolated islands of architecture. This cultural landscape contains more than 6,355 recorded sites reflect all the physical components of past human life: villages, field houses, check dams, reservoirs, great kivas, cliff dwellings, shrines, sacred springs, agricultural fields, petroglyphs and sweat lodges. Some areas have more than 100 sites per square mile. The number of sites is estimated to be up to 30,000.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument has been used or inhabited by humans for over 10,000 years and is the Ancestral Homeland to 26 Tribes and Pueblos. CANM continues to be a landscape used by humans today. Historic uses of the Monument include recreation, hunting, livestock grazing and energy development.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is seeking an energetic, outgoing individual, who likes to interact with the public and provide educational programming to be placed at the Visitor Center and Museum located in Dolores, CO. On a yearly basis, approximately 30,000 people visit the Visitor Center & Museum to learn more about the human history of the southwest.
Description of Duties:
The Individual Placement (IP) will gain experience in visitor services and interpretation of cultural resources to visitors at the museum and monument. The IP will get hands-on experience in conducting curriculum-based field trip programs for school groups and developing hands-on interpretive programs on-site for visitors at the museum. Additionally, the IP will work with curation staff who help protect almost 4 million artifacts in the curation facility on site at the museum. There will also be opportunities to shadow field archaeologists during site-visits to important cultural sites.
Essential functions and responsibilities:
- Observe and Shadow Education, Volunteer Stewardship, and Interpretive Programs
- Shadow subject matter experts in different Education and Stewardship roles at CANM: Visitor Services, Recreation Staff, BLM Educators and partners.
- Learn education programs and assist staff members in program delivery, if programs are being conducted.
- Develop one interpretive/education program or resource, with the goal to present weekly at museum to visiting guests or through a digital platform, if more appropriate. Projects could include: updating artifacts in the gallery to a digital model; updating the CANM Agents of Discovery App to include a hands-on gallery tour inside the museum.
- Participate in project planning and project execution for stewardship programs on the monument or at the VC. This could include assisting staff with a National Public Lands Day event.
- Observe and Shadow Visitor Services/Front Desk Support
- Assist Visitor Services Staff in orienting visitors to museum exhibits, outside trails, onsite pueblos, playing orientation videos, and answering general questions. Depending on COVID conditions, what this ultimately looks like could vary widely.
- Assist with general maintenance of main gallery exhibits and providing materials to visitors.
- Shadow recreation staff and specialists to learn more about monument activities and orientation.
- Shadow Curation and Archaeology Staff
- Shadow curation staff to learn more about history and research on the monument.
- Shadow Museum Specialists to learn more about curation/archives/artifacts/research at Museum and in Collections. Depending on interest and skill sets, work with curation staff on curation projects.
- Shadow archaeologist on visits to public pueblo sites on monument to learn about research, preservation and stabilization projects.
- Shadow Supervisory Curator to learn more about tribal consultation and NAGPRA at CANM
Qualifications:
- United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
- At least 18 years of age
- Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award
- Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
- Background or interest in education, history, archaeology, cultural resources, or visitor services.
- Comfort talking and presenting to the public and sharing a tribal perspective
- Self-motivated and ability to work independently, with limited supervision
- Ability to maneuver and operate in a mixture of office and field work
- Ability to stand or walk for long periods of time, often on uneven ground, bending, crouching, and stooping
- Good attitude and willingness to learn
- Prior to starting a government security background clearance will be needed, in addition to Conservation Legacy Criminal History Check
Our Commitment:
Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. The ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.
Time Requirements:
- Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday to Friday, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service
- Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
Orientation and Training:
- Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
- Member will receive an orientation to Ancestral Lands and BLM
Benefits:
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,565.08
- Living Allowance of $600 per week
- Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
- Childcare Coverage if Eligible
- Loan forbearance if Eligible
- Interest Payments if Eligible
Evaluation and Reporting:
As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.
Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.
Supervisor Name and Contact Information:
Ryan Aguilar Contact information: raguilar@conservationlegacy.org
Amala Posey-Monk: aposeymonk@blm.gov
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.