National Parks Conservation Association Jobs | Los Angeles Historian Remote Intern Employment Opportunity at National Parks Conservation Association Careers Portal

Position Title: Los Angeles Historian Remote Intern

Supervisor: Laura Navar

Department Head: Ron Sundergill

Department: Regions – PARO

Position Description: (List duties, responsibilities, etc.)

National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading national park advocacy organization, seeks an intern to join our Los Angeles office for the summer of 2021. This virtual/remote position supports the advancement of park protection with a focus on unrepresented American history in the greater Los Angeles area. The successful candidate is inspired by in the full coverage of our history; has a passion for cultural, and historical issues, advocacy, and wants to add value to a high-performing team that advocates for park protection and expansion through partnerships, outreach and community engagement. The ideal candidate possesses strong administrative skills, works well in a fast-paced environment, successfully manages projects before deadlines, can work with a variety of stakeholders, is detail-oriented, and has excellent oral and written communication skills.

National Goal: Expand protections for cultural and historic treasures, including irreplaceable landscapes, buildings, art and artifacts that are vulnerable to looting and development.

Strategic Goal- National Parks Serve all Americans and Communities Stand Up Taller for Parks: Our work is authentic, inclusive, reciprocal, and community-focused to build place-based support for parks

• We build a culture of protecting parks and grow a park-focused movement in local communities and across regions.
• Communities of color, Veterans, Youth, have their voices elevated locally, regionally, and nationally to advance our goals to protect parks.
• Communities will be more deeply connected to national parks with more diverse representation in both staffing and expanded storytelling to demonstrate the uniqueness, values, history, and struggles connected to parks and the communities they serve and are served by

Internship Goal: To work with NPCA’s LA office field staff to develop a case statement and outreach plan for a future national historical park unit focused on communities whose stories are underrepresented within the national park system (NPS).

Description of Work: Work with NPCA’s Pacific Regional team and Los Angeles Field Office for 6 weeks to compile histories, publications, photos, and other data that can inform the creation of a national historical park unit in Los Angeles. This research will include building a timeline of the various communities that migrated to Southern California, with inclusion on native/first nation people such as the Tongva, and non-European populations such as Mexican/Latinx, African, Asian and Pacific Islander communities living in LA prior to California statehood until approximately the 1980s.

The main areas of work for this internship are:

• Gathering contact information for outreach to Cultural, Historical, and local organizations, media outlets and community groups to engage around a future site
• Researching specific historical sites and their potential to meet NPS standards in and around the downtown corridor of Los Angeles and identify points that could be incorporated into a future walking tour
• Propose a process for participatory feedback from community leaders and other related tasks, as identified by supervisor
• Active participation in meetings including check-ins with their supervisor to other NPCA staff team meetings.
  • Some optional opportunities for the intern are presenting to staff upon competing their project for feedback. Being featured in our regional Field Report (newsletter). Lastly connecting with a NPCA mentor beyond the duration of the internship.

Things to consider (not extensive):

• Black Indigenous and People of Color engagement
• connectivity and corridor pathways between parks sites
• equitable access and heritage resources
• other opportunities for small business and urban recreation
• conservation/restoration potential
• challenges and/or opposition

Qualifications/Requirements (i.e., education, technical skills):

• Current enrollment in an accredited college or university in an undergraduate or graduate program.
• Solution Oriented, Organized and Pro-active problem solver
• Punctual and accountable for time and work assignments
• Confidence reaching out to new people virtually
• Good in a team setting and working over video conference and email with partners– though being able to work independently
• A strong interest in the full coverage of our history and planning engagement
• Interest in diverse representation and expanded story telling
• Possession of a valid driver’s license authorizing operation of a motor vehicle a plus for site visits.
• Conversational Spanish capability a plus

Potential Partners: Chinese Historical Society or Southern CA, Little Tokyo Historical Society, Latinos in Heritage Conservation, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, East Los Angeles Community Corporation, APIs in Historic Preservation, et. al.

Background Blogs & Web resources (maybe pick best 3 examples)

NPCA Blog 7 National Park Sites That Tell the Story of Immigration

NPCA Blog Forgotten Founders the Hidden African Ancestry of Los Angeles

NPCA Blog A Tale of Two Rivers

NPCA Blog How National Parks Led Me to My US Citizenship

NPCA Blog Summer 2019 Our New Parks

NPCA Blog Preserving More of Our History in Southern California and Beyond

https://www.npca.org/articles/1322-preserving-more-of-our-history-in-southern-california-and-beyond

Work Status: Part-time 20 hours a week.

Ideal Work Schedule: Flexible with standing weekly check in and other relevant meetings.

Salary (Hourly Rate): $16+ and hour