The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the USFS, is recruiting one Archaeology Technician to complete Section 106 Cultural Resource surveys, site recording and monitoring for various projects within the Mendocino National Forest. These projects all serve the Cultural Resources program’s greater mission of helping the USFS in their critical goal of improving forest resilience in the face of worsening climate conditions and increased wildfire threats. The work that you will do directly improves the quality of these forests helping ensure they continue to thrive for generations to come.

This work provides professional development and leadership opportunities in cultural resource management including increased exposure and responsibility enacting USFS processes, procedures and compliance measures; assisting in reporting and data entry/quality assurance and control. Expanded opportunities and exposure to additional disciplines (e.g., forestry, wildlife, hydrology, etc.) and projects may exist.

Archaeology technicians perform a variety of activities to support all stages of project implementation. Crew size will range, primary archaeology field duties will include:

• Collaborate with Archaeology crew lead and agency staff to support field safety, communication, planning, logistics, quality assurance, field implementation and reporting efforts;
• Complete field surveys to document, assess and characterize the status of new cultural resources;
• Monitor existing sites and complete site updates and condition assessments;
• Prepare California DPR site records, GIS maps, and photographic records in addition to inputting data to the USFS heritage database.

Location: 

The Mendocino National Forest straddles the eastern spur of the North Coast Range, a 3-hour drive north of San Francisco and Sacramento. Some 65 miles long and 35 miles across, the forest's approximately 927,650 acres of mountains, canyons and foothills offer a variety of recreational opportunities—camping, hiking, backpacking, boating, fishing, hunting, nature study, photography, and off-highway vehicle travel

Timeline: 

• Mid May through October, 2026
• Full time, average 40 hours per week.
• Projects are dependent on the local weather, and there is always a chance the season will end earlier if weather prevents safe field operations.