Museum Collections Member-Keweenaw National Historical Park

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), is seeking ONE Museum Collections Member to assist with the Rehousing and Cataloging Moose Bones project alongside Lake Superior Collections Management Center (Keweenaw National Historical Park) staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

Start Date: November 3, 2025 (start date flexible)

Estimated End Date: April 3, 2026 (or 22 weeks after start date)

*a 22-week minimum commitment is required *

Location Details/Description: The project is based at the Lake Superior Collections Management Center at Keweenaw National Historical Park in Calumet, Michigan.

The Calumet area has a population of approximately 6,000 people with community amenities including hospital, school, restaurants and shopping services. The Cities of Houghton and Hancock are located approximately 12 miles south and both are full-service communities. Higher education facilities are available at Michigan Technological University in Houghton. Housing is available in surrounding communities for both rental and purchase. Fall and spring are mild with daytime temperatures ranging from 40 to 60 degrees, and fishing, boating, camping and hiking are popular recreational activities. Winter temperatures range from highs of 25-30 degrees to lows in the teens with occasional sub-zero lows. Winter snowfall is abundant, averaging between 150 to 250 inches per year. Winter recreational activities include downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

For more information about Keweenaw National Historical Park visit the parks website.

Position Overview: Under the guidance of museum staff, the member will organize, rehouse, photograph, and catalog moose bones recovered from Isle Royale National Park through research investigations led by Michigan Tech University. The predator-prey study is one of the longest ongoing scientific studies in the country, and animal remains (mostly moose and wolf) have been removed from the park and taken to a lab for analysis since the 1960s. The bones are now being turned over to the park for permanent storage.

The member will rehouse bones from existing boxes into new, acid-free boxes and apply proper box labels. They will organize bones from across multiple boxes, photograph all bones using a professional photography set-up, and enter counts and location information into the museum database (Museum Collection Management System, a TMS Collections-based database). This is a time-limited project that is beyond the current staffing abilities of the parks. In addition, the member will maintain natural history wet specimens, and organize and inventory macroinvertebrates.

In Calumet, opportunities are available and encouraged to shadow the museum curator and archivist in order to learn other museum tasks and how to process and catalog archival collections. In addition, opportunities are available to learn about other career fields, including Interpretation and Landscape Architecture.

Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 318 million visitors every year.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Schedule: Work schedule is Monday-Friday, approximately 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Eastern Time, but this is a bit flexible. Work is not required on weekends or federal holidays.

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $800/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly .

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age (You must be between the ages of 16 and 30. Some agencies also interpret these guidelines to include veterans up to age 35) and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general eligibility information on our website.

Housing: Housing is the responsibility of the member and not provided by ACE or NPS. An allowance of $400/month (NTE 6 payments for a total of $2,400) will be provided to help offset the cost of housing. Members must provide housing receipts and submit a reimbursement request for the reimbursement to be processed.

Travel Allowance: ACE member will have access to up to (NTE) $275 to be used for eligible travel expenses. Approval for reimbursement of travel expenses will need to come from site lead.

Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support.

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be authorized to work in the United States. ACE does not provide sponsorship for employment visas.
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request). Members must be 21+ to drive due to ACE's insurance and liability requirements.
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website located on our Indeed homepage.

Preferred:

• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a Masters degree [minimum of a 4-year bachelor's degree] and/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as biology, wildlife biology, environmental science, or have worked or volunteered at a natural history museum.
• Knowledge of large mammal osteology
• Knowledge of wet specimen maintenance
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel
• Experience with museum databases is desired, but not required.
• Experience with DSL camera and photography set-up is desired.
• Detail-oriented and able to sort through data to make careful decisions.

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands : Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, carrying, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talking and hearing. Manual dexterity required for use of computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment. Required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch. Must walk regularly between office and warehouse, approximately 100 yards away.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus.
• Weight Lifted or Force Exerted: Frequently moves up to 20 lbs., ability to move up to 40 pounds occasionally.
• Environmental: Mainly indoor, in both office and unsealed warehouse environment conditions; indoor air quality is good. Temperature in the warehouse is not controlled, but time in the warehouse will be limited if temperatures are too cold for human comfort.
• Noise Environment: Very little noise in the office or warehouse.
• Travel: This position does not require travel.

Environmental Conditions/Hazards: The ACE member(s) may encounter environmental conditions/hazards including extreme cold and high amounts of snow. The member is expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow staff/members or resources.

Vehicle and Equipment Use/Safety: If a vehicle is required for the accomplishment of the duties, one will be provided by the NPS or ACE. Any tools required for the accomplishment of the duties will be provided by the NPS. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), typically provided by the NPS, will be mandatory for any activity that requires it. Strict adherence to NPS and ACE equipment training, certification and safety protocols is required.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to ACE's online application page for this position on our website. Early consideration will be given as applications are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC Member Manager, Emily Oostveen.

If you meet at least 70 percent of the qualifications, we want to hear from you!

ACE participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information when you are hired to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

EEO: Employment or Service with ACE is based upon ability, qualifications, attitude, and job-related factors. Every qualified employee, member, or applicant has the same opportunity for recruitment, hire, training, transfer, promotion, compensation, demotion, termination, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital or parental status, political affiliation, ethnicity, hair texture or style, arrest record, caste, hereditary status, endogamy, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.