Adventures Through Careers in the Outdoors
Adventures Through Careers in the Outdoors
March 26, 2024; 10 a.m. (Mountain)
Are you interested in sharing your Native cultural knowledge with the public? Are you passionate about the outdoors, conservation and learning new people? Here is your opportunity to learn how! You can make a difference by bringing your unique experience, background, and perspective to the work on and for public lands. Whether it is applying for an internship, seasonal work, career opportunities or finding volunteer opportunities with U.S. Federal Lands Agencies; the process can be confusing. In this webinar, we are going to talk with our partners at the National Park Service to learn more about how the process works and how to navigate the USAJobs.gov website. Bring your questions and prepare to get some insights on how to research and apply for opportunities with U.S. Federal Lands Agencies.
Speakers/Panelists
Moderator(s)
Gail E. Chehak
Tribal Relations & Outreach Manager
Gail E. Chehak, a Klamath Tribal citizen, serves as Tribal Relations & Outreach Manager. She works to cultivate partnerships to support AIANTA’s programs, including AIANTA members, as well as tribal travel, tourism and recreation staff and tourism and recreation industry leaders. Gail has worked with tribal arts, tourism, economic development and environmental protection for the National Congress of American Indians, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Indian Arts & Crafts Association. While Arts & Tourism Coordinator for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, Gail co-authored Native Peoples of the NW: A Traveler’s Guide to Land, Art & Culture. She has written numerous grant proposals and served on grant review panels for the Administration for Native Americans; AmeriCorps; National Parks Service Historic Preservation Fund; Department of Education, Library Services Special Programs to Indian Tribes; and Indian Health Service Scholarships.
Larry Calhoun is a leadership / management expert, who is known for delivering high-energy and production to all projects he is involved with. As a decorated combat veteran, Calhoun brings unique perspectives gained from his experience to The National Park Service. He seeks to empower the NPS and partners along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to unleash the untapped potential of their projects. Using real-world examples, he demonstrates how the talent each person / organization brings to the table can positively impact the mission.
NPS Interpretive Specialist·Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Loren Yellow Bird, Sr. is a citizen of the Arikara Nation, part of the MHA nation from North Dakota. He is a traditionalist and historian. He currently serves as a NPS Interpretive Specialist for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. He received a Bachelor’s degree in History and Anthropology from North Dakota State University and is a veteran of U.S. Navy. Loren received the North Dakota Apprenticeship Grant to learn and study traditional stories and songs with Arikara/Sahnish elders. He is a published author and has several articles, and publications as well as been the subject of articles and stories.
Pathways
Kinley Cook (she/her) is a Parks and Recreation Management major and Social Justice minor in her final year at Western Carolina University, situated within the ancestral homelands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Her passion for environmental and cultural education began in 2018 during her first season working at a summer camp in Eastern North Carolina. In 2021, she made the switch from camps to public lands, taking her first NC State Parks position at Goose Creek State Park in Washington, North Carolina. After transferring to WCU, she became the first Park Naturalist at Gorges State Park. She began her current Virtual Student Federal Service internship with the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail in 2023.
Jim Eagan
Volunteer Program Coordinator·Trails & Rails Program
Since 2011, Jim has been a volunteer interpretive guide for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle. He works in both of Trails & Rails programs: on the Coast Starlight between Seattle and Portland, OR; and on the Empire Builder between Seattle and Wenatchee, WA. Since 2018, he has worked as a volunteer Program Coordinator at the park, managing the operation of these programs – recruiting, training, scheduling, and marketing. He also served as a volunteer guide in the park’s Visitor Center since 2011. Prior to volunteering for NPS, he worked in various HR posts in the federal goverment.