For more information, please follow this link: https://rock.geosociety.org/eo/documents/sip/2022/winter/20221246_PWRO_SIP_Intern_PD.pdf

Salary– 52 Weeks ($580.00/week =$30160.00)

Project Description: The External Energy & Minerals Program in Interior Regions 8, 9, 10 and 12 (legacy Pacific West Region, PWR) supports parks and programs by directly engaging with land managers and agencies to assess and protect NPS natural and cultural resources and values from nearby renewable energy and mineral activities. The region includes more than 65 national park sites across eight western states and protects unique natural and cultural diversity from remote coastlines to rugged deserts to soaring peaks. With a current administration goal to permit at least 25 gigawatts of new solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands no later than 2025, applications for large-scale solar development have sky-rocketed in many western states where land is relatively flat, and sun is plentiful. Solar energy development in certain areas may have a high potential to conflict with NPS resources and values that cross beyond park boundaries. For example, desert big horn sheep migrate in and out of several national parks including Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve throughout the year. Large-scale solar energy facilities proposed in natural migration routes can severely affect park populations by
reducing accessibility to food and other resources needed for survival, increasing mortality, and further fragmenting an already reduced population. It is critical to identify cross-boundary NPS-administered resources and values to protect them from the potential effects of landscape-scale and local-scale solar energy development. Understanding what and where the impacts are to our resources will enable the NPS to better advocate for its protection.