Northwest Youth Corps

Individual Placement

National Park Service

Nez Perce National Historical Park

Lapwai, ID - 16 weeks

Position Title: Collections Management Internship - 640 HR

Position Summary:

The Nez Perce National Historical Park is recruiting two Collections Management Interns beginning June through October 2025, dates are negotiable depending on availability. The interns will serve within the Cultural Resource program. The internship will provide youth with the opportunity to learn resource management values and ethics while gaining hands-on opportunities in management and preservation of cultural resources. The Collections Management Interns will have a focus on learning and developing skills that relate to stewardship and curation of museum objects and archival collections. The internship will also focus on career building and professional development skills. This will include resume writing, overview of park operations, leadership training, and project management skills.

About Northwest Youth Corps (NYC):

Northwest Youth Corps was created in 1984 to offer teenagers and young adults an education-based work experience modeled after the historic Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's. Today, we serve over 1,000 youth and young adults each year across a four-state region who restore critical habitat, build trails, lead volunteers, educate youth, and respond to local and national disasters.

Nez Perce National Historical Park, Lapwai, Idaho

The 38 units of Nez Perce National Historical Park form a park unit about a people, for all people. It is not one place, but many. It is not one story, but a multitude. It is not one viewpoint, but many more than one. Approximately 300,000 visitors annually come to Nez Perce National Historical Park to experience and understand the cultural heritage and history of the Nez Perce as well as to see the scenery along two national historic trails: the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, a unit of the National Park Service, and the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service in close partnership with Nez Perce National Historical Park. The majority of visitors discover Nez Perce sites as they travel to and from other destinations but are able to discover the many stories and legends inherently tied to this landscape.

Lapwai, Idaho is Park Headquarters for Nez Perce National Historical Park. It is located in NW Idaho near the Idaho Washington border 12 miles SW of Lewiston Idaho on US HWY 95.  The area is defined by the Clearwater and Snake rivers as they flow through canyons and steep hills and run together in Lewiston. Vegetation in the area is mostly grass and sage, the topography is rolling hills with distant mountains, much of the area is agricultural and planted in wheat. The towns of Lewiston Idaho population 36,000 and Clarkston Washington population 8,000 offer all major services including rental housing, airport, schools, and hospitals. There is no public transportation to the park from the surrounding communities.  Daytime temperatures from May to October frequently reach the high 80’s with numerous days in July and August with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Daytime temperatures in the winter range from the low 30’s to mid-50’s.  The climate is arid at Lapwai which is in the Clearwater River bottom with little rain or snow, both rain and snowfall increase significantly in the higher elevations around Lapwai.

Duties and Responsibilities:

General Collections Management (70%)

• These activities will include all aspects of collections processing from accessioning, cataloging, entry of item records in the collection management database, to proper long-term storage and curation of items.

Annual Museum Reporting (30%)

• Assist museum collections staff in the completion of the museum inventories for Nez Perce National Historical Park, Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, and Big Hole National Battlefield.

Required Qualifications:

• Ages 16-30 (up to 35 for veterans)
• S. Citizen or lawful, permanent resident
• Must pass a background/driver check
• Strong Organizational, attention to detail and research skills
• Ability to lift and carry up to 30 lbs.
• Willingness to work independently and in a team environment
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Current Driver’s license
• Transportation to and from work
• A positive attitude and willingness to learn

Desired Qualifications:

• Knowledge of Nez Perce history and culture
• Coursework or previous experience in archaeology, museum studies, archives, history, and/or anthropology
• Experience in database entry, photography, and other computer skills

Duty Location:

The interns will be based out of Nez Perce National Historical Park - Visitor Center in Lapwai, ID. Work is primarily indoors and in collection storage spaces. There may be some day trips or overnight travel to Whitman Mission National Historic Site (Walla Walla, WA), Big Hole National Battlefield (Wisdom, MT), and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (Kettle Falls, WA) as needed and if interested.

Terms of Employment:

Interns will complete the 16-week program starting June through October 2025. The intern will average 40 hours of labor per week, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm, minus holidays for a total of 16 weeks. If an intern is a full-time student, i.e. during the academic year, arrangements would be made to work with the intern’s scheduling needs. Sick days and off days are allowed per request via the Nez Perce National Historical Park staff. Interns are responsible for providing their own personal transportation and food.

Program Benefits:

Interns will earn $10,240 total living allowance, dispersed on a monthly basis throughout the 16-week program (640 hours). The living allowance is taxable. Interns are responsible for providing their own housing and food. Personal transportation needed.