Backcountry Horseback Naturalists
Job Description: Experience the best backcountry Yellowstone National Park has
to offer! Use
your wildlife and botany knowledge to work as a naturalist for Yellowstone
Wilderness
Outfitters. You will have the opportunity to view grizzlies, black bears, elk,
and wolves all while
interpreting Yellowstone's hottest conservation issues for our guests. Guiding
horseback tours
in Yellowstone is the adventure of a lifetime. You are not just a tour guide;
you are a
Yellowstone ecology expert. You'll learn all about the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem and add
extensive backcountry experience to your resume.
Interpersonal skills are vital to interacting with our guests. A guide must be
able to field any and
all questions about Yellowstone National Park. Knowledge of wildlife,
wildflowers, general
ecology, geology, and history is essential. We will point you toward materials
that will help you
prepare. You are essentially naturalists working on horseback. There is also a
very physical
side to the job. The job requires lifting 50 lbs or more, working in all
weather conditions at
altitudes of 6,000 to 10,000 feet, very long hours, and very few days off.
We are based out of Gardiner, MT, the North Entrance to Yellowstone National
Park. Housing is
required on-site in a huge, nice camper trailer, shared among other guides, and
costs around
$200 per month. Pets and personal horses are not allowed.
If you plan to spend all your time in the local bars, please don't waste our
time (and yours)
applying. We expect all applicants to have a genuine desire to work in
Yellowstone National
Park.
Qualifications:
We are looking for a motivated individual who can follow basic
directions and multi-task!
Applicants must want to be part of a hard-working team; teamwork is what makes
horseback
trips run smoothly. Because you will be spending a great deal of time with our
guests, you must
desire to work with people and be happy to go the extra mile for our guests.
Hours are long and
in all weather conditions, but the reward is the Yellowstone backcountry!
This is an outdoor job and you will be required to provide the
equipment necessary for
working in the backcountry. At a minimum, this must include: waterproof boots,
western wear
and hat, rain and winter gear, headlamp, Leatherman Wave, and a zero degree
sleeping bag.
Specific qualifications include:
Commit to the season: June through September 2015 (exact contract dates to be
determined).
Be able to demonstrate experience with horses and possess competent riding
skills. Video may
be required of applicants.
A minimum of a Bachelor's degree is required.
Previous naturalist and guiding experience is a plus, but not mandatory. Any
experience with
the public is beneficial.
All positions are very labor intensive and applicants must be physically fit.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and arrive with valid First Aid and
CPR certification.
At this time, we are only able to hire US citizens or those with a U.S. work
visa in-hand.
Position Descriptions: We will be hiring 1-3 guides.
Day Ride Naturalist Guide. We run half and full day rides in the Mammoth Hot
Springs area.
Your duties will include catching, saddling, and loading horses into a trailer;
driving the trailer
into the Park to meet your guests for the day; taking care of your guests along
the trail and give
info on YNP; serving lunch on the trail; and returning to the barn to unsaddle
and check over
horses and tack. You are also responsible for barn chores: basic horse health
care, putting out
hay, cleaning water tank, shoveling poop, and truck/trailer inspections.
Backcountry Naturalist/Wrangler. We run trips lasting four to six days every
week for 13 weeks
in a row. Pack trips are camping trips into the Yellowstone wilderness on
horseback and take
place throughout the Park. We camp in tents and sleeping bags and ride horses
15 miles per
day. Your duties will include saddling horses and mules, setting up our
portable electric fence,
setting up camp, assisting with camp and kitchen tasks (tending the fire,
fetching water,
washing dishes, etc.), packing food and equipment in panniers, and assisting
guests on
horseback and around camp.
Backcountry Naturalist/Camp Cook. We run trips lasting four to six days every
week for 13
weeks in a row. Pack trips are camping trips into the Yellowstone wilderness on
horseback and
take place throughout the Park. We camp in tents and sleeping bags and ride
horses 15 miles
per day. Your duties will include a combination of saddling horses, cooking
breakfast and
dinner, packing food and equipment in panniers, and assisting guests on all of
our pack trips.
This position requires a great deal of interacting with our guests. You will
help them on the trail
and discuss Yellowstone with them over breakfast. Backcountry and/or cooking
experience not
required.
For Application Instructions, please visit our website at
http://www.yellowstone.ws/jobs.html
The application is very detailed; please be sure to follow all directions
carefully and answer
question fully. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Salary: $350.00 per week plus tips.
Application Deadline: We will begin reviewing applications as they are
received, but must be
submitted by January 31, 2015.
Website: http://www.yellowstone.ws/jobs.html
Contact: Carrie Byron
E-mail: [email protected]
