GIS LiDAR Data Management Steward – Mesa Verde National Park

Position Title

GIS Data Management Steward – Ameri Corps

Stewards Individual Placements

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO 81330

July 3, 2026 OR once 50 applications received

• Start Date:
  
  October 5, 2026
• End Date:
  January 22, 2027
• Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 450-Hour Slot

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with Ameri Corps service and career internship opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to provide institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. In partnership with the NPS GIS office, a cohort of GIS stewards is hosting this position.

Located in southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park is dedicated to the preservation of the natural and cultural landscapes, homes, and villages of the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived and farmed there for over 800 years. The park comprises 53,000 acres of south‑sloping cuestas of pinyon‑juniper woodlands intersected by valleys and deep canyons. It is most famous for its alcove cliff‑dwellings with standing Ancestral Pueblo architecture.

The Park’s Cultural Resources operation seeks an enterprising GIS Data Management Steward to learn and support the post‑processing of terrestrial LiDAR data of this unique cultural‑architectural resource.

• Learn how to process terrestrial LiDAR scan data of cliff‑dwelling architecture, including point cloud classification and registration.
• Learn to process LiDAR point cloud data into a variety of cartographic and architectural products such as CAD vector line work maps, and raster surface elevations. Apply these skills to produce final products.
• Write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), document best practices and efficient data processing and editing workflows.
• Assist GIS Specialist with a variety of park‑wide GIS tasks, including high‑accuracy geospatial data collection and processing.
• Participate in the weekly NPS‑GIS Steward Cohort meetings.
• Design a capstone project presentation to be presented to the GIS‑Steward cohort and interested NPS personnel.

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• Applicants must be between ages 18–30, or up to 35 for veterans, in accordance with the Public Land Corps Act of 1993.
• Must hold a high‑school diploma or equivalency certificate; if not, must not have dropped out of elementary or secondary school and must agree to obtain a high‑school diploma or equivalent before using the education award.
• Agree to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.

The candidate should have a solid base of GIS skills and knowledge of ESRI applications including ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online web‑mapping. The candidate should be enterprising and resourceful in using online tutorials to learn independently and in documenting workflows from point cloud to vector CAD and other deliverables. Candidates should be detail‑oriented, have strong writing and communication skills, and demonstrate initiative.

The ideal candidate would have knowledge and skills working with LiDAR data, preferably with Trimble Business Center and/or Real Works, and AutoCAD. Candidates determined to learn these programs from online tutorials and possibly in‑person custom training are also welcome.

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non‑traditional work hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use of program‑specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis, and exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Safe driving of an organizational vehicle may also be required for…