Join the Bureau of Land Management team in protecting our public lands and promoting hands on learning through some of the United States’ most treasured cultural, natural and geological resources…become a Teacher on the Public Lands.
Currently there is an opportunity for a teacher (K-12) to become a Teacher on the Public Lands in the Rio
Puerco Field Office, Bluewater Creek and the Baca/Prewitt Chapter of the Navajo Nation.
This will be 160 hour project over the summer months. Teachers will receive a stipend of $ 2200 dollars
for completing a 160 of service. The major duty of the teacher will be to develop a lesson plan for use
with students in their or other School District(s). The lesson plan will be reviewed by the HOL site
manager and appropriate BLM specialists for inclusion of BLM resources and accuracy of information.
At least one lesson will be reviewed by UC Denver staff to provide feedback on the lesson plan itself. UC
Denver will provide all teachers with a rubric for the lesson plan.
Responsibilities include:
Conduct independent research on specific topics for the purpose of developing resource
education programs. Learn about public lands resources.
Complete a final project that includes development of curriculum-based learning activities
relevant to both public land resources and the teaching needs of their school district or
organization.
Complete the online course “Experiential Learning in the Parks” offered by the University of
Colorado – Denver. Upon completion teacher will receive three graduate course credits, which
can also be used as continuing education credits in most districts. All fees and tuition are
covered by the Teachers on the Public Lands Program.
Work at HOL sites in roles mutually agreed upon by the teacher and the local HOL site manager.
Develop activities based on their experience to use in their school districts and the HOL outdoor
classroom.
Work to understand and support resource management efforts and articulate them in their
schools/districts.
In addition the Teacher on the Public Lands will be introduced to the Bureau of Land Management as a
whole and experience the agency’s mission firsthand. Throughout the summer the teacher will get a
chance to get out in the field with different specialists like the wildlife biologists, recreation specialists,
range specialists, archaeologists, hydrologists, ecologists, tribal governments, and senior Navajo Nation
leaders. It will be a great way to see and explore the unique resources, objects, and values of the BLM
Rio Puerco Field Office and Baca/Prewitt Chapter of the Navajo Nation. The teacher will receive on the
ground, firsthand, well-rounded job experiences to see how BLM manages the Public Lands and partners
with tribal governments to accomplish mutual goals and objectives through the creation of sustainable
educational programs.
For further information, or to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jackie Leyba at the Rio Puerco
Field Office at (505)761-8955 or email at jleyba@blm.gov.