Thank you for your interest in a position at one of OMSI's Science Camps - Cascade Science School, Hancock Field Station, and Pacific Marine Science Camp and the NSF-ITEST grant-funded Salmon Camp. Science education at all the camps is field-based, hands-on, and experiential in nature, involving students in field work in forest, arid land and stream ecology, coastal ecology, geology, astronomy, and cultural history. Outdoor skills are also offered including orienteering, tracking, canoeing, rafting, outdoor skills and backpacking.
Hancock is a natural science field camp located in the juniper-grasslands of the John Day River Valley in a geographically remote area of Central Oregon. It is at a low elevation inside the boundaries of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument where the weather is hot in the summer and mild in spring and fall. The focus of instruction at Hancock is an interdisciplinary program of geology, life sciences, paleontology, archaeology and astronomy.
Cascade Science School is located in the Deschutes National Forest in a former log and stone ski lodge built in the 1930s. Tumalo Creek flows past the lodge and ponderosa pine forests surround it. The lodge lies just 10 miles west of Bend just below the Three Sisters Wilderness area. This location is optimal for studying forest and fire ecology, volcanic geology, stream ecology, and glaciation. The temperature is mild in the summer, with cool springs and falls.
The coastal programs teach coastal ecology and geology with some cultural history and forest ecology. Camp Kiwanilong is on the northern Oregon Coast near Astoria and is within walking distance of the beach and Camp Magruder is on the north central coast near Tillamook. These are used in Spring only. We also do programs based in the San Juan Islands and the California Redwoods during the summer.
During the spring and fall, OMSI Science Camps host a variety of groups, including elementary, secondary and college students, and families. The focus is primarily outdoor science education. During the summer, we offer natural science camps for students ages 8-18. In-class time consists of a 20-30 minute pre- and post-field classes in the day's topic. Hikes of at least two miles per day are taken and up to five miles on some days. During summer camps, some instructors lead extensive backpacking trips throughout the Northwest.
Apprentice Instructors are college students or graduates looking for additional teaching experience. Apprentices receive a $15-25/day stipend in addition to room and board during programs. We will happily fill out internship paperwork with you to insure that you receive credit for you experience at OMSI Science Camps. Apprentices work for 3 months and often find work as instructors with our programs following their apprenticeship.
Counselors are primarily college students or high school graduates who have both experience and a strong interest in working with children. High school Counselors who are at least 16 years old are paid $15 per day; college students receive $30/day. Those 16 and older who are not eligible for a paid position can volunteer as counselors. Counselors are responsible for supervising campers during all non-instructional time -- during meals, free time, and when in cabins. Counselors also lead campfires and assist instructors in the field during the day. Days are long but filled with exciting activities and responsible work. Very often the counselor is the #1 thing the campers remember about their camp experience.
The Instructors at all sites have undergraduate or graduate degrees in one of the natural sciences and prior experience teaching and/or working with children in an outdoor school setting. Base pay for a college graduate is $65 per day for those with the required Wilderness First Responder and lifeguard certification and an interstate commercial drivers license with airbrake and passenger endorsements. Additional pay is added for graduate degrees and returning in subsequent years. Room and board is provided during program days and on weekends at some sites. All employment is contingent upon clean criminal and driver's background checks. Work is seasonal terminating by mid-November in most cases.
If you do not already have the required WFR, lifeguard certification and an interstate commercial drivers license with airbrake and passenger endorsements, but are interested in employment as an instructor, please make arrangements to get these certifications with a nationally recognized certifying body for WFR and life guarding, and your state DMV for the commercial drivers license. OMSI sponsors a WFR through Wilderness Medicine Institute, lifeguard certifications and commercial drivers licensure. In 2005, the WFR will take place February 6th -through 13th at OMSI's Cascade Science School, opportunities for CDL and lifeguard training will be made available prior to employment and during off-times. The price for prospective staff members is approximately $400 for the WFR, about $150 for the lifeguard certifications and around $225 for a CDL with airbrake and passenger endorsements, if you already have an Oregon driver license. If you are from out of state, an additional $55 is required to get an Oregon driver's license before you can get a CDL permit.
