COMMUNITY News:

A partnership between the Y, Bandelier and UNM-LA has created a new college credit class this summer that can help people understand and apply for federal jobs.

The Environmental Technology course, “Introduction to Conservation and Land Management,” is 3-5 p.m. Fridays, June 16 to July 21.

Introduction to Conservation and Land Management, taught by Bandelier’s Chief of Resource Management Jeremy Sweat, was created for participants in the Y Bandelier Corps (YBC) through The Family YMCA, but also is being offered to all UNM-LA students.

The course will begin with a historical overview of trends in policy from the development of the first protected areas in the 19th century to the creation of federal land management agencies in the early 20th century to current practices and policies. Sweat will offer students a chance to consider how laws, policies and national movements have influenced land management practices.

All students in the course will have the opportunity to visit Bandelier National Monument to discuss park operations and careers with National Park Service employees.

“On a practical level, students interested in a career path in a land management agency (such as the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will learn how to compete for entry level positions,” Sweat said.

Sweat has been at Bandelier since 2015, where he supervises the park’s natural and cultural resource programs, including archaeology, museum collections, wildlife biology, botany, and environmental compliance. Sweat began his National Park Service (NPS) career as a seasonal archaeological technician at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2006, and much of his career has focused on resource management law and policy. His other positions with the NPS have included management assistant at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, policy analyst and legislative affairs specialist in the NPS Headquarters in Washington D.C., deputy superintendent at Rock Creek Park, and district ranger at Fort Washington.

For more information about the class, visit https:////losalamos.unm.edu or call 505.662.0332.