EPIC National Park Service (NPS)

Program Overview

The EPIC NPS Division works alongside the National Park Service across the United States, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, to support the NPS in its mission to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” while providing career promoting individual placement (internship) opportunities for emerging professionals at a wide range of skill levels; fellowship graduate-level positions to entry-level placements. These positions operate year-round.

ACE is involved with several signature National Park Service annual programs including:

What We Do
The EPIC NPS team partners with the National Park Service to provide work experience opportunities to emerging professionals work in areas such as: cultural resource management, wildlife monitoring, environmental education historic preservation, physical sciences, GIS, and many more. For a full list and your own exploration of NPS sites (parks, seashores, battlefields, monuments, etc), please visit the NPS “About Us” page.

Where We Work
EPIC NPS has ongoing partnerships with every NPS region and has had projects in 50+ states and US territories. Participants can expect to work closely with a host-park mentor; these are the resource professionals themselves offering direct support and instruction.

A Closer Look at the EPIC – National Park Service Programs

ACE’s EPIC program recruits and manages hundreds of young adult volunteers annually to serve through individual placements with the National Park Service where they benefit from hands-on experience under the mentorship of NPS staff. 

NPS Academy
An innovative and immersive program designed to introduce a diversity of young adult participants from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the National Parks, to career opportunities with the NPS.

Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP)
A professional development internship that introduces undergraduate and graduate students, from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the National Parks, to career opportunities within Cultural Resource Management in the National Park Service.

Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP)
Provides hands-on, historic preservation trade skills training during an intensive five-month learning-while-working experience

Mellon Humanities Fellowship
This program supports the work of humanities scholars at NPS park sites across the country. Their research and analysis explore the rich and complex histories present in and around national parks, giving added voice to diverse perspectives and experiences at those sites. As a partner, ACE collaboratively hires and manages the fellows nationwide as part of The Mellon Foundation’s generous grant to the National Park Foundation (NPF) to support recent postdoctoral scholars in this vital project.

Build Up Technical Internships
The Build Up Technical Internship Program is working to expand and diversify the National Park Service workforce while addressing critical maintenance needs by providing professional experiences in technical fields to students and recent graduates.

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