MEDICINE WHEEL
Preservation Group
American Indian College Student Medicine Wheel
Interpretive Ranger Program
June 1 - August 9, 2026
2026 PROGRAM OUTREACH
Program Overview
The Medicine Wheel Preservation Group (MWPG), in partnership with the Bighorn National Forest (BNF), is sponsoring the fourth year of the American Indian College Student Interpretive Ranger Program in 2026. Up to three students will be selected to participate in the program at the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark (MW-NHL) during a ten-week period between June 1 and August 9, 2026. This will be the fourth year of the program, first established in 2023
Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark
The 4080-acre Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark is an American Indian Traditional Cultural Place and sacred landscape located in the Bighorn Mountains of north-central Wyoming at an elevation of 10,000 feet in the Bighorn Mountains. American Indians have occupied this landscape for over 7,000 years. The 82-foot diameter stone feature known as the Medicine Wheel serves as focal point for over 50 traditional ceremonies each summer and is the focus of interpretive and preservation efforts at the site. The site can be closed to offer American Indian traditional practitioners the ability to have a private ceremony. The daily work schedule includes greeting and providing interpretative messages to visitors, hosting ceremonies, daily site maintenance and cleaning, as well as. The summer interpretive staff of 4 to 6 Interpretive Rangers are primarily college students recruited by the Forest Service through the Student Conservation Service (SCA) and through our program.
Student Benefits
Benefits will include a $600 weekly stipend ($15/hr. X 40-hour work week), paid every two weeks by automatic bank deposit. Students will also be reimbursed mileage to get from their homes to the program location and the return trip home at the end of the summer, as well as one weekly trip for groceries from the seasonal bunkhouse at Porcupine Ranger Station. The MWPG will provide transportation as needed for students who do not have a vehicle. Additional benefits include free housing, an interpreter certification training course (tentative), and mentoring visits by tribal elders.
Additional Program Information
During the first week students will complete a 32-hour course (tentative) to become a Certified Interpretive Guide using the National Association of Interpretation (NAI) curriculum which is used by parks and historic sites throughout the U.S. During the second week, students will attend Forest Service orientation and training sessions and take educational field trips as time allows. In week three, students will begin work at the MW-NHL On-site training and supervision will be provided by the Forest Service. The weekly and daily work schedules will be set by the Forest Service.
As part of our program, each student will prepare a public interpretive program on a topic related to American Indian culture or history. They will present the program in a nearby venue such as a museum or public library in Dayton, Sheridan, or Bighorn, Wyoming. Student programs presented during the first three years of our project have been very educational and well attended by the public. Gaining public speaking experience while sharing culture and history are key elements of our project.
Housing
Students will be housed at the Forest Service Porcupine Work Center while working at the Medicine Wheel. Grant funding administered by the MWPG will be paid to the Forest Service to cover the cost of the housing. The bunkhouse includes a shared kitchen, two large bathrooms with showers, common living space, laundry facilities, and private bedrooms.
Transportation
The MWPG will provide transportation for the students as an in-kind match for the project if needed. This would include transportation for the initial trip to the program site and the final return trip home at the end of the season and providing transportation for one trip each week to get groceries or other personal supplies. If a student has a personal vehicle, grant funding will be used to reimburse the student for mileage at the current GSA rate of 0.70/mile for the trips described above.
American Indian Student Mentor
A special component of the program is the inclusion of cultural mentors to support and council the students. American Indian culture and history are fundamental elements of the spiritual, historical, and physical landscape at the MW-NHL. Mentors will provide support and council to the students in both on and off-site settings. Mentors can guide students through work experiences including greeting visitors and hosting traditional ceremonies. Mentors can also enhance interpretive efforts of the hosting agencies as well. Grant funding would be used to reimburse travel and lodging expenses, as well as a daily stipend for each mentor.
Program Evaluation
At the end of their tenure at each site, the students will participate in an exit interview with the Forest Service and MWPG program leader to review their experience and provide recommendations for improving the Student Interpreter Program. They will also have an opportunity to provide suggestions for improving site interpretive materials and presentations for visitors, as well as on-site operations. The MWPG will author and end of year report detailing program activities and student public interpretive programs. Photographs of the students will be used in the report, on the MWPG web site, and in recruitment materials for future recruitment efforts.
Selection of Student Participants
American Indian college students can apply by submitting via email, a letter of Interest, resume with references, and documentation of current enrollment in a college program of study by April 20, 2026. The application will be submitted to Dave McKee, President of the MWPG at medicnewheelpg@gmail.com , who will then convene a panel representing the program partners to make the selection of the participants. The selection of students to participate in the program will be made by May 2, 2026.
Program Partners
Medicine Wheel Preservation Group (MWPG), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2025, dedicated to preservation of and education about the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark (MW-NHL) and associated archaeological and American Indian cultural sites. Providing employment, training and educational experiences for American Indian college students is a core component of the MWPG mission.
The Bighorn National Forest: Manages the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark, which is recognized as a Traditional Cultural Place utilized by American Indians for ceremonial practices. The site is staffed between mid-June and Labor Day each summer, hosting American Indian ceremonies, and over 10,000 visitors annually from around the world. The Forest will provide housing, daily worksite transportation, on-site training, and supervision for the students.
HOW TO APPLY
Email a letter of interest with your contact information, documentation of current enrollment in a college program of study, and resume with three references
By: April 20, 2026
To: Dave McKee, President, MWPG at: medicinewheelpg@gmail.com