Stevens Historical Research Associates is looking for a dynamic and motivated part-time Project Manager in its growing Boise, Idaho office. SHRA is a boutique research firm that offers flexibility, growth and a fun work environment.

The Project Manager will serve as the interface between the president of the firm and the research team, and will plan projects, keep them on schedule and on budget, and potentially serve as the point of contact for some clients. This job requires the following skills:

• project management, including staffing plans, fieldwork with travel, research, and report writing and review;
• proven ability to supervise, direct, and instruct personnel;
• excellent organization;
• follow-through;
• ability to multi-task;
• high level of comfort with technology;
• excellent written and oral communications skills, including a strong command of the English written language;
• a sense of adventure and discovery;
• an analytical mind;
• a love of history.

The job requires the following experience:

• 5+ years experience project management, including budgeting and planning;
• 2-3 years proposal writing; Ability to work independently as well as on a team;
• Interest in history and/or environmental issues;
• M.A. in history or related discipline strongly preferred.

The job itself will include:

• proposal writing;
• managing a project research team;
• creating and implementing a project plan, including tasks, milestones, and deadlines;
• reporting monthly (or as agreed) to client and weekly to president;
• managing travel schedules and making travel arrangements for your team;
• potential for client-facing interaction.

Please send your resume and a letter of interest to jenniferstevens@shraboise.com.

This person will report to the president/principal of the firm. SHRA does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

We are a little late posting this newsletter to our website, although it was mailed out in late December after the judge in our Baker City case handed down her decision. Testifying at this trial in October was a great experience. The judge in Pendleton, Oregon seemed to be fascinated by history. And objectively (I think!), the story of Baker City was very interesting. It was a frontier town that gained fame in the mid-19th century through a gold strike in the surrounding mountains, and that remained vibrant through its fertile soil and the river which waters it. In many ways, the story of Baker City is the story of the West, but of course it maintains its uniqueness because of the individuals who settled it and made it what it is today. The case itself, litigated between the Forest Service and the City, involved the implication of NEPA for repairs to a ditch that was well over 100 years old. It’s a common story and one in which history plays a major role in order to determine legal rights of way. We were pleased to work for a great client and happy that the case worked out in their favor.

Be on the lookout for SHRA’s first newsletter for 2012 in June.

As summer approaches, SHRA is planning a number of research trips, and I intend to do an informal survey of how archivists are handling this modern problem. We will be in facilities ranging from regional branches of the National Archives to state historical societies and university archives. I’ll plan to report back on this point once I hear what these facilities are doing about this challenge.

A one-hour radio program on the history of the Boise Foothills and the Boise River Greenbelt, featuring Jennifer Stevens, Anne Hausrath, Judy Ouderkirk, and Elaine Clegg.

I also was recently asked to write a column for the newsletter of the Coordinating Council for Women in History. The column focuses on what a person can do with a degree in History, and why the subject still matters in our modern lives. As I tell my students, I think it’s critical to follow your passion and to realize along the way that you might have to get creative to make it work. But to pursue something that doesn’t interest you simply because there’s a market for it has never made a lot of sense to me. Happy reading, and Happy Holidays!

What Can I Do With a Ph.D. In History?

National magazines have frequently written about Boise over the past 8-10 years, praising its entrepreneurial culture and its outdoor accessibility, including biking and hiking trails, 43 miles of riverside greenbelt, ample park space, and the surprisingly clean (yet urban) Boise River. It is important to remember that these things didn’t just happen spontaneously. By the middle of the 20^th Century, Boise was on a path of least resistance that included polluting rivers and overbuilding in the foothills. But starting in the 1960s,  elected and non-elected leaders in the larger Boise community offered a different vision for what this valley could be for its residents, and the size and relative youth of our town meant that the town’s political and business structures were (and remain) accessible to just about anyone. Many people who had a vision for Boise were able to achieve it in that supportive civic environment. For example, a history of successful entrepreneurship in Boise produced a philanthropic legacy in turn, particularly visible in Boise’s “string of pearls” parks along the Boise river named for influential women in Boise’s history, including: Julia Davis, whose husband represented pioneer agricultural success; Ann Morrison, whose husband founded Morrison Knudsen which became the preeminent dam builder in the West; and Kathryn Albertson, whose husband started the Albertson’s grocery chain.

In this relatively open community with no history of Tammany Hall-like graft and corruption, average citizens like Bill Onweiler, who spearheaded the Greenbelt idea (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dskPRdi2k9I), ran successfully for City Council in the late 1960s on a platform of open space and parks. Others like Ward Parkinson (co-founder of Micron) worked from inside the business community to ensure that private landowners along the Boise River understood the vision and provided easements to the City. Still others like Anne Hausrath, who emigrated to Boise from the eastern seaboard, aimed to protect the City’s foothills from overdevelopment in the 1980s. The openness and accessibility of the City has caused citizens to feel protective of what they have; people here feel fierce pride over what the town has done for them and feel a need for continued improvement and preservation.

Talking to new and future leaders in the community gave me the opportunity to share the vision and history of Boise’s trailblazers, conveying that the stories of great places are written by visionaries, and that there’s usually a long list of them.  I hope that this class of Leadership Boise, as the ones that have come before it, continue to advance a vision for our community that will ensure its special qualities remain and grow for generations to come.

The mission of the fifteen-member Board, which is funded in part by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), is to advocate for the creation, preservation, dissemination and use of information that accurately chronicles the people and institutions of Idaho, both public and private.

The Board meets four times a year to review new NHPRC grant applications and to coordinate statewide historical records concerns.

For more information on the Idaho State Records Advisory Board, please visit:  http://history.idaho.gov/shrab.html

Dr. Stevens’s appointment runs through October 2013.

To encourage conversation and collaboration, a group of local organizations is hosting a series of Brown Bag lunches leading up to their October 18th conference on private and public opportunities for ecosystem restoration on the Lower Boise River.  SHRA is pleased to be a sponsor of these programs.

The Lower Boise River was the subject of a recent Feasibility Study by the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  The Feasibility Study was aimed in part at evaluating potential sites for additional water storage infrastructure – i.e. dams.  Now, the group of local water leaders hosting this program series are going to talk about other opportunities which the river presents.  Participants include members of the non-profit community such as Idaho Rivers United, as well as members of the irrigation and scientist communities.  The series presents the opportunity for the myriad people and groups that use the Boise River to talk about and envision its future.  Please plan to come to the Brown Bag lunches and especially the event on October 18, which will feature a keynote address by Boise State University president Bob Kustra.

Click here for details on the Brown Bag Lunch series: Idaho Rivers United brownbagflyer

Click here for information on the October 18 Vision to Reality workshop

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/arts/geographic-information-systems-help-scholars-see-history.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp

Although the article does not specifically discuss SHRA’s specialty – environmental history — the use of Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, represents a major leap forward in the search for historical accuracy in this field.  SHRA’s clients often utilize GIS consultants to provide visual representations of the area in question.  Their maps are incredibly helpful to our historians when reading primary sources such as General Land Office field notes and survey plats or even simple historical maps.  GIS maps help us to understand historical changes in stream beds, watercourses, and any other physical changes in the land such as tree coverage or accumulation of mining waste.  We have worked with many of these GIS firms over the past eight or so years to create our own maps, as well, showing changes in land ownership over time, road locations and changes over time, and any other number of important historical events.  GIS is an incredible tool in legal settings where visual representation can help tell a story to opposing lawyers or to a judge who may have stacks of paper to read but for whom “a picture tells a thousand words.”  That one perfect map — done in consultation with a GIS expert – can make your case.

SHRA is a full-service historical research firm with special expertise in land use and water history in relation to environmental disputes.  Our historians and researchers conduct primary research to illuminate and analyze a wide range of historical and legal issues for corporate and government clients, as well as individuals.  Our clients often request analysis and full reports, although we can also provide basic document retrieval.  We begin with the collection of archival material and provide critical interpretation of that material in our reports.  We also provide expert witness services for our clients when needed.  SHRA can meet all of your historical research needs.

Can’t I do historical research on my own?  Isn’t everything on the internet now?

Thorough and professional archival research is the skill of trained historians.  Often, the documents we uncover can mean the difference between winning and losing a case.  When it comes to litigating a dispute with historical components, there are often hundreds of documents out there that are extremely useful for proving your case, but that are only available through archival research.

Our firm conducts the great majority of research in archives where the materials are not now and likely will never be available electronically.  Although some of the collections and archives we use do have indices available on-line, the documents themselves are stored in special archival facilities.  Our historians have more than 25 years of collective experience doing historical research, and we are accustomed to communications with archivists that result in finding the materials that we need.  We often are able to locate records and sources that non-historians are unaware exist and have not yet been digitized.

Most importantly, SHRA provides seamless professional examination and interpretation of all available primary research results to ensure that you have the entire picture presented to you in an easily understandable and usable product that is tailored to your specific needs.

What is “primary research”?

Primary research involves locating, examining and interpreting original source materials.     From historic government records (land grants, survey maps, etc.) to private, corporate and public materials (correspondence, reports, journals, contracts, etc.), we search for all relevant documentation to ensure that no stone is left unturned.  From those varied sources, we abstract information germane to your inquiry and offer professional analysis of what the historic records show.  Historians are professionally trained to examine human motivation, which means that we can offer expert opinions about original intent of legislation, contracts, and other events.

Where does SHRA do its research?

Although our offices are located in Boise, Idaho, SHRA routinely conducts research in archives across the country, including in Washington, D.C. and throughout the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest.  We have special expertise in the workings and contents of the National Archives, as well as state archives, historic newspapers, municipal collections, and academic and corporate archives, among many other sources.  SHRA also conducts field visits to inspect physical spaces or geographic areas when that is the best way to get the information we are seeking.

Does SHRA have specific areas of expertise or interest?

In general terms, SHRA specializes in uncovering information about environmental history in relation to:

-  environmental liability under CERCLA (Superfund), RCRA, and the Clean Air and Water Acts;

-  access issues, such as road and ditch validations under the 1866 Mining Law;

-  water rights, including reserved rights, surface and ground water development, irrigation districts, and Reclamation and Carey Act projects;

-  mining history, including gold, silver, phosphate, and other minerals and metals of historic importance in the West.

We have extensive experience in researching these matters.  Please visit our “Areas of Expertise” tab on our home page.

The matter I need assistance with is sensitive.  What are your disclosure practices?

Each of our contractors and researchers signs a confidentiality agreement with SHRA.  Your investigatory requests will not be discussed outside of our offices or with a third party.  In addition, any research analysis or findings that we provide in response to your contract will not be shared without your express consent.  Because a large portion of our work is in support of pending litigation, we are familiar and comply with the requirements of attorneys and established legal procedure in the provision of our services.

How does SHRA take on new clients?  What are the “next steps”?

If you are interested in discussing your specific historical research needs, we would be pleased to assist you.  The first step is contacting SHRA, either by phone at 208-850-1553 or through our contact page.  After an initial consultation, usually by phone, we will assess your needs and provide you with a written proposal that covers the scope, time and estimated cost for project completion.  Once the proposal has been agreed to and signed by both parties, our research will begin.  We look forward to hearing from you!