Wildlife Technician (Tahoe National Forest)

Great Basin Institute • Truckee, CA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the US Forest Service, is recruiting two wildlife crew members to support the planning and implementation of vegetation management projects on the Tahoe National Forest in the Sierra Nevada mountains, California. The crew members will work alongside a small team of technicians (1-3 personnel) to ensure safe, efficient, and scientifically sound data collection in support of US Forest Service resource management objectives. The crew member will participate in daily field operations and provide sound technical data collection for wildlife management programs. This is principally a field-based position (minimum 80% of time) with surveys often occurring in remote backcountry locations. Work will be physically demanding and will involve extensive hiking in steep terrain at high altitudes (5000 to 9000 ft.) on a daily basis, potentially during inclement weather conditions such as heat, snow, or rain. Camping near a work site for several days may be required to meet survey objectives. Opportunities to assist with other disciplines (e.g., archaeology, forestry, hydrology, range, etc.) and projects may exist.

Requirements

• Experience in conducting wildlife surveys
• Previous remote field experience of at least one field season
• Experience in standard field methods for wildlife surveys, status assessments, and habitat characterization
• Experience with visual and/or auditory species identification
• Ability to understand, implement, and adhere to established data collection, inventory, assessment, and monitoring protocols
• Willingness to work on a variable schedule in response to project needs, including nighttime and early morning surveys
• Skills in GPS navigation and map reading
• Ability to complete physically demanding field work in remote locations
• Effective communication skills for coordination with multidisciplinary teams
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license with the ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads
• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Ecology, Natural Resource Management, or related field, with fieldwork experience OR two seasons of wildlife fieldwork experience.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred experience with California spotted owl, American goshawk, and Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, or some combination of the above

Responsibilities

• Performing surveys for TES (threatened, endangered, and sensitive) wildlife species
• Gathering, compiling, and analyzing data to determine wildlife habitat requirements and management needs
• Ensuring data quality and integrity
• Assessing habitat quality and quantity
• Interpreting biological requirements for focal wildlife species and their habitat
• Inventorying and monitoring habitat populations
• Broadcast acoustical and reproductive (e.g., nesting and reproductive status) surveys for spotted owls
• Broadcast acoustical and reproductive surveys for goshawks
• Survey and identification of aquatic species

Benefits

• Wage: $21/hour with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate.
• Full time, average 40 hours per week.
• Paid holidays.
• Shared housing is provided.
• Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance
• $25,000 Life/AD&D policy.
• Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available
• Voluntary Life/AD&D policies for family members.
• Mental health support resources are employer provided
• Competitive PTO accrual
• Paid holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level