Position Announcement – Summer Field Forestry/Biology/Ecology Positions

8 Total Positions Available: 2 Crew Leads, 6 Technicians for Summer 2020

Monday, May 18th* – Friday, August 14th**

*Crew Leaders must be available beginning May 13th

**with possible extension through Friday, August 21st

Location: 4 positions near State College, PA and 4 positions in Coudersport, PA

Pay: Full time, 40hr/week appointment. Crew leaders – $12.50/hr; technicians – $11.50/hr. Housing is also provided for field crews.

Description: These positions are part of a long-term vegetation research and monitoring project assessing the effects of white-tailed deer browsing and other factors on understory plant community composition and tree regeneration in central and northern Pennsylvania.

Duties:

Technicians: Must be able to find, monument, and inventory permanent forest vegetation plots using GPS and other tools in central or northern Pennsylvania. Daily duties include navigation to remote parts of Pennsylvania state forest lands, hiking up to 2 miles with equipment, and collection of quality vegetation monitoring data—the identification, size class, and abundance of more than 100 species of overstory and understory plants—with a field PC.

Crew Leaders: In addition to performing the duties described above, crew leaders must be able to successfully manage and lead a vegetation monitoring crew while they perform daily duties. This includes daily planning of plot visits, assessing access routes and equipment needs, and management/archiving of collected data.

Key qualifications:

Technicians: At least two years toward a natural resources baccalaureate degree; demonstrated plant identification skills (as evidenced by a course in plant ID, such as dendrology, and/or field experience collecting vegetation data); ability to work independently and reliably without direct supervision in challenging field conditions; and possession of a valid driver’s license.

Crew Leaders: Possession of a baccalaureate degree in natural resources or a related field; demonstrated plant identification skills (as evidenced by at least one season of experience as a field technician monitoring vegetation data); ability to supervise and manage field crews under difficult field conditions; possession of a valid driver’s license.

Questions: Contact Michael Perkins at mdp297@psu.edu.

Application deadline: Applications will reviewed as they are received.

To apply: Send a letter, résumé, transcripts, and contact information for three references (via email preferred) to Bobbi Joy Scovern. At least one reference should be able to comment on your plant identification skills. In your letter, please indicate if you would like to be considered for a crew leader position.

Email applications to:

Bobbi Joy Scovern, Administrative Support Assistant

Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

419 Forest Resources Building

University Park, PA 16802

Email: bys5@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-4511