Stream Ecology Technicians Needed (Oregon State University)

See website for more information and instructions for applying: https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjobs.oregonstate.edu%2Fpostings%2F88185&data=02%7C01%7Cmadeline.hennessey%40uconn.edu%7C9250aabacf6d48f1255908d7afa4bdd2%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C637170994419401596&sdata=1Bcw8%2BT6L1HdFADD2vXpj%2FIO28kJPkZq%2BnxtnS%2FrLBk%3D&reserved=0

Applications must include a resume with relevant coursework, a cover letter, and contact information for 3 references. For full consideration, please submit applications by March 15, 2020.

Position Summary

Field technicians are needed to collect data for a riparian buffer manipulation study implemented on private forest lands in Oregon. In conjunction with a timber-funded non-profit NCASI (National Council for Air and Stream Improvement), the Warren Lab at Oregon State University is testing how different prescriptions for riparian buffers adjacent to clearcut harvests can influence in-stream ecosystem processes and biotic interactions via increases in light.

This year we’ll be collecting another year of pre-treatment data before harvesting on some sites begins in the fall of 2020.

This recruitment will be used to fill four part-time (a maximum of 40 hours per week) student technical assistant positions for the Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society at Oregon State University (OSU).

Position Duties

Technicians will be expected to assist with field data collection and routinely enter/process data throughout the summer. On a typical day, technicians will be responsible for packing gear using checklists, accompanying a crew driving out to private timber land, carrying backpacks of equipment out to study streams, following protocols to measure several ecological variables including aquatic vertebrates, macroinvertebrates, water chemistry, stream discharge, periphyton, and physical habitat, installing/maintaining sensors, keeping good notes and recording data, then hiking back to the truck and organizing samples.

Field efforts will involve some camping overnight at nearby campsites to minimize drive time. Technicians will later be responsible for entering data and processing periphyton samples in the lab. Fish and salamander sampling will be conducted using a backpack electroshocker, and fish will be anaesthetized and injected with PIT (passive integrated transponder) tags to monitor growth over the summer.

Minimum Qualifications

Employment Eligibility Requirements (https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffa.oregonstate.edu%2Fstu-manual%2F500-employment-eligibility-requirements&data=02%7C01%7Cmadeline.hennessey%40uconn.edu%7C9250aabacf6d48f1255908d7afa4bdd2%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C637170994419401596&sdata=ho9jV%2BsMCcQoqYRAmEHDYQpFFJqDCAHMiaUJBcSDvnM%3D&reserved=0)

Additional Required Qualifications

Applicants should have experience working or otherwise spending time in the outdoors and be able to walk through small streams with overlying vegetation and uneven surfaces.

Field sites are in forested, mountainous terrain with steep slopes, dense understory vegetation and biting insects, and applicants should be prepared to work in a range of weather conditions from cold rain to extreme summer heat. Exposure to poison oak is a possibility.

Applicants must be able to lift 50 lbs, wear waders 8+ hours/day, handle live animals such as fish, salamanders, and invertebrates, and be comfortable working without cell service.

Additional qualifications include:

Working as a team member.

Following protocols

Thinking critically

Following safety guidelines

Being consistent

Maintaining a positive attitude

Expressing interest in aquatic ecology

Being enthusiastic about learning new skills

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per OSU Standard 576-055-0000 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

This position requires driving a University vehicle or a personal vehicle on behalf of the University; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Motor Vehicle History Check, possess and maintain a current, valid driver’s license in their state of residence, be determined to be position qualified and self-report convictions (as per Voluntary and Compulsory Driver Standards OSU Standard 125-155-0200) as per OSU Standard 576-056-0000 et seq.

Preferred (Special) Qualifications

First aid training, using Microsoft Excel, driving on gravel roads in a 4WD vehicle, navigating in remote backcountry settings with heavy backpacks, and handling live animals.

Working Conditions / Work Schedule

Anticipated hours per week: 40 hours (summer)