The Great Basin Institute is hiring crew members and crew leads for a cooperative partnership with National Park Service Klamath Network (KLMN) Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) program. The overall objective is to perform Vegetation Community monitoring in Klamath Network parks. Data collected will contribute to a multi-year dataset aimed at detecting changes in status and trends in park vegetation. Products from this effort are intended to provide decision-makers with data indicating change in status and trends of vegetation communities. The Crew Leads will also assist the KLMN Vegetation Ecologist with implementing the Vegetation Monitoring protocol and provide day-to-day oversight of workflow and data collection. Training and oversight will be provided for all duties. Specific duties include:
Be a member of the KLMN I&M Vegetation Community monitoring field crew;
Participate in preparing for the field season;
Properly identify vascular plant species and utilizes dichotomous keys;
Estimate cover of vascular plants;
Collect and prepares voucher specimens of difficult taxa for later identification;
Collect Tree DBH, Height, Height to Crown data;
Collect dead and down fuel data;
Assists with field data collection, data entry, and QA/QC;
Maintain field equipment and tools;
Participate in GBI or partner-sponsored training opportunities;
Additional Duties for Biotech Crew Lead:
Communicates regularly with supervisor to provide updates, prioritize work, and address issues;
Supports work schedule development and logistics;
Serves as Crew Leader and supervises Biotech Crew Members in the performance of assigned tasks;
Monitors site specific conditions, mitigates risk factors, and reports safety concerns to supervisor.
General field duties include walking long distances over uneven terrain, off-trail, often in dense vegetation; navigating off-trail with map compass and GPS; relocating monitoring sites; collecting vegetation and fuels data using established procedures; taking photos at each site; ensuring the consistency of data quality during the field season; and maintaining safety awareness and practices. The successful applicant must have strong communication skills (both verbal and written) and exhibit strong leadership and organization skills. Office tasks are only about 5% of work but include data organization, processing and QA/QC; and compiling concise field notes. This position will require regular overnight travel and camping during the field season. The field schedule is an 8 day on 6 day off hitch, requiring long hours (10+ hrs a day), including early mornings and some weekends.
The Klamath Network conducts long term monitoring at 6 parks: Crater Lake National Park (Crater Lake), Lava Beds National Monument (Lava Beds), Lassen Volcanic National Monument (Lassen), Oregon Caves National Monument and Reserve (Oregon Caves), Redwood National and State Parks (Redwood), and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (Whiskeytown), located throughout northern California and southern Oregon. The parks span a land area of complex topography in the geologically ancient Klamath-Siskiyou Ecoregion in the west (containing Redwood, Oregon Caves and Whiskeytown), and the younger, volcanic Cascades-Modoc Ecoregion to the east (containing Crater Lake, Lassen and Lava Beds). Vegetation of the two subregions ranges from temperate rainforests with enormous, world-record-height trees along the coast at Redwood, to barren shrublands on infertile soils and rock in the sagebrush desert of Lava Beds. Elevation extends from sea level at Redwood, to above timberline in Crater Lake and Lassen. Floristically, the parks capture elements of the southern Oregon and northern California Coast Ranges, the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, and Great Basin, all near the northern end of the California Floristic Province.
Contract Timeline:
o Start early April 2023
o For 24 weeks
o Full time, 80 hours per pay period
Compensation and Benefits:
o Rate of Pay: $22.50/hour
o Camping per diem: $30.00/night (~4 nights per week during data collection)
o Benefits: Paid health insurance (medical, dental and vision)
o Paid holidays and personal leave
Job Qualifications:
o Undergraduate or Graduate degree in Botany, Ecology, or a closely related field in the biological sciences;
o Coursework in plant taxonomy and/or systematics (transcripts may be requested), botany, or forestry;
o Ability to identify native and non-native plants of the Pacific Northwest and/or Great Basin;
o Familiarity with ecological processes, and flora of the Pacific Northwest and/or Great Basin;
o Experience in performing field work, and applying methodological protocols for collecting data;
o Experience training and leading others in field data collection;
o Experience with data entry and data management;
o Ability to work and camp in extreme and remote areas;
o Experience using hand-held GPS for navigation;
o Experience with tablet data collection and experience with MS Access or other database;
o Ability to read and navigate using topographic maps and a compass;
o Willingness and ability to work long days (10+hrs), hike long distances (10-12 miles) carrying 30-40 pounds, and lift, carry and use equipment in harsh, variable weather conditions, including in rain, hail, wind, and extreme heat;
o Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience;
o Experience working with federal land management agencies, members of the public, or non- profit organizations; and
o Willingness to work a variable schedule, but mostly 8 days on 6 days off, including some
weekends.
Applicant must complete a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation or submit paperwork to National Park Service human resources indicating an active and fully adjudicated BI has already been completed prior to beginning position.
Additional requirements:
o Possess a valid, state-issued driver’s license and clean driving record;
o Experience operating 4WD trucks on paved and unpaved roads, particularly with unimproved roads;
o Possess a commitment to personal and team member safety, and communicate perceived safety threats immediately;
o Ability to work independently to accomplish goals;
o Ability to communicate effectively with team members, agency staff, and a diverse public;
o Possess good organizational skills;
o Possess a favorably adjudicated background clearance
o Must be motivated, self-directed, organized, and detail oriented in order to balance multiple tasks simultaneously; and
o Willingness and ability to consistently enact high performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the mission of GBI and the goals of the USFWS.
Full Listing:
https://www.vscyberhosting.com/greatbasin/Careers.aspx?req=2022-RAP-154&type=JOBDESCR