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Aquatic Monitoring Field lead-Boating position

Posted: 
02/06/2022
Expiration Date: 
03/18/2022

Aquatic Monitoring Boating Crew Lead (Prineville, OR)
Great Basin Institute and Bureau of Land Management

The Great Basin Institute is an interdisciplinary field studies organization that promotes environmental research, education, and service through the west. The Institute’s mission is to advance applied science and ecological literacy through community engagement and agency partnerships, supporting national parks, forest, open spaces and public lands.

The Aquatic Monitoring Program at GBI serves as an excellent professional development opportunity for natural resource professionals seeking experience in aquatic, riparian, and rangeland surveys. This Program is a component of our well-established Research Associate Program, which focuses on the conservation and management of natural, cultural, and recreation resources in the Intermountain West while providing emerging professionals opportunities to begin or enhance their careers. 

GBI’s Aquatic Monitoring Program is dedicated to providing college graduates and emerging professionals with hands-on survey, inventory, monitoring, and reporting experience in natural resource management. Extensive training and technical field skills development provides employees a unique opportunity to obtain valuable experience in executing monitoring protocols that will increase their employment success. 

GBI is recruiting one (1) Aquatic Monitoring Boating Lead to serve on a rafting crew to assist in the implementation of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Aquatic Monitoring Framework (NAMF) for Assessment, Inventory, Monitoring (AIM) of lotic ecosystems, as well as the Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) of stream channels and streamside vegetation. AIM seeks to standardize the collection of quantitative data that can be used at multiple scales to assist the BLM in making resource management decisions.

The Aquatic Monitoring Boating Lead will work with BLM staff, GBI staff, and Aquatic Monitoring Riparian Botanists and Technicians. The boating crew lead will work as part of a three-person crew (one Crew Lead, one Riparian Botanist, one Technician) in the Prineville BLM District in Eastern Oregon to sample streams and boatable rivers, and assess riparian vegetation on BLM-managed land.

Though some rivers will require access via rafting, they will be sampled using the BLM’s AIM protocol for wadeable lotic systems, and therefore, will require confidence and experience wading in potentially deep water.  Strong rafting experience and ability to drive a truck while towing a trailer are necessary. The boating crew lead will be in charge of navigating a raft on multi-day float trips for roughly the first half of the season. The second half of the season will require hiking potentially long distances to access the required streams.

More information about AIM and AIM implementation can be found at http://aim.landscapetoolbox.org/

More information about MIM can be found at:https://www.blm.gov/documents/national-office/blm-library/technical-refe...

Crews will interact with local BLM staff, national level staff at the National Operations Center (NOC), and GBI senior monitoring staff. Data collection involves measuring a variety of attributes including water chemistry and instream physical habitat, collecting aquatic macroinvertebrates, and conducting visual estimates in the riparian zone. Successful applicants will be required to work and camp in the field during 8-day sampling efforts (8 consecutive 10 hour days, followed by 6 days off). Camping primitively and in areas without cell service is likely. Additionally, river trips will require bringing minimal luxury items, as space for personal gear will be limited on the raft. Applicants should be prepared to encounter strenuous working conditions in varying environments throughout the season.

 

Field work and duties may include:

  • Navigating, Maintaining, and trailering an inflatable raft for at least part of the season.
  • Working with individuals or companies to shuttle the GBI vehicle and trailer from put-in to take-out.
  • Route planning utilizing ArcMap, Google Earth, Avenza, and Caltopo
  • Navigating unmaintained roads and off-trail to sampling sites utilizing GPS and backcountry navigation techniques
  • Establishing sampling reaches and transects 
  • Entering data into and managing the Survey123 and FieldMaps Ipad application (Aquatic Data Management Protocol and Lotic Technology and Applications Protocol); and
  • Identifying plants to species using dichotomous keys.

Additional duties include:

  • Maintaining safety awareness and practices; 
  • Regular communication with GBI support staff and BLM staff;
  • Participation in GBI and BLM trainings 

Leadership:

  • Supporting and managing a field crew; 
  • Coordinating field logistics and scheduling;

Timeline and Location
This crew will be based out of the BLM Prineville District in Oregon.  There is the potential to assist crews in other districts as the season progresses.

Projected season length: Approximately March 28, 2022 with the option to go through to September 30, 2022

Compensation: 
This is a salaried position. 
Total approximate compensation: $3422.30/month before taxes (approximate hourly equivalent: $21.38), plus health insurance and paid time off. A breakdown of the full compensation includes: 

  • $1,400 Biweekly Salary (paid once every two weeks) 
  • $150 non-taxed biweekly housing stipend ($300/ month) 
  • $15/ night camping per diem 
  • $32.30/ month cell phone stipend
  • Paid Federal holidays
  • Paid personal leave 
  • Paid health insurance (medical, dental and vision) at no cost to the employee

Dependent on performance and completion of work term this position qualifies for Public Lands Corps (PLC) status given that the applicant is 30 years old or younger at the time of application for federal employment

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

  • Prior river rafting experience is expected. River guiding experience is ideal;
  • Experience driving a trailer and backing down put-in and take-out ramps;
  • Swift Water Rescue certified, or willingness to obtain required certification by season start;
  • Wilderness First Aid certified, or willingness to obtain required certification by season start;
  • Ability to plan and pack gear for float trips up to 8 days long;
  • Strong swimming skills;
  •  BA/BS in Natural Resources, Ecology, or Biology or related field; Coursework or equivalent experience in aquatic biology, hydrology, entomology, geomorphology, plant taxonomy and/or systematics AND minimum of one full year or two full seasons of fish, macroinvertebrate, hydrology or water quality field data collection. Prior experience conducting AIM or PIBO surveys preferred; 
  •  Education and/or experience conducting hydrological or geomorphic stream surveys; 
  • Leadership experience, including supervising and managing projects simultaneously;
  •  Familiarity with lotic systems of the western United States;
  • Experience conducting field work using various monitoring protocols, including standard aquatic monitoring protocols, photo documentation, and site observations;
  • Experience with data entry and management;
  • Ability to read, interpret and navigate using topographic maps;
  • Experience navigating and collecting coordinates with hand-held GPS units;
  • Experience creating maps and performing basic functions with ESRI software (ArcMap, ArcGIS, ArcGISPro);
  • Experience using Google Earth, CalTopo, Avenza; 
  • Strong interest in aquatic ecology and physical processes;
  •  Navigating off-trail to sampling sites; and
  • Ability to sample in cold water, walk on uneven surfaces, and bushwack on steep terrain, sometimes hiking up to 10 miles a day. 


Additional Requirements:

  • Experience in and willingness to spend multiple days camping in the field, with extremely limited or nonexistent phone or internet services;
  • Willingness to spend 8 consecutive days camping in the field where multiple hazards may be encountered, while sometimes working irregular hours and camping in a new location each night;
  • Ability to work in harsh and rapidly changing environments, work in all types of weather conditions, traverse uneven terrain, carry upwards of 40 pounds in a backpack, and otherwise maintain good physical condition; 
  • Backcountry travel experience and solid navigational skills;
  •  Valid, state-issued driver’s license and clean driving record;
  • Willingness and ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic setting, and to consistently enact high-performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the goals and objectives of the AIM program and the mission of GBI;
  •  Ability to work productively as part of a team as well as independently to accomplish mutual goals;
  • Ability to communicate effectively with team members, agency staff, and a diverse public;
  • Excellent organizational skills; and
  • Familiarity with best practices for field safety and Leave No Trace principles.