Upland Monitoring Technician - Battle Mountain

IMPORTANT:  This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders.  Other applicants need not apply.

 

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Mount Lewis Field Office, is recruiting experienced rangeland botanists and/or ecologists to conduct upland monitoring across public lands. The Upland Monitoring Technician will gain valuable experience and professional development while collaborating with a federal land management agency. The Technician will work cooperatively as part of a multi-disciplinary rangeland monitoring team to provide key information for upcoming BLM rangeland health evaluations. The Technician will employ standard BLM monitoring protocols, including: utilization, use pattern mapping, ecological site inventory, vegetative cover, density, and production data. These monitoring data will be utilized to determine the effectiveness of Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation seedings after wildfires, which are a growing challenge to rangeland health. Additionally, these important data will inform approaches to maintain, restore, and improve upland resource values to achieve a healthy and productive ecological condition in the region.

Contract length: April 2, 2012 – September 30, 2012 (potential for extension pending funding and positive performance review)

Rate of Pay: $15.00/hour

Benefits: Medical and dental, travel per diem, paid personal leave, training opportunities

Location: Battle Mountain, NV – located approximately 220 miles east of Reno and 300 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT – is a boom-and-bust mining town situated on the northern edge of the District’s land along Interstate 80. The Battle Mountain District Office is responsible for managing approximately 10.5 million acres; the Mount Lewis Field Office is responsible for approximately half of the total acreage. The District’s lands are typical of basin-and-range topography and Great Basin Desert habitat. Opportunities for fishing, camping and hiking are numerous within central Nevada’s mountain ranges and valleys.

Duties: 
In addition to field sampling and data collection as outlined below, general duties include providing written documentation of data, conclusions, and recommendations to maintain and/or improve watershed and vegetative conditions; coordination with the public, interest groups, state and county agencies, and other federal land management offices to share information and knowledge necessary to effectively maintain and/or improve public land watersheds. GBI is seeking an associate to fill the monitoring technician position that will perform the following duties:
1. Plant Identification – Plant and plant community identification, including expertise on upland range plant taxonomy and ecology common throughout the Great Basin.   Responsible for the identification of individual plants, describing existing and potential plant communities using soil survey information, interpreting vegetation, and successional sequences.
2. Soil Identification – Identification of soils, use of soil surveys, determine soils grouped into the site, identify landscape and soil factors, and determine existing or potential erosional factors. This information would be utilized to aid in determining site potential and evaluation of current conditions.
3.  Upland Monitoring Studies – Utilizing plant and soil identification skills, the Technician will be responsible for conducting upland monitoring studies under established BLM protocols. Monitoring will consist of double-weight sampling, ecological site inventory, utilization, use pattern mapping, cover, and density techniques. Duties may also consist of conducting livestock compliance checks, which provide information on livestock placement and movement as it relates to annual authorized use. This information will be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of grazing management on the public lands.

Qualifications:
* Applicants should have a combination of educational and field experience related to the position of interest;
* An understanding of basic principles related to the fields of botany and/or soil science;
* Experience working in Great Basin Desert and knowledge of Great Basin ecology, including dominant fauna and vegetation communities;
* Ability to navigate and collect data using handheld GPS units required;
* Ability to use a compass and read a topographical map;
* Experience working with ArcGIS desirable;
* Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license;
* Ability to operate a 4WD vehicle on- and off-road;
* Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience; and
* The successful applicant must be physically fit to work outdoors, carry personal and field equipment, and withstand the rigors of the Great Basin in the summer, fall and/or early winter.