Upland Monitoring Technician - Tonopah

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Tonopah Field Office, is recruiting an experienced rangeland botanist, biologist and/or ecologist to conduct upland monitoring across public lands. The Upland Monitoring Technician will work independently or as a member of a team conducting habitat restoration, biological surveys or other necessary field work.   Additionally, the Upland Monitoring Technician will assist professional biologists by reviewing, cataloging, performing literature review and extracting and compiling data as needed for report preparation.
Field work is extensive and may require long hours walking through uplands and wetlands and walking or driving vehicles over rough terrain to conduct wildlife censuses in upland or wetland habitats.  Work schedule will include some overnight hours. Other tasks may include: GPS mapping, GIS data management, and map production, weather data collection, water quality data collection, data entry, and maintain extensive field notes.

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: Tonopah, NV – located approximately 238 miles southeast of Reno and 215 miles north of Las Vegas, NV – is a boom-and-bust mining town situated on the southern edge of the District’s land along Highway 95. The Battle Mountain District Office is responsible for managing approximately 10.5 million acres; the Tonopah 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.

Duties: 
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 – Has exposure to 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 monitoring technician will be responsible for conducting upland monitoring studies under established BLM protocol. 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 draw conclusions upon the effectiveness of grazing management on the public lands.

4. Wildlife Monitoring – possess the ability to conduct wildlife surveys including, but not limited to, Toiyabe Spotted Frog, Amargosa Toad, and breeding bird and lek surveys of Greater Sage-Grouse species using established monitoring protocols.

Qualifications:
* Applicants should have a combination of educational and field experience related to the position of interest;
* must possess excellent communication and organizational skills, including the ability to accurately and completely collect and record field data and observations;
* 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;
* 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
* 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.