Wilderness Inventory Technician - Temporary

Reporting to the Central Idaho Representative, the Wilderness Inventory Technician plays a key role in helping inventory potential Lands with Wilderness Character (“LWC”) in the Bureau of Land Management’s (“BLM”) Salmon and Challis Field Offices and potential Recommended Wilderness areas (“RW”) on the Salmon-Challis National Forest (“SCNF”).  The Technician is responsible for representing The Wilderness Society within the region by inventorying potential LWCs and RWs, creating potential LWC and RW inventory reports, keeping regular contact with TWS staff, BLM field office staff, and SCNF staff, and building relationships with community leaders and stakeholders in Lemhi, Custer and Butte Counties.  Building and maintaining relationships will be crucial to the success of this project. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Inventory potential LWC and RW units in the BLM’s Salmon and Challis Field Offices and the Salmon-Challis NF that have been previously identified by TWS staff.
• Take photographs of potential LWC and RW units to help identify the wilderness qualities of the unit.
• Delineate boundaries of potential LWC and RW units.
• Create a report for each potential LWC and RW unit.
• Build and maintain a relationships with local BLM and Forest Service staff, and keep BLM and Forest Service apprised of TWS’s potential LWC and RW inventory work.
• Maintain regular contact with TWS staff in Boise to apprise TWS of inventory and report progress.
• Develop and maintain relationships with local community leaders and other key opinion leaders, organizations and individuals.
• Build and maintain a relationship with Idaho Conservation League and Greater Yellowstone Coalition staff who are doing similar work in other areas of the state.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience, Competencies, and Education
• Must be self-reliant, a self-starter, and have the ability to problem-solve in the backcountry.
• Must be able to work independently and complete tasks with little supervision.
• Must have and be able to drive a 4WD vehicle on remote and rugged dirt roads.
• Must be comfortable traveling by vehicle and foot in isolated and remote backcountry settings for up to 8 days at a time.  Must be comfortable camping and cooking in these remote backcountry locations.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to interact with a wide variety of users in the backcountry.
• Working knowledge of GPS devices and digital cameras.
• Competency in Microsoft Excel and the ability to develop functional spreadsheets.
• Valid U.S. driver’s license.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is often required to hike with a backpack; camp and cook in remote and isolated locations in rural Idaho; drive 4WD vehicles on rough dirt roads; stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee will be working both in an office setting and in a field setting.  While in the field, the employee will regularly be required to be in isolated and remote locations in rural Idaho that are difficult to access and may have no opportunity for outside communication.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is sometimes exposed to adverse weather conditions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position of Wilderness Inventory Technician and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of experience, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.