Riparian Monitoring and Conservation Field Technician

Riparian Monitoring and Conservation Field Technician 

18-month position, Full-time 

Application reviews will begin on January 6, 2025.

Location: Tucson, AZ  

This hybrid position is located in the greater Tucson area with time approximately split between 10% work from home and 90% regional field work in southeastern Arizona.  

Position Duration:

This full-time position is available starting February 2025. The exact start is flexible, but the field technician must be available to start by the end of February and be available for full-time riparian monitoring work throughout April and May 2025. During the first week of April, the field technician will participate in a riparian monitoring training in Nevada with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Grant funding is available for at least 18 months and position extension is possible based on the availability of project funding.

Position Focus: 

The field technician will be part of a three-member Sky Island Alliance team conducting spring and riparian assessment, inventory and monitoring (AIM Protocol) across BLM properties in southeastern Arizona in the spring. Training will be provided by BLM and Sky Island Alliance staff. Additional conservation project activities to be assigned include restoration of springs and riparian areas, physical closure of retired roads on Coronado National Forest, building erosion control structures, volunteer coordination, and supporting cross-department activities throughout the organization.

Desired experience and abilities include: 

• Field experience with botany, riparian monitoring, soils, ecology, or other relevant natural resource or biological field 
• Attention to detail and data accuracy 
• Ability to hike up to eight miles over rugged terrain at elevation. 
• Tolerance of 12-hour field days in desert and mountainous areas under a variety of extreme weather conditions 
• Ability to travel to the field and camp overnight for up to a week at a time between April-May 2025 
• Possess or be able to get a valid Driver’s License by March 1, 2025  

Compensation: 

This is a salaried position starting at $45,000 annually and is eligible for paid sick leave and vacation, observance of U.S. Federal Holidays, Health/Dental/Vision insurance coverage, and 401k with employer match of up to 3%. Upon 90 days of service you will become eligible to also receive Short-term, Long-term and Life insurance. 

Our Why 

The Sky Island region of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico is characterized by isolated forested mountain ranges surrounded by intervening grasslands and desert. The area harbors the highest diversity of mammals, birds, bees, and ants anywhere in the conterminous U.S. It is a unique corner of the world where elegant trogons meet bald eagles, and jaguars meet wolves. Springs sprinkled around the region are known to be a critical foundation for this incredible biodiversity—providing reliable water and lush refuge for numerous species across the landscape, even during the driest seasons and in places without rivers or lakes. Despite their critical importance for sustaining life in the Sky Islands, springs and the native plants and animals they sustain face a variety of threats across the region. Sky Island Alliance monitors the health of springs across the region to document aquifer depletion, spring degradation from cattle trampling, invasive species, and sedimentation from erosion. We use these data to champion spring protection and recover spring ecosystems so that they will support a diversity of life for decades to come. 

Learn more at www.SkyIslandAlliance.org