Avian Technician

The Windham County NRCD is excited to announce that we’ve received funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation to support declining grassland birds!  Through a new staff person, we will provide technical and financial assistance to farmers to protect a variety of grass-nesting birds through delayed mowing. This project is in partnership with the Cheshire County Conservation District and the Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District. We are seeking to hire a full-time, temporary/seasonal avian technician to play a leading role in implementing this program:  

• $21/Hour
• Paid Time Off
• $500/month housing stipend to help with the cost of housing
• Temporary/Seasonal Position (around 40 hours/week)
• Start Date: March 1
• Last Date – August 31
• Locations: Throughout Windham and Windsor County, Vermont and Cheshire and Sullivan Counties, New Hampshire – mileage to project sites reimbursed at the federal IRS rate ($0.70 per mile currently)
• Variable and Flexible Work Schedule.

Qualifications: 

• Experience, knowledge, and or coursework in a natural resource or conservation field (e.g., ornithology, agronomics, environmental sciences, environmental education, interpretation, education, natural resource policy, natural resource management, water resources, forestry, etc.)
• Able to identify project species (Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow) in the field by sight and sound
• Experience working with farmers preferred but not required
• Experience conducting grassland bird surveys or point counts preferred but not required
• At least 18 years of age
• Ability to work independently at a remote location
• Ability to use personal smartphone or tablet for data entry
• Excellent communication skills in person, by phone and over email
• Comfortable walking several miles per day
• Comfortable walking through vegetation that may include poison ivy and ticks
• Comfortable working in a variety of weather conditions
• Ability to create and share outreach and education materials
• Must have personal vehicle for travel throughout project area

Responsibilities:

• Work with steering committee members and project partners to identify priority locations for assistance and develop and implement outreach efforts to recruit producer participation in the program
• Conduct on-farm visits with interested farmers to explain the program and gather necessary information for site assessment and evaluation
• Coordinate with farmers to educate them on sensitive bird species on their properties and help determine when mowing can resume
• Complete site rankings using established rubric to identify sites to receive financial assistance
• Conduct field visits to project sites to document presence/absence and numbers of individuals of project species and success/failure of nesting efforts
• Maintain excellent records of communications and meetings with farmers
• Maintain excellent records of bird detections and behaviors during site visits
• Prepare and deliver presentations about the project to groups, including local chapters of Audubon Societies and bird clubs and farmer groups (such as Connecticut River Watershed Farmers Alliance and Farm Bureau).