Bear Tech Specialist

Wildlife Restoration Foundation

www.wildlifeandparks.org 

 BEAR TECH SPECIALIST INTERNSHIP – Greater Yellowstone Area

The Bear Tech Specialist (BTS) intern is an exciting new position and will play an integral role on the Wildlife Restoration Foundation (WRF) team. Work to build WRF’s organizational capacity, resource base, and impact on America’s bears as you contribute and strengthen your tech knowledge and skills. Every WRF staff member plays an important part in meeting the WRF mission, which is to increase park wildlife population viability both ex situ and in situ, working closely with National Parks and National and Forests, zoo partners, and park gateway communities. Our goal is to ensure WRF operates effectively and efficiently and generates resources that enable measurable, boots-on-the-ground conservation results. 

The WRF Bear Tech Specialist (BTS) will focus on implementation of the “I Am Bear Safe” Project in select gateway communities of key National Parks partnering with WRF on grizzly and black bear security, starting with the gateways of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The BTS must be based physically in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The BTS will collaborate with the WRF President, WRF Director of Conservation & Operations, and Lead Naturalist at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center (GWDC) in performing the required duties of the BTS in connection to the “I Am Bear Safe” Project.

[https://www.wildlifeandparks.org/projects]. 

“I Am Bear Safe”™ (IABS) is a multi-partner Wildlife Coexistence Strategy designed to equip National Park gateway community businesses (“Park Gateway Partners”) to “train people not to train bears” to get in the trouble they are in now because of human behavior—a situation that is assuring bear demise. Bears are a top attraction at many National Parks and well-managed within the parks to avoid human interaction. But the communities at the park’s edge have not been sufficiently prepared or equipped for the increasing pressure of more visitors coupled with rapid development, naïve new residents, and a growing number of recreationists in bear country. PGP businesses are the perfect intervention point and can receive marketing benefits from participating in the IABS town-based bear stewardship effort. WRF’s goal is to provide customized tools (signage and SWAG) that equip PGPs to effectively intercept, educate, and recruit park visitor and recreationist bear stewards that act responsibly by securing attractants and following park rules for recreating in bear habitat. The IABS goal is that bears perform their natural behaviors and survive without risk and distraction caused by humans.

Responsibilities:

• Track the inventory of IABS materials distributed to PGPs in each town.
• Travel to gateway communities (West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Cooke City, Big Sky, Three Forks, and elsewhere in the GYE) as requested (with mileage reimbursement).
• Distribute IABS Toolkt materials to PGPs and redistribution points as directed.
• Attend meetings of the chamber of commerce or local partner organization on occasion.
• Recruit new PGPs, as appropriate and assigned.
• Field questions and relay PGP concerns to WRF.
• Mail out reward IABS reward magnets to Bear Quiz-takers.
• Come up with new ideas to make the IABS Project more effective.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant subject required; master’s degree/graduate program enrollment preferred.
• Knowledge and experience specific to grizzly and black bears required.
• Experience working with community-based organizations and/or local businesses.

WRF interns are required to participate in an initial training then designate 16 hours a week to WRF and agree to work with WRF for 4 months. The Bear Tech Specialist intern must be a self-starter, ambitious, creative, productive, and dedicated to WRF’s mission. The BTS must also exhibit a high degree of professionalism, accountability, and ability to follow instructions and manage time well. The BTS must also have own, reliable transportation to the gateways. The BTS must be friendly and approachable, well-spoken, bold, and personable.  The internship is unpaid, but quality interns will be considered for stipends if selected by WRF to extend their internships to 6 months or longer. Mileage will be reimbursed for specific assigned duties.  

The Intern will report to Julie Anton Randall, WRF President and Bridget Burns, Director of Conservation & Operations. The intern will report weekly hours and results in written form. Hours are flexible within the week, with the exception that PGP deliveries and communications must occur during the 9a-5p weekday window. Participation in occasional and IABS team and biweekly full WRF team meeting by Zoom is required. 

Thank you for your interest in being part of the Wildlife Restoration Foundation team!