Native Seed Program Technician (Multiple Locations)

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and National Park Service (NPS), are recruiting 20 Native Seed Technicians to conduct seed collecting and ecological restoration activities throughout the Great Basin on Department of Interior (DOI) lands.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Scouting and identifying populations of target native plant species suitable for collection;
• Mapping of populations of plants, disturbance areas, and other features using tablets, handheld devices, ArcGIS Online, ArcPro, and ESRI apps such as FieldMaps and Survey 123;
• Monitoring the phenology of plant populations to identify optimal seed collection times;
• Collecting seed from plant populations for both operational and conservation collections in accordance with the Seeds of Success (SOS) Technical Protocol;
• Processing and shipping seed following standard industry procedure;
• Collecting herbarium vouchers, and processing and shipping in accordance to the SOS Technical Protocol;
• Collecting tissue samples for genetic analysis and processing and shipping, as necessary;
• Certifying seed collections following state agency protocols;
• Recording data electronically and on paper data forms, entering and editing data related to restoration activities;
• Photographing collection sites and plants;
• Maintaining and regularly conducting inventory of field gear;
• Daily and monthly vehicle checks;
• Driving a truck up to five hours a day;
• Traveling in a truck up to ten hours a day;
• Assisting with the coordination of conservation crew work;
• Assisting with the coordination of volunteer seed collection and restoration events;
• Assisting with species survey work, as needed;
• Providing support for arid land restoration projects;
• Reporting accomplishments and providing recommendations for program improvements, priorities, and future projects; and
• Participating in trainings provided by GBI, DOI agencies, and community partners.

Physical Demands: 
Field work involves driving GBI trucks on both highways and 4WD roads, often for 100+ miles per day as well as hiking off designated trails or routes, across rugged terrain, up to 5 miles per day, but more typically 0-1 mile per day. Seed collection requires regular stooping, standing and maneuvering on uneven terrain for many hours a day. Weather conditions will vary from cold winds and precipitation in the early spring to temperatures over 100F in the summer. The use of global positioning systems (handheld GPS units), computers, tablets, digital cameras, and on- and off-road vehicles are an essential part of the job. Camping under primitive conditions at remote locations on data collection trips will regularly be required. Schedules are often determined by plant phenology.  

Incumbents must also be willing to spend days at a time working at a computer during periods of data entry and analysis.

• Lift up to 50-70 pounds of material or equipment.
• Bend, lift, pull, and push.
• Crouch, stoop, kneel, stand, or bend for long periods of time.
• Drive for many hours a day on highways and 4WD roads.
• Handle plant material for many hours a day.
• Walk and stand for long periods of time on uneven surfaces carrying equipment.
• Be outside in extreme heat or cold (depending upon the season).
• Occasionally work 10+ hour days.
• Travel and camp overnight & up to 8 days at a time for project work.

Contract Timeline:
26-week appointment beginning April 2023.

Location:
Multiple positions are available in the Great Basin through various Department of Interior agencies. Please indicate your availability and preferred locations/positions when applying. We encourage applying early in order to gain the best chance at getting your top-choice locations.

The BLM is the largest land manager in the United States, managing 245 million acres of public lands. BLM manages multiple uses across regions and landscapes. BLM lands in the Great Basin are home to historic mining and ranching that conjure up images of the Wild West. Great Basin mountain ranges and valleys are home to wildlife, livestock, and wild horse and burros.

The FWS is the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the American people. FWS manages public lands and waters called the National Wildlife Refuge System. More than 560 refuges span the country, protecting iconic species and providing wildlife viewing opportunities.

Since 1916, the NPS has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. NPS manages 428 parks, preserving the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.

Nevada
(1) Location: Reno, NV at the Reno FWS Office (working at Sheldon NWR and adjacent BLM lands)
The Reno-Sparks metropolitan area is home to approximately 500,000 people and offers year-round recreation opportunities, a vibrant urban scene and numerous community events. Reno has over 300 days of sunshine and four distinct seasons. Located on the northwestern edge of Nevada, Reno is a great home base from which to travel to the Great Basin, Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada range, San Francisco and more!

Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge protects more than half a million acres of high desert habitat for large wintering herds of pronghorn antelope, scattered bands of bighorn sheep, and a rich assortment of other wildlife, and is one of the few intact sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the Great Basin. The landscape is vast, rugged, and punctuated with waterfalls, narrow gorges, and lush springs among rolling hills and expansive tablelands of sagebrush and mountain mahogany.

(2) Location: Winnemucca, NV at the Winnemucca BLM office (working on BLM lands)
The BLM Winnemucca District Office (WDO) in northwestern Nevada is nested in the basin and range province of the western U.S. The WDO is approximately 2.5 hours northeast of Reno, NV and 2 hours west of Elko, NV on I-80, and 5.5 hours south of Boise, ID on State Highway 95. Elevations range from approximately 4,000 feet to nearly 10,000 feet. The District encompasses roughly 11 million acres, of which 7.38 million acres are public lands managed by the BLM. Winnemucca is surrounded by a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities.

(3) Location: Tonopah, NV at the Tonopah BLM Field Office (working on BLM lands)
Tonopah, NV is located ~220 miles southeast of Reno, NV and ~400 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, UT along Interstate 80. Tonopah and the surrounding area (pop. ~2,000) is rural; situated in the high desert (~6,000 ft. elevation) where ranching/mining are the local economic drivers. The Tonopah Field Office within the Battle Mountain District Office is responsible for managing approximately 6.5 million acres of public land typically of basin-and-range topography with Great Basin Desert/sagebrush steppe ecotype. Opportunities for recreation abound from fishing, hiking, horseback riding and camping to visiting ghost towns, petroglyph sites, rockhounding and stargazing. Tonopah has access to numerous wilderness areas such as the Arc Dome Wilderness situated in the southern portion of the Toiyabe Range that offers breathtaking vistas, seemingly endless trails and spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities.

(4) Location: Fallon, NV at the FWS Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge (working on Stillwater NWR and BLM lands)
Fallon, NV: Nestled in the Lahontan Valley just about 60 miles east of Reno, is the downright neighborly community of Fallon. Often referred to as “The Oasis of Nevada,” thanks to the region’s formerly high volume of water, the area is a wonderful host to boundless outdoor activities.

Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States in Nevada. Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge is a desert oasis for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wildlife, and plants. It is located in the Lahontan Valley, near the community of Fallon, sixty miles east of Reno. It was established in 1949 and encompasses 79,570 acres

**Government housing is provided at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge. Housing is comfortable, with private quarters and shared kitchen and communal space. From the bunkhouse, the closest community is located in Fallon, which is about a 15-minute drive. Having a personal vehicle will make this position much more convenient as public transportation is not available at the site. For field work, a vehicle will be available.

(5) Location: Elko, NV at the Elko BLM District Office (working on BLM lands)
This work will be based out of the BLM District Office in Elko, Nevada. The Elko District encompasses 12.5 million acres and has topography typical of the Great Basin with broad valleys separated by mountain ranges. Elevations range from 4,000 to over 10,000 feet. The city of Elko (pop. 21,000) is located along the I-80 corridor and is approximately 230 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT and 290 miles east of Reno, NV. Recreation opportunities, including hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing, abound in this region.

(6) Location: Ely or Baker, NV at Great Basin National Park (working at Great Basin National Park and BLM lands)
Ely is located in White Pine County in eastern Nevada. Situated at about 6,500 feet, Ely is a community of about 5000 people in a typical basin-and-range valley with the mountains on either side that rise to 10,000 feet or more. The Ely District Office is responsible for managing approximately 12 million acres of public land typically of basin-and-range topography with Great Basin Desert/sagebrush steppe ecotype. Great Basin National Park is about a 1 hour drive.

Great Basin National Park is in eastern Nevada near the Utah border. It’s in the Great Basin Desert and contains most of the South Snake mountains. In the north, the mountain-hugging Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive leads to towering Wheeler Peak. Nearby is one of several ancient bristlecone pine groves. The marble Lehman Caves have distinctive stalactites and other formations. Park wildlife includes bighorn sheep.

(7) Location: Ely or Caliente, NV at the Basin and Range National Monument and Caliente Field Office (working on BLM lands)
Located in Ely, NV, the Basin and Range National Monument is a national monument of the United States spanning approximately 704,000 acres of remote, undeveloped mountains and valleys in Lincoln and Nye counties in southeastern Nevada. It is described as “one of the emptiest spaces in a state famous for its emptiness”. Ely is located in White Pine County in eastern Nevada. Situated at about 6,500 feet, Ely is a community of about 5000 people in a typical basin-and-range valley with the mountains on either side that rise to 10,000 feet or more. The Ely District Office is responsible for managing approximately 12 million acres of public land typically of basin-and-range topography with Great Basin Desert/sagebrush steppe ecotype. Great Basin National Park is about a 1 hour drive.

Caliente Field Office is located in Caliente, NV. Caliente, formerly known as Culverwell and Calientes, is a city in Lincoln County, Nevada. Its elevation is 4,300 feet. Caliente is home to extensive outdoor recreation opportunities. As of mid-2020, there are approximately 30 miles of purpose-built singletrack mountain bike trail in and around town, bringing mountain bikers from across the country to enjoy the wild, isolated Nevada desert. There are thousands of miles of motorized off-road track and trail, and several large motorized races and events are hosted in Caliente each year. Rainbow Canyon and Big Rocks Wilderness offer a wide variety of rock climbing routes, while nearby Eagle Valley Reservoir boasts fishing and boating.

Idaho
(8) Location: Boise, ID at the Boise BLM District Office (working on BLM lands within the Owyhee, Bruneau, and Vale Field Offices)
The Boise District, located in southwest Idaho, manages approximately 4 million acres of public land stretching from the central Idaho mountains to the borders with Oregon and Nevada. The District has many challenges to face as it balances its mission of multiple use and sustainable yield to achieve a sustainable ecosystem. Some of the major activities occurring within the district include: livestock grazing, wildland fire suppression, as well as motorized and non-motorized recreation. The Boise District is divided into three geographic areas/field offices: Bruneau (1.4 million acres), Four Rivers (1.3 million acres) and Owyhee (1.2 million acres). The District also manages Idaho’s only National Conservation Area, Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey (487,000 acres), home to the greatest concentration of nesting birds of prey in North America – and perhaps, the world. Some 800 pairs of hawks, owls, eagles and falcons come each spring to mate and raise their young here.

Oregon
(9) Location: Burns, OR at the Burns BLM District Office (working on BLM lands)
The Burns District is located in southeastern Oregon, extending from the Oregon-Nevada border on the south into the Blue Mountains on the north, a distance of nearly 200 miles. There are over 3.36 million acres of public land and it is divided into two Resource Areas: Three Rivers Resource Area, roughly 1.68 million acres in the northern portion of the District; and Andrews Resource Area, 1.68 million acres of public land in the south. Within the District boundary there are also large areas of private, other Federal and State lands.

Utah
(10) Location: Salt Lake City, UT at the West Desert District Office (working on BLM lands)
Located in the northwestern Utah, the 7.7 million-acre West Desert District is uniquely different from any other part of the state. Much of this area is a part of the Great Basin region, a place of isolated mountain ranges separated by desert playas and wide-sweeping sagebrush flats. With few amenities, the desert provides a place of solitude and an escape from the urban lifestyle. The West Desert District consists of the Salt Lake Field Office and Fillmore Field Office.

The West Desert District epitomizes the BLM’s recreation mission to provide backyard to backcountry access. The District is home to 2.6 million Utah citizens, nearly 86% of the state’s population. Population growth and the wildland urban interface challenge the BLM with complex management situations.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Wages: up to $21/hr with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate. Full time, average 40 hours per week;
• Camping Per Diem: $34/day (when applicable)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance available at no cost.

Additional benefits:

• Eligibility for pro deals through GBI, such as Outdoor Prolink and Black Diamond
• Training provided; SOS Seeds Collection and Protocol training, Defensive driver’s training (eligible for discounts on your personal vehicle insurance), report writing, and technical skills trainings;
• Opportunity to network with GBI and federal partners for career advancement

Job Qualifications:

Technical requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree with coursework and field experience related to biology, botany, ecology, plant science, taxonomy/systematics, or related field;
• Experience identifying plants using taxonomic keys or familiarity with plants of the Great Basin;
• Experience with data entry;
• Experience using hand-held GPS equipment for data collection and navigation;
• Ability to read and navigate using topographic maps and a compass;
• Familiarity driving 4WD vehicles on- and off-road;
• Experience operating All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) on difficult terrain, helpful for certain locations;
• Understanding and/or experience using ArcGIS Pro, and ESRI apps like Field Maps and Survey 123, helpful.

Additional requirements:

• Willingness and ability to work in harsh, ever-changing desert conditions, including extreme temperatures, and as part of a team;
• Willingness to camp in remote, undeveloped sites for multiple days, up to 8 days;
• Ability to bend and stoop for long periods of time while collecting seed, and to use hand tools, and occasionally lift buckets of water and other heavy loads;
• Ability to work a non-standard schedule, such as beginning at 5 am, to avoid heat-related issues, to follow plant phenology, or for coordination with team members.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience;
• Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to work as part of a tight knit team (Crews will be two people, which requires technicians to co-lead, take initiative, and behave in a manner that promotes team integrity);
• Ability to work independently or in pairs with little supervision, strong initiative, and high attention to detail;
• Possess a valid, state-issued driver’s license and clean driving record.