Western Region Biologist

The Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service’s Natural Heritage Program is seeking a Natural Resources Biologist III team member who will assist the Program’s Western Regional Ecologist with the conservation and management of nongame wildlife with an emphasis on rare, threatened, and endangered nongame birds and small mammals and the habitats that support them. Work will occur primarily on state lands and will include some work on private lands. Duties will include the inventory, monitoring, and research of rare species populations, assisting in developing plans and implementing conservation actions to undertake necessary management and restoration activities in support of nongame birds and mammals and their habitats, especially on Wildlife Management Areas and other state properties, and providing biological information to public land managers and private landowners to ensure the protection of nongame birds and mammals and the natural communities that support them. Duties also include responding to inquiries from the public as well as working with conservation partners, the media, universities, and the general public to expand public understanding of, and appreciation for, biodiversity conservation, rare and unique natural resources, and Maryland ecosystems.

The incumbent will work with staff of various government agencies, private conservation organizations, academia, and private landowners to carry out conservation and management actions. A creative, problem-solving approach is often required to resolve the conflicts inherent in managing human interactions with natural ecosystems. 
This work requires familiarity and experience with nongame birds and mammals and the natural communities that support them in western Maryland, and with habitat management and restoration techniques. Familiarity with the environmental threats to these species and natural communities will be required in order to determine actions needed to abate the threats and conserve priority species and the natural communities and ecosystems that support them. 

See the link for details on minimum qualifications. Preferred qualifications include:

• At least three years of experience with research, monitoring, or field surveys of nongame wildlife with an emphasis on birds and small mammals native to Maryland and the habitats that support them.
• At least one year of experience developing, reviewing, and/or implementing habitat management or restoration plans for rare natural communities or species of concern.
• Knowledge of the natural areas, plants, and animals, including rare species, of western Maryland.