Wildlife Crew Lead (Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP)

Description:
The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is recruiting a Wildlife Crew Lead to support conservation, management and restoration of natural resources/ecosystems in and around Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP (SEKI) to help promote stewardship of public lands during a period of landscape change. The Wildlife Lead will use a variety of field techniques to survey for owls and assist with forest carnivore surveys on NPS and neighboring USFS lands.  
 
Specifically, the Lead will work cooperatively to: 
• Follow established protocols to conduct non-invasive surveys for forest wildlife.  We will conduct surveys for two focal groups: “owls” (primarily California spotted owl), and “forest carnivores” (focus on fishers).  Methods will vary by group.  For California spotted owls, we will coordinate with USFS researchers to conduct surveys and search for nests near fire footprints and treatment areas.  We may also deploy ARUs in some areas.  For forest carnivores, we will primarily deploy remote cameras to detect fishers and other species, and but may also assist with ongoing telemetry where objectives overlap.   
• Collect and compile location and sample data from various species according to established protocols.  This may include document basic information at survey sites (e.g., vegetation type, fuels, condition pre- or post-fire); organize photos for species verification and long-term storage; enter detection and other data from survey sites into a database; and maintain datasheets. 
• Work collaboratively with other NPS staff, other federal partners, and other researchers to develop additional post-fire and/or pre-treatment survey and monitoring efforts for wildlife in the parks to determine occurrence and habitat use post-fire in forest with different burn severity, in green forest adjacent to burned areas, along roadsides where hazard trees may be removed, and/or in areas where fuels reduction is planned (including sequoia groves).  
• Work collaboratively with NPS staff, USGS staff, and USFS colleagues to communicate plans, methods, and results, and assist with summarizing results of all field work for multiple uses. 
• Provide leadership, technical, and logistical support for a field crew working to survey multiple species in a setting where flexibility will be needed to ensure success of survey efforts. 
 
The Wildlife Crew Lead is responsible for assuring fidelity to methods and safety in the field, scheduling, logistics, data and sample management, and effective communication with project principals.   We currently expect this Lead position to focus 50% + time on surveys for spotted owls along with associated logistics and data organization.  However, we also anticipate the Lead helping with deployment of remote cameras and ARUs, and supporting fisher telemetry project as time/need allows. 
 
In addition to providing professional experience in natural resource management, this position provides opportunities to support stewardship of public lands and to contribute to the conservation, management and restoration of natural ecosystems and native wildlife in the southern Sierra Nevada. 

Contract Timeline:
• March/April 2024 – August/September 2024 (6 months); start date is flexible
• Full time (40 hours per week); some overtime, paid at 1.5 times regular wage, may be required
• Field work could involve either early morning or evening work depending on species focus

Location:
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Three Rivers, CA.

Compensation and Benefits:
• Wage: $21.00 per hour
• Health insurance coverage provided at no cost to you
• Paid personal leave and holidays
• Housing: Stipend of $200/month. Shared NPS housing is expected to be available for those that do not have local housing; rent will be paid by individual crew members and residents must adhere to housing guidelines. Housing is expected to be in Ash Mountain, Lodgepole, or possibly Grant Grove.

Job Qualifications:
• B.S. in biology, wildlife ecology, natural resource management, or related discipline; 
• The ideal candidate will have a combination of bird, owl, and forest carnivore experience – but individuals with bird or owl monitoring skills would be most helpful this season.  
• Experience surveying for birds – particularly western songbirds and woodpeckers during the breeding season; 
• Experience finding nests (particularly western songbirds and woodpeckers). 
• Experience surveying for owls – particularly California or Northern spotted owls, including calling and nest finding / monitoring; 
• Experience setting and checking remote cameras for forest carnivores; 
• Experience using telemetry to locate animals, especially in mountainous terrain; 
• Ability to navigate in the field using a combination of handheld GPS, tablet, map, compass; 
• Experience with GIS, managing spatial data, and/or working with databases would all be useful; 
• Experience collecting and managing field data and organizing field samples; 
• Familiarity with Sierra Nevada fauna and flora, and experience identifying Sierra trees/shrubs;  
• Ability to collaborate and communicate positively with others;  
• Willingness and ability to work/hike in steep terrain and carry moderate to heavy backpack; 
• Leadership experience, including ability to provide instruction in field/office protocols, to maintain field safety, plan logistics in a challenging location, and to enact low-impact principles; 
• Familiarity with the mission, goals and operations of the National Park Service and with SEKI Resource Management & Science, preferred;  
• Required: Possess valid driver’s license; Current Covid vaccine; 
• Willingness and ability to consistently enact high performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the mission of GBI and the goals and objectives of the NPS. 
 
The successful applicant must complete a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation (BI) or submit paperwork to NPS human resources indicating an active and fully adjudicated BI has already been completed prior to beginning position. If you already have a fully adjudicated BI, please let us know in your application.