Wildlife Technician (Stanislaus NF, MiWok RD)

Position Description Summary:

USFS, Stanislaus NF, California

The Great Basin Institute, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), is seeking Wildlife Technicians to conduct wildlife, aquatics, and habitat surveys within USFS Region 5 locations in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. These positions directly contribute to management efforts for sensitive, threatened, and endangered species, such as the Northern goshawk, Spotted Owl, and fox.

A Temporary Special Assignment (TSA) employee is one who is hired for a specific temporary assignment external from the institutes administrative operations with one of GBIs partners for 52 weeks or greater or less than 52 weeks and may work full-time (30 or more hours per week) or part-time (less than 30 hours per week).

Essential Job Functions may include the following:

Technicians will:

• Support population monitoring and habitat surveys.
• Ensure adequate protections during vegetation management and restoration projects.
• Contribute to legally mandated compliance measures that support forest resilience.
• Gain exposure to USFS procedures, compliance obligations, and multi-disciplinary technical opportunities, including archaeology, forestry, and hydrology.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Conduct broadcast acoustical surveys for Northern goshawks.
• Perform nocturnal surveys for Spotted Owls.
• Monitor nesting and reproductive status.
• Gather, compile, and analyze data to assess wildlife habitat requirements and population management needs.
• Inventory and monitor habitats, assessing quality and biological suitability.
• Interpret and apply biological requirements for target wildlife species.

The work contributes to the long-term resilience of forest ecosystems, with efforts to adapt to climate change impacts and mitigate wildfire risks, ensuring forest health for future generations.

Requirements/Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, employees must be able to satisfactorily carry out each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required Qualifications:

• Valid state-issued drivers license.
• Ability to hear and identify owl and goshawk calls.
• Excellent to good physical condition: Capable of carrying a 4050 lb. pack across steep terrain at high elevations.
• Self-motivated with a desire to work independently or in small groups in remote locations.
• U.S. citizenship is mandatory.

Desired Skills:

• Proficiency in wildlife species identification
• Navigation skills: Experience with GIS, GPS, map reading, and compass use.
• Knowledge and experience with survey protocols for California wildlife species, especially California Spotted Owls, Northern Goshawks, amphibians, and other aquatic and raptor species.
• Ability to work well with others
• Ability to accommodate a flexible schedule (evening work for owl surveys and day work for goshawks; we prioritize sleep, so we typically do not have morning shifts after working an evening shift)
• Ability to conduct strenuous field work in varying weather conditions
• The ability to stay positive about this challenging, but awesome work

LOCATION

Stanislaus National Forest

The Stanislaus National Forest spans nearly 900,000 acres on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in California. With elevations ranging from 1,500 to 11,000 feet, the forest features diverse landscapes, from dense woodlands to alpine meadows. Nestled between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, it offers abundant recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, fishing, and skiing. Its proximity to major urban areas makes it a prime destination, with the San Francisco Bay Area located just 3 hours west.

WORK SCHEDULE

Projects begin as early as March and end as late as November. Season schedules are project specific.

Most Botany Crew positions follow 10 hour days, 4 days a week schedule.

Temporary Special Assignment employees are eligible to receive holiday pay, if partner approved. TSAs holiday schedule will comply with the project partner holiday schedule, unless otherwise specified in their employment offer. TSAs working five (5) eight (8) hour days per workweek will be paid eight (8) hours for all holidays. TSAs working four (4) ten (10) hour days per workweek will be paid ten (10) hours for all holidays. Same with other approved/allowable workweek configurations; these can be accommodated accordingly with Banked Holiday(s).

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Wage: $21/hour with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate. Full time, average 40 hours per week

BENEFITS WILL NEED REVIEW EVERY TIME POSTED ( 1 YR OR <1 YR OR <90 DAYS)

>1YR duration In addition to a competitive base salary, this full-time,onsite position includes company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance, as well as $25,000 Life/AD&D policy. Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available, and voluntary Life/AD&D policies for family members. Mental health support resources are employer provided, competitive PTO accrual, and paid holidays. This exciting role contributes to GBIs significant positive impacts within the fields of environmental research, education, and conservation.

TSA employees who serve a term under 52 weeks in duration, and have a thirty (30) day or less break between terms, and then sign a second term that (cumulatively) becomes greater than 52 weeks of employment, will be eligible for the >1-year TSA benefits (equivalent to Regular full-time employees).

TO APPLY

Please submit an up-to-date resume, a one-page cover letter that details your interest in the position, and any qualifications not fully outlined in your resume, and contact information for three

professional references to the unique application link __insert actual ATS link___. Qualified applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview. For questions regarding this position, please contact kmckinnon@gbinstitute.org

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands, stand, walk, bend, and have specific vision abilities to include close and distance vision, and ability to adjust focus working with computer business equipment and other job/industry specific equipment. The noise level in the work environment is usually low.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the organization's ongoing needs.

Disclaimer: Although the organization has attempted to accurately and thoroughly describe this position, GBI reserves the right to change the same, including to change, add to or subtract from the duties outlined, within the sole discretion of the organization, at any time, with or without advance notice.