Ecological Field Monitoring Coordinator

~ The ecological monitoring program at Great Basin Institute (GBI) serves as an excellent professional development opportunity for burgeoning natural resource professionals looking for experience in botanical, soil, and rangeland surveys. ~

This program is a component of our well-established Research Associate Program, which focuses on the conservation and management of natural, cultural and recreation resources in the Intermountain West.

As an element of the ecological monitoring program, participants implement the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) strategy, which is targeted at collecting standardized inventory and long-term vegetation data at multiple scales across western BLM districts. In accordance with this strategy and through partnerships with multiple agencies, GBI’s ecological monitoring program is dedicated to providing college graduates and emerging professionals with hands-on survey, inventory, monitoring, and reporting experience in natural resource management.

Position Overview

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with BLM Wyoming, is recruiting an AIM Program Coordinator to work cooperatively to support implementation of the AIM strategy. This includes monitoring sage grouse habitat, range allotments, and other areas on public range lands in Wyoming. The overall objective of the GBI/BLM AIM programs are to support land health assessments through inventory and monitoring of sage grouse habitat and other areas on BLM public range lands and riparian systems.

Biotic, hydrologic, and soil qualitative indicators are used in conjunction with quantitative data to inform conservation planning and adaptive management decisions. The overall objective of the available positions is to coordinate and support AIM implementation including planning, recruitment, orientation, training, deployment, communication, safety, logistics, data collection and management, and reporting.

Job Code: 2017-RAP-088

Contract Length: 9 Months

Contract Timeline:

• Work Remotely: January 8, 2018 – April 13, 2018
• Wyoming Field Office: April 16, 2018 – October 12, 2018

Responsibilities

The Ecological Field Monitoring Program Coordinator will work collaboratively with GBI Program Coordinators, Data Specialists, field crews, other GBI staff, and BLM partners to fulfill the goals and objectives for AIM projects in Wyoming. Specific duties include:

• Supervision, management, training, and coordination of AIM field teams;
• Supporting recruitment for the Wyoming AIM teams;
• Acting as liaison to BLM staff and other project affiliates;
• Implementation planning, equipment organization and maintenance, vehicle coordination, field protocol and data QA/QC standardization, and team deployment;
• Promoting a culture of safety and maintaining safety communication and best practices with AIM crews during the field season;
• Planning and coordinating with Wyoming BLM staff on current and future AIM projects, including seasonal planning and generating sampling points within strata as designated by district staff;
• Utilizing GIS to perform spatial analysis and produce mapping products;
• Supporting data collection, organization, processing and QA/QC while ensuring consistency across crews;
• Reviewing, processing, and managing timesheets, time off requests, and other standardized paperwork;
• Travel, camping, and site visits to BLM District/Field Office crews;
• Conducting interim AIM reporting and drafting summary AIM reports;
• Participating in GBI or partner-sponsored training opportunities, and/or facilitating GBI workshops for Research Associates and technicians; and
• Performing additional duties, as needed.

Qualifications

• College degree in one of the major natural sciences; those with an advanced degree are encouraged to apply;
• 2 years of experience in a leadership position;
• Experience in project management strongly preferred;
• Experience working with federal land management agencies, members of the public, and/or non-profit organizations;
• Understanding of principles related to a combination of the fields of botany, soil science, wildlife biology, geology, hydrology, and spatial analysis;
• Applicant should possess relevant or related field experience – knowledge of and/or experience in high desert and Great Basin ecology preferred;
• Awareness of best practices for field safety, communication and risk management;
• Applicant should possess a strong background in plant community ecology and plant identification; those with additional soil identification experience will be given preference;
• Ability to coordinate and manage the collection of field data according to protocol guidelines followed by a detailed QA/QC process; preference for those possessing experience and confidence analyzing geospatial data and creating map products;
• Willingness to travel for multiple days at a time to field sites in support of field crews;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience;
• Physically fit to work outdoors, carry personal and field equipment, and withstand working and camping in inclement weather during late winter, spring, and summer in Nevada;
• Ability to navigate and set a bearing using a compass and to read a topographic map;
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license and the ability to safely operate a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads;
• Willingness and ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic office environment, and to consistently enact high performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the goals and objectives of the AIM program and the mission of GBI; and
• Meet requirements of federal agency security background checks (e.g., FBI criminal and National Sex Offender Public Registry, Department of Interior Security Screening).

Compensation 

• January 8, 2018 – October 12, 2018: $1,520 Biweekly Salary;
• Housing stipend will be provided while working at a Wyoming Field Office;
• Camping per diem;
• Paid holidays and personal leave; and
• Paid health insurance (medical, dental and vision).

Additional Information

Location:

Wyoming Field Office: The Coordinator with be based out of a Wyoming BLM Field Office in a location that’s currently partnering with GBI to collect AIM data. Current partnerships include Rawlins, Pinedale, Kemmerer, Lander and New Castle Field Office. While based out of one Field Office, the Coordinator will travel to partnering Field Offices to support GBI AIM crews. These offices manage millions of acres of multiple-use public lands throughout Wyoming.

These lands offer a wide diversity of outdoor recreation resources, including the National Historic Trails, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, historic mining areas, rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, and hang gliding. The area, characterized by a semi-arid climate with impressive thunderstorms throughout the summer, contains a diversity of landscapes, including mountains, badlands, canyons, and plains.