Crew Leader for Northern Goshawk and Spotted Owl Research

~ The Institute for Bird Populations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded by Dr. David DeSante in 1989 to study the causes of bird population declines. ~

IBP's first major initiative was the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program, a continent-wide collaborative network of bird banding stations. Other flagship programs include the Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (MoSI) program to study the ecology of Neotropical migrant birds on their wintering grounds, and the Sierra Nevada Bird Observatory to study and conserve birds in the Sierra Nevada region of California. Our work has spread to other parts of the U.S. and the globe, including Canada, the Neotropics, and Pacific Islands.

We collaborate locally, nationally, and globally with individuals, government agencies, and NGOs in diverse fields to assess the effects of land management actions, climate change, and other ecological stressors on bird populations, and prescribe practical solutions. We use cutting-edge science, and frequently publish results in peer-reviewed journals.

Position Overview

We have one opening for a crew leader to oversee and coordinate a movement study of Northern Goshawks and California Spotted Owls using new direct-link GPS-UHF tracking systems during spring/summer 2018 in the central and northern Sierra Nevada.

Project Dates: (tentative): approximately 15 May – 30 July 2018 (tentative and flexible).

Training: The field season will begin with a training session on conducting surveys, tracking technologies and methods, and on project protocols for habitat and vegetation assessments. Applicants with owl and raptor life history knowledge and interest are preferred.

Responsibilities

• This position will involve supervising a team of 2+ interns, and working with project partners and investigators.
• Early in the season, the Crew Leader will join a team of surveyors and a capture team tasked with capturing and fitting approximately twenty birds with tracking devices.
• Once equipment is deployed the Crew Leader will be responsible for establishing protocols and schedules for tracking marked birds and downloading data from remote devices.
• A number of marked birds will be tracked in areas receiving management treatments, and the Crew Leader will be responsible for coordinating pre- and post-treatment vegetation surveys on those and other sites.
• The Crew Leader also will be responsible for ensuring that tracking systems remain operational throughout the season.
• On a typical day, the crew will wake up before dawn, drive and/or hike 30 min - 1.5 hrs, and spend the morning deploying automated tracking equipment or downloading data from marked birds.
• Afternoons will be spent conducting vegetation assessments within bird territories, organizing data, and planning travels for subsequent days.
• Work will be moderately physically demanding involving off-trail hikes into data collection sites.
• The typical work schedule will be either 5 days on and 2 off, or 10 days consecutive work followed by 2-3 days off (early in the season and during trapping).

Qualifications

Requirements:

• We are seeking candidates with raptor and/or owl tracking and study experience, and familiarity with radio telemetry and other geospatial technologies.
• Prior experience with raptor handling, territory/nest monitoring, and GIS software is preferred.
• Other requirements include a tolerance for aggressive and carnivorous birds, and the ability to coordinate work for the entire crew. Survey work will occur in the central Sierra Nevada near the town of Quincy and substantial vehicle travel will be required.
• A willingness to face the rigors of fieldwork, and the ability to keep your cool when engaging study subjects that can be more intelligent (and certainly more frustrating) than humans is important.
• Many sites are remote, and transit and equipment movement can be physically demanding.
• Portions of the season will include long work days that may begin well before dawn and/or late into the evening, wet and cold weather, hot and dry weather, mosquitoes and biting flies, occasional contact with bears, and housing that may be rustic and/or somewhat crowded.
• Successful candidates must be in excellent physical condition and must be comfortable with off-trail hiking and orienteering.

Equipment:

• The Crew Leader is expected to provide her/his own binoculars, sense of humor, enthusiasm, boots, raingear, compass, etc.
• A personal automobile is preferred and mileage and fuel will be reimbursed.

Compensation: This is a seasonal IBP Staff position, with a salary of $2,400 per month and project-related travel mileage reimbursement ($0.37/mile). Housing and project necessities including computer, tracking equipment, and GPS, will be provided.

To Apply

Please click "Apply" below to upload your resume, cover letter, and the names, phone numbers and email addresses of two references to Mandy Holmgren, Biologist. For more information about this project, please contact Dylan Kesler.