RiverWatch Technician, Part-time

~ Founded in 2002 as a collaborative partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Natural History Survey and Lewis and Clark Community College, the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) is dedicated to the study of great river systems and the communities that use them. The center aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds, and their associated communities. ~

Our Mission:

• The center's scholars and scientists study the ecology of the big rivers, the workings of the watersheds that feed them, and the ties to the river communities that use them.

Our Goals and Functions:

• To conduct research that makes significant contributions to our understanding of big rivers and their watersheds.
• Actively solicit community and other stakeholder input to ensure that our research is truly relevant and responsive to societal needs.
• To promote the use of adaptive management and continuous improvement strategies that regularly apply lessons learned from the river/watershed sites to ongoing sustainable management practices, continuing research, and policy development.
• To develop and implement education and outreach programs that foster a greater understanding and appreciation for the great rivers and extend and apply knowledge gained from the research to protect and sustain the quality of river environments.

Position Overview

The RiverWatch Technician will assist in training Citizen Scientists to sample and analyze stream and river water; collecting stream data from the field and processing samples including identification of aquatic invertebrates. The RiverWatch Technician will also assist in record-keeping, data entry, and clerical tasks.

Work Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:30, Some Evenings, Some Weekends, Other (specify) - May require statewide travel.

Responsibilities

The following are duties that are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required or assigned:

• Assist with maintenance and data entry in the RiverWatch database.
• Verify volunteer data sheets and ensure that data have been properly entered into the database.
• Under direction of supervisor, organize and conduct training workshops and open labs for volunteers.
• Maintain aquatic invertebrate and other specimen collections.
• Maintain sampling gear and equipment, including tracking inventory, cleaning, repairing, etc.
• Assist in other RiverWatch outreach activities as needed.
• Collect stream / water quality data from the field for use in determining biological trends for Illinois streams.
• Assist in training and certifying volunteers, referred to as Citizen Scientists, to collect high quality scientific data that will subsequently be used by professionals and the general public to gauge long-term trends in stream health, develop land management strategies, identify potentially degraded waters, and assess the effectiveness of restoration projects.
• Assist the RiverWatch Director in training Citizen Scientists to measure the intactness of the macroinvertebrate community, which is measured by the total number of taxa, total number of EPT (orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) taxa, and Macroinvertebrate Biotic Index (MBI) scores.
• Assist with other NGRREC education programs as requested.

Qualifications

Skills Required:

• High School Diploma and Enrolled in degree program in the field of natural resources or other related fields required.
• Highly motivated, creative, organized, experienced individual who wants to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Some knowledge of aquatic invertebrate identification and general stream ecology.
• Excellent public relations and speaking skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Requires occasional statewide travel. Must be willing to work occasional weekends and evenings as needed.
• Must be able to lift 25 pounds.
• Proficiency in the use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and willingness to learn new computer applications.

Preferred Skills:

• Associate Degree or higher in field of natural resources or other related fields.
• Familiarity with ArcMap geospatial analysis procedures.
• Proficiency in identifying aquatic invertebrates to family and genus.
• Experience in community-based outreach education.
• Experience with a broad range of ages desirable.

Compensation

• Posting Number - 20110512
• Grade - B22
• Classification - Non-Exempt Staff
• FLSA - Non-Exempt
• Rate of Pay - $13.49/hr
• Type of Position - Part-Time
• Hours per week - 20
• Number of weeks - 50
• Organizational Unit - NGRREC-Environmental Education
• Position Reports To Director of Environmental Education and Citizen Science

To Apply

• Please click "Apply on Company Website" below.

~ Lewis & Clark Community College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Affirmative Action Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, LCCC will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer. It is also the policy of the College to prohibit any form of harassment based on an individual’s protected status, such as gender, color, race, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation or other protected group status as defined by law. If interested, please contact the Human Resource Department, Erickson Hall – Room 107. ~