Aquatic Ecologist

Duties:

The Aquatic Ecologist will have primary responsibility for
conducting fieldwork, analysis and reporting for a landscape-
scale freshwater mussel and fish project in northwest
Pennsylvania. This is a multi-year State Wildlife Grant funded
project that involves qualitative and quantitative freshwater
mussel and fish surveys in the French Creek, Shenango and
Allegheny River watersheds with riparian and instream physical
and chemical parameter measurement and analysis. The position
is initially funded for 1 year with continuation dependant on
funding. Candidate will be expected to participate in fund
raising through grant writing.

Qualifications:

This position requires a fundamental understanding of ecology of
aquatic systems, specifically stream and/or river ecology. The
candidate should have an understanding of freshwater mussels
and/or freshwater fish native to the Ohio River drainage as well
as knowledge of aquatic macroinvertebrate taxonomy,
zoogeography, freshwater mussel/fish host interactions, and
literature searches. Prior field experience sampling and
identifying freshwater mussel and fish species and basic SCUBA
certification prior to 2003 field season is required. This
position is located in our Northwest Field Station office on
Lake Pleasant, Erie Co., Pa.

Candidates for this position should have a Masters Degree in
Biology or closely related field. Candidates with a Bachelors
Degree, 3 years of experience and a demonstrated knowledge of
stream ecology, freshwater mussel, and/or fish biology will be
considered. The work will involve using canoes,
snorkeling/SCUBA equipment, handheld GPS units, and various
techniques and equipment for sampling freshwater mussels and
fish as well as physical/chemical stream parameters. The
candidate will be responsible for developing work plans and
overseeing seasonal interns and volunteers. Some of the work
may involve strenuous fieldwork in remote locations under a
variety of weather conditions. Some background using
statistical analyses is preferred. Good oral and scientific
writing skills are essential as well as the ability to organize
and present scientific data. Ability to work with and
coordinate efforts of students, volunteers, and scientists from
local universities, agencies, and conservation organizations is
essential. Experience using Windows/MS Office software and
ArcView GIS is preferred. Opportunities to work with other
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy initiatives may arise. The
position will involve travel throughout northwest Pennsylvania
with some work in other parts of western Pa.
possible.

Compensation:

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy offers a competitive salary and
excellent benefits package. Send a resume and cover letter,
with salary expectations to:

Nancy Bassett, SPHR
Senior Director of Human Resources
PO Box R
Mill Run, PA 15464