Please go to www.usajob.opm.gov to apply. The position will be posted Monday 2-13-06 to 2-22-06. Biological Science Technician (Botany) GS05 TEMP (4 vacancies)
This position is located in the Las Vegas Field Station of the USGS-BRD Western Ecological Research Center. The successful candidate will participate in various research projects focusing on fire and invasive plant ecology and ecological effects of fuels management in the Western U.S., with special emphasis on the Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert and the Colorado Plateau. The position focuses on the inventory of plants, their distribution, habitat characteristics and response to various experimental treatments. Field work will occur in the Mojave National Preserve, CA; Lee Vining, CA; Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, AZ; and various other sites in UT and NV. Individuals with knowledge of plants native to the Colorado Plateau and Mojave Desert and ability to efficiently and effectively use a taxonomic key are preferred. Specific duties include: establish sampling sites, assist in data collection (soil sampling, vegetation inventory and monitoring, biomass collection, species identification, preparing herbarium specimens), data management, maintenance of field, laboratory and computer equipment, and occasional library research. The incumbent will collect and organize field data, ensuring adequate quality control of data collected. The incumbant will also assist in the application of experimental treatments in the field including fire, herbicide, fertilizer, grazing, mechanical, and ecological restoration treatments. Some research projects focus on fire and fire effects so applicants may have the opportunity to participate in wildland fire training in the spring and may take part in fire behavior and temperature monitoring. The work involves large amounts of time outside under a variety of conditions including high elevations and extreme heat and cold and will require the incumbent to carry objects weighing up to 45 pounds. The use of global positioning systems (GPS units), computers, cameras, and on-and off-road vehicles are an essential part of the job. Periods of several days (7-14) will be spent camping at remote locations on data collection trips throughout the entire summer and fall. See web sites for project descriptions: http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/lv/fireandinvasives/ http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/lv/pj/lakemead/ http://www.werc.usgs.gov/invasivespecies/mojavegrassfire.html
