Please share this announcement with ECOLOG subscribers or suitable colleagues to get the word out, Thank you for circulating to appropriate applicants. Cheers, Dave
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT Aquatic Ecology Field Technician (summer) Dates: June 15 through September 15, 2012 (start/end date negotiable) Location: Eastern and Western, Montana (Based in Helena, MT—subsidized housing may be available) APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 15, 2012 APPLICATION SCREENING: Screening begins as soon as applications are received The position is for one full-time, summer field technician to assist the MT Natural Heritage Program Aquatic Ecologist on various contract funded river projects in the Yellowstone and Missouri River Basins. A project focus will be to sample and analyze macroinvertebrate, periphyton and fish communities in prairie streams and rivers within the CBNG and Coal Tracts areas of SE Montana. Additionally, a MT DEQ Project will collect various stream habitat data from 30 valley and mountain streams to determine relationships between sediment levels and macroinvertebrate communities. The technician will spend three months working with the Aquatic Ecologist and traveling to approximately 75 field sites. Biweekly pay will be based on 80 hours in the field (not to exceed 520 hours total). Each field stint may be up to 8 days in duration and rustic camping is expected (often on BLM and USFS lands with no facilities). We will typically spend ½ day per site surveying, travel to th! e next site finish and camp nearby. Per diem is paid, but personal camping gear is not provided. RESPONSIBILITIES: Primary duties will include establishing transects, mapping stream reaches, filling out field forms, sampling fish using seines and macroinvertebrates /periphyton using EMAP and MT DEQ protocols. Pebble counts and other sediment quantification techniques will be used. Data entry or macroinvertebrate processing may occur, but it will largely be a field position. A protocol training day will be provided. QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must possess a four-year degree or currently be enrolled at a college or university pursuing a degree in ecology, fisheries, natural resource management, environmental studies or other similar area. Candidates must be in good physical condition, capable of working long days in the field under hot, rugged conditions, and be comfortable wading in mucky prairie streams or fast, bouldery rivers. Ability to work under these conditions is essential. Candidates should be comfortable working and camping in remote areas under rustic conditions. Skills in the following areas are valuable: good attention to detail oriented tasks (i.e., pebble counts, field note-taking, labeling sample bottles), easy going, working well in an isolated setting, wilderness safety and first aid training, and experience with navigating forest service roads, maps and backcountry travel. Experience with relevant fish or macroinvertebrate sampling fieldwork or stream sampling! skills are desirable, but not necessary. A valid US driver’s license and a safe driving record are required. SALARY: $12-14/hour DOE APPLICATION PROCESS: Email or mail a 1-2 page resume and cover letter, including three references with telephone numbers and email addresses, to the contact information below. No phone calls please. CONTACT: David Stagliano Montana Natural Heritage Program Aquatic Ecologist 1515 E. 6th Avenue Helena, MT 59620-1800 Email: dstagli...@mt.gov http://mtnhp.org/
