Job Description:
Oregon State University is hiring 4-5 seasonal technicians to collect data on the occupancy, abundance, and diet of avian predators nesting on communication towers throughout five states in the Great Basin ecosystem (California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Wyoming). This work is in support of research by a Master’s student in Rangeland Sciences/Wildlife and in collaboration with several state agencies and the United States Geological Survey, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Position Duties:
Successful candidates will travel to hundreds of field locations across the five-state study area conducting point counts of corvids and raptors and gathering structure data and genetic samples from predator nesting sites. This is a highly collaborative project, and there will be a need and opportunity to coordinate, train, and work alongside state and agency partners. There may be opportunities to assist collaborators with other research activities such as capturing ravens and sage grouse. There is also songbird work for those with the skillset.
Crews will work a hitch schedule, possibly spending up to ten days on the road at a time. Camping will be required on hitch. Successful candidates will work by themselves or in small groups in remote mountains and deserts. While on hitch, expect to live out of a field vehicle, drive long distances, and hike 3-10 miles per day at high altitudes. Hitch scheduling is flexible. Crew members will either work alongside a Master’s student based out of Boise, ID or with a collaborating nonprofit based out of Reno, NV. Housing is not provided, but there is flexibility in where field personnel may be based given the large spatial footprint of this project. Field vehicles, survey gear, and safety gear are provided, and technicians may use project vehicles to travel to survey sites from their home. Fieldwork begins in April and ends in late June, although there may be opportunities to work through July. Start and end dates are flexible, and we are willing to make accommodations for the ideal technician. We can accommodate start dates as late as mid May
Required Qualifications:
- High School Diploma or equivalent
- Valid Driver’s License
- Satisfactory Criminal History Check
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology, Natural Resources, or related field
- Experience driving and navigating 4WD vehicles in rugged and remote conditions
- Experience hiking and camping in rugged and remote conditions
- Experience working with private landowners
- Bird identification by sight and sound, particularly corvids and raptors of the Great Basin
- Experience collecting field data with ESRI products (Survey123, FieldMaps)
- CPR/First Aid/Wilderness First Responder
- Self-motivated and capable of working safely and independently
Compensation:
$15-18.50/hour DOE + per diem TBD
How to Apply:
The last day to apply is TBD, but applications will be reviewed as they are received. Please submit a cover letter, resume/CV, and three professional references as a single PDF file to Shawn.Szabo@oregonstate.edu with “Avian Predator Technician 2023” in the subject line. Please name the PDF file with your first and last name. Applications without this subject line may be missed and might not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a continuous, rolling basis until all positions are filled. Start dates will be early April to to mid May (flexible). Please indicate your availability in your email or cover letter. Feel free to reach out with any questions before applying.