Wilderness Stewardship Technician

Description:
In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Bridgeport Ranger District, the Great Basin Institute is recruiting two (2) Wilderness Stewardship Technicians. The Technicians will play a key role in collecting data that will be utilized by the Forest in their efforts to meet the Chief’s 10 Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge. Key standards will be
monitored by the Technicians in both the Hoover and Carson-Iceberg wildernesses. Specifically, this project will entail campsite inventories utilizing photopoint monitoring and collecting GPS waypoint; trail and campsite encounter monitoring, including evidence of motorized or mechanized use; and trail inventories to document User-created trails and maintenance needs. As they travel and camp in the wilderness, the Technicians will also
document other observations of resource conditions including wildlife observations, livestock locations, reports from visitors, etc. In addition to field inventories and monitoring, the Technicians will also be responsible for compiling and entering field data into spreadsheets and a “hitch report” or work diary at the end of each tour in the wilderness. Field hitches may last anywhere from 3 to 8 days at a time.

Compensation:
o $5,000 Living Allowance
o $1,250 AmeriCorps Education Award*
o Student loan forbearance*
o Field per diem
o Housing Provided

Timeline:
o May 17, 2010 – August 20, 2010
o Full time, minimum 40 hours per week

Location:
The crew will be based in Bridgeport, CA, which is approximately 2.5 hours (115 miles) south of Reno, NV and 2 hours (90 miles) north of Bishop, CA and sits in a valley on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Bridgeport Ranger District encompasses over 1 million acres in both Nevada and California. For additional information please visit the Bridgeport Ranger District online.

Qualifications:
Technical requirements:
o A combination of educational and/or field experiences related to public land or wilderness management, recreation or other natural resource filed;
o Experience recreating or working in the wilderness or backcountry;
o Experience implementing field data collection protocols accurately and completely;
o Experience working with hand-held GPS equipment for navigation and data collection;
o Knowledge of GIS software, highly desirable but not required; and
o Experience summarizing data and field experiences in written format.

Additional requirements:
o Possess a valid, state-issued drivers license and clean driving record;
o Experience operating 4WD trucks in an on- and off-road setting, including narrow, mountain forest roads;
o Ability to work productively as part of a team to accomplish mutual goals;
o Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse public;
o Possess good organizational skills;
o Ability to work in harsh and rapidly changing environments, work in all types of weather conditions, traverse uneven terrain, carry upwards of 40 pounds in a backpack, and otherwise maintain good physical condition;
o Willingness to camp in remote, improved and unimproved wilderness areas; and
o Meet AmeriCorps eligibility requirements: (1) U.S. citizenship or legal resident alien status, and (2) eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (limit of two in a lifetime, regardless of award amount).
o All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and a federal criminal background check.

For a complete position description please visit our website at
www.TheGreatBasinInstitute.org

How to Apply:
Qualified and interested applicants should forward a cover letter, their résumé, and a list of three professional references to Bridget Walden, at bwalden@thegreatbasininstitute.org.Please include where you found this position posted.

This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or religion. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.