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This position will serve as the lead technician in Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Lemhi Effectiveness Monitoring Program in Salmon, Idaho. This project is designed to monitor fishery response of ESA listed Chinook salmon, Steelhead, and bull trout relative to habitat conservation actions that are being implemented in the Lemhi River Sub-basin. Data generated from these studies will be used to further understand the relationship between habitat capacity and freshwater survival, and will help guide future restoration efforts using an adaptive management approach. The selected candidate will be responsible for conducting and leading a range of field work activities, including backpack and barge electrofishing, operating and maintaining rotary screw traps, operating adult fish traps and weirs, radio telemetry, spawning ground surveys, PIT tagging of juvenile and adult salmonids, PIT tag array operation and maintenance, collecting biological samples, and collecting physical habitat data such as water temperature, flow, and general habitat characteristics. Office duties will include data organization and entry, data quality control, database management, assisting the lead biologist in data summary, and preparation of figures and maps. This position will also assist the Lemhi Conservation Program manager with various habitat project duties, as necessary, such as exotic weed treatment, irrigating re-vegetated areas, and video documentation of habitat construction projects.
Applicants should be detail-oriented with a strong work ethic, organized, self-motivated, and able to work independently with little supervision. Previous experience with methods described above that are used to monitor freshwater life stages of anadromous fish is preferred. Applicants should be proficient with word processing, spreadsheet software, and databases. Applicants must be able to lift up to 60 pounds, pack up to 40 pounds for several miles, and walk several miles a day along stream banks and trails. They must also be willing to stay in travel trailers or wall tents, camp in semi-remote areas, and work in adverse weather conditions.
The incumbent must be able to accommodate a flexible schedule during the field season. This includes either 4 days on, 3 days off, 5 days on with weekends off, or an occasional 8 day on, 6 day off schedule as necessary depending upon field activity. Winter schedule is typically a standard 5 day work week with weekends off, with some flexibility.
Essential Functions:
Knowledge Required by the Position:
Employees have the knowledge to resolve common technical or procedural problems for themselves or their work crew. They are able to assess or interpret the significance of their results and relate that to the overall objective of the project. They have the knowledge to outline, organize and execute the details of projects where unusual or irregular procedural or technical problems arise.
Additional Mandatory Skills:
Physical Demands:
Demands can range from sedentary, to moderate -where there is walking, climbing stairs and ladders, reaching, lifting, and bending, to rigorous. In the latter case, the employee must be able to handle buckets of water or gear weighing up to 50 pounds. Long daily periods of hiking, carrying equipment, swimming, and/or standing may be required. Camping out for extended periods may be required. Some work requires the ability to maintain footing in fast-moving water.
Work Environment:
Some work is performed in an office setting with adequate lighting, heating and ventilation. Some work may be performed in fish processing labs, fish holding areas, and/or in the field. Employees may work on narrow, elevated walkways and platforms that are over or adjacent to water. Field work involves exposure to all types of weather, slippery rocks or docks, trails, irregular terrain, insects, poison oak, rough or fast-moving water, or cold water temperatures. Work at high elevations or aboard boats may be required.
Requirements:A range of education and experience may be presented. At the lower end of the range, candidates must present successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major in biological science with at least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects and at least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences. An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.
At the upper end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience** OR a year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position.
**Specialized Experience is experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position being filled. To be creditable, Specialized Experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.