Duration: April to early November 2023

Bat Conservation International (BCI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ending bat extinctions worldwide, seeks a seasonal full-time bat biologist to support bat-related disease surveillance and research in the Klamath Region in southern Oregon and northern California. The National Park Service (NPS) Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network (KLMN) and BCI are partnering to monitor bat colonies and roosts to detect the arrival of White-nose Syndrome (WNS) and Psudogymnoascus desctructans (Pd), conduct research to understand bat habitat requirements and management, and educate park visitors about North American bats. The applicant will plan and perform a wide variety of activities, including WNS disease surveillance, acoustic monitoring, research, and interpretive activities in and around the national and state parks in southern Oregon and northern California. The major duties of this position are listed below, including the training, supervision, and oversight of a 1-2 field crew members in support of the listed activities. Find more information about the NPS Klamath Network at https://www.nps.gov/im/klmn/index.htm.

Responsibilities include:

• Conduct spring WNS surveillance by capturing and swabbing bats at roosts, collecting basic information, and submitting samples to labs for analysis;
• Attach radio-transmitters to bats and use radiotelemetry to locate fall bat roosts, including manual tracking by vehicle/foot, automated telemetry stations, aerial telemetry, and telemetry drones;
• Contribute to statewide bat population monitoring by collecting and contributing acoustic monitoring data per the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol;
• Collect the first year of post-treatment bat activity data for a research project on the effects of forest management practices on bat community composition and habitat use at Lassen Volcanic National Park;
• Support evening interpretive programs on bats at parks, including speaking to visitors about bats, demonstrating acoustic detection equipment, and capturing/handling bats for visitor viewing;
• Support planning and logistics of fieldwork and train crew members on equipment and field techniques;
• Train and supervise crew member(s) and other assistants on capture methods, bat handling, acoustic monitoring, radiotelemetry, and other methods;
• Enter, document, validate, and manage scientific data using Microsoft Excel, Access, and other software, and assist in summarizing results and preparing written reports; and
• Occasionally assist other NPS projects.

Work environment and schedule:

• This position, and the associated crew, will be based at the NPS office of the KLMN in Ashland, Oregon, from April to August and will generally travel between Ashland and parks to conduct field activities. The base of operations will shift to a new location in or near one of the KLMN parks for the fall telemetry project. There may be a period of 2 – 4 weeks down time (i.e., non-pay) between spring/summer field work and fall telemetry.
• This is primarily a field job, with approximately 25% being strenuous outdoor activity, 50% moderate outdoor activity, and 25% sedentary office work. Office work requires prolonged sitting at a computer. Fieldwork requires moving, carrying, and setting up heavy equipment, hiking and carrying heavy items to sites on- and off-trail, and extended drives of many hours among field sites. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals.
• Crew members work a 40 hr week with a varied work schedule that will often include evenings and occasional weekends. The days of the week worked and the number of hours per day will vary with the activity, field conditions, logistics, and bat behavior. Individual trips may range from 2 to 8 days.

Required Qualifications:

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in Biology, Wildlife Science, Ecology, or a closely related field in the biological or environmental sciences;
• Experience capturing bats using various methods (e.g., mist netting with triple high poles, hand nets, etc.) and extracting bats safely from nets/traps;
• Experience handling live bats, identifying bats in-the-hand to species, determining sex, age, and reproductive status, and decontaminating equipment per national WNS decontamination procedures;
• Experience conducting ground-based and, ideally, aerial telemetry in mountainous, forested terrain with few roads;
• Qualified applicants must have completed the rabies pre-exposure vaccination series, obtained serologic testing within 12 months of the anticipated start date (April 2023), and either demonstrated an adequate rabies serum titer OR provided evidence of a booster vaccination if the titer is below the acceptable level;
• Ability to move and/or carry heavy equipment (up to 50 lb) and hike long daily distances through mountainous terrain with a heavy backpack;
• Ability to navigate to established plots off-trail through difficult terrain using a map, compass, and GPS;
• Possession of a valid state driver’s license and clean driving record;
• Wilderness travel and camping skills;
• Possess a favorably adjudicated background clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience conducting sampling to detect Pd;
• Experience deploying automated acoustic monitoring equipment per NABat protocols, troubleshooting equipment, managing large volumes of acoustic data, and processing acoustic data with one or more software applications (e.g., Sonobat);
• Have supervised, trained, and coordinated logistics for crews of two or more people; and
• Have developed project-specific safety procedures for fieldwork in remote settings.
• Experience operating 4WD or AWD vehicles on paved and unpaved roads;

Work Characteristics and Competencies:

• Ability to communicate effectively with team members, agency staff, and a diverse public;
• Must be motivated, self-directed, organized, and detail-oriented to balance multiple tasks simultaneously; and
• Possess a commitment to personal and team member safety, and communicate perceived safety threats immediately;

We encourage anyone meeting 70% or more of the requirements to apply. Your application must include a cover letter and CV with contact information for 2 – 3 references. Be sure your cover letter and/or CV identify where you obtained skills and experience to qualify you for this position. Applications are due no later than February 17, 2023 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the goal of scheduling interviews and hiring for this position as soon as possible.

Visit the ADP Workforce Now link to apply:
https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=4f1d76c0-c801-4a5e-879d-35f46070697c&ccId=19000101_000001&lang=en_US&jobId=9200549812422_1&source=EN

Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)

BCI is deeply committed to JEDI and embeds JEDI-centered practices in the conservation work and organizational culture. BCI is determined to be an employer of choice and believes that the best organizational performance will come from a safe, diverse, and inclusive work environment. Read more about our JEDI statement at www.batcon.org/about-us/justice-equity-diversity-and-inclusion/.