Job Code: 2021-RAP-038
Location: Yosemite
State: California
Program: Research Associate Program
Contract Length: 7 Months
Job Description:
In cooperation with the National Park Service Yosemite National Park (YOSE), the Great Basin Institute is recruiting an Invasive Plant Early Detection and Rapid Response Crew Member who will work in the Invasive Plant Program at Yosemite National Park. The main duties of this position will be to survey for and treat invasive plants in recently burned areas in Yosemite National Park. The incumbent will work under the direction of a crew lead, and will be supervised by the Invasive Plant Program Manager within the Division of Resource Management and Science in the Branch of Vegetation and Ecological Restoration at Yosemite National Park.
Primary duties of the Crew Member include:
• Communicate orally and in writing with crew lead, supervisor, and other staff who may have different duty stations.
• Correctly identify and train others to identify plants to the species level by sight ID and using dichotomous keys and other tools. Position requires strong botany skills to be able to identify new and/or previously unknown populations of many invasive plant species on a landscape level.
• Determine rates, mix, keep records of, and apply chemical herbicides.
• Collect geographic and plant population data using Collector for ArcGIS on a GPS enabled mobile device.
• This position will work to prevent and mitigate damage to rare plants by: conducting surveys, mapping target species, flagging populations, and possibly working to salvage plants and collect seed.
• Work independently and on a team to accomplish field work.
• Work in the front and backcountry, along trails, roads, in developed areas, and off trail in wilderness areas.
• Work in rugged, physically arduous and demanding situations. Incumbent must be able to hike long distances on and off trail in burned areas, work in heat above 100°, carry a spray pack with 3-4 gallons over uneven terrain, and work in areas with exposure to rattlesnakes, poison oak, ticks and other environmental hazards.
• Work safely and ensure the safety of other crew members in hazardous situations such as in burned areas, off trail in unstable terrain, along roadsides, using hand tools, and mixing and applying chemical herbicides.
• Wear and use personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately.
• Follow all applicable federal, state, and park laws, regulations, and policies especially in regards to mixing and applying herbicide. This will be undertaken with training and guidance provided by the program manager holding a CA State Qualified Applicator’s Certificate.
• Maintain field equipment in proper working order. Communicate the need for and/or order supplies as needed.
• Incumbent may occasionally travel away from duty location and camp in campground or stay in bunkhouse and occasionally backpack for up to one week at a time. Incumbent should come prepared with personal camping and backpacking gear, though some group camping gear such as stove, fuel, water filters, etc. are provided. Car camping trips will be few and may occur on or off park.
• Backpack with personal gear and additional work gear up to 15 miles per day while accomplishing field work.
• This position may work less than 20% of the time on additional projects within the Branch of Vegetation and Ecological Restoration including pollinator habitat restoration, native plant seed collection and revegetation, ecological restoration, rare plant monitoring and protection, and other work as assigned.
Contract Timeline:
• 28-week appointment, starting May 10th, 2021 (after successful completion of DOI Background Investigation) to November 18th, 2021.
Location:
Yosemite National Park is world renowned for its giant granite walls, waterfalls, sequoias, beautiful meadows and snowcapped mountains. The park encompasses nearly 750,000 acres of the central Sierra Nevada Mountains in California and is 94% designated wilderness. The elevation ranges from just under 2,000’ to just over 13,000’, and many ecosystems can be found within, including foothill chaparral, oak woodland, mixed conifer forest, subalpine meadows, and alpine fell fields. The park hosts over 1,500 plant taxa and many animals, including special status, threatened, and endangered species. Yosemite is one of the most sought after climbing and hiking destinations in the world. Many additional recreational opportunities abound including botanizing, birding, fishing, swimming, and skiing.
Duty Station(s): El Portal and Wawona are both small, relatively isolated communities in Yosemite National Park with limited services. El Portal is located on the west side of the park along Highway 140. It is home to many park and park partner employees, and the main administrative and maintenance complex for the park. It has a gas station, small market, and nearby hotel and restaurant, but no other services. Mariposa, about 50 minutes away, has additional services including grocery and hardware stores, a hospital, and restaurants. Wawona is located on the south end of the park on Highway 41. It is near the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, is home to park employees and several park operations, as well as private inholdings with vacation rentals. It has a historic hotel, small market, and gas station. Additional services can be found in Oakhurst, about 40 minutes away.
Compensation and Benefits:
• Rate of Pay: $18.84/hour. This position is equivalent to a GS 06 Biological Science Technician.
• Benefits: Fully paid health insurance premium (medical, dental, vision, prescription), paid federal holidays, paid personal and sick leave, enrollment in employer-matched retirement plan
• Park housing option in El Portal/Wawona for reasonable cost
Job Qualifications:
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be proficient operating large work trucks.
• Bachelor’s or higher degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, or related field.
• Experience identifying plants to the species level using dichotomous keys.
• Experience mixing and applying chemical herbicides. State Qualified Applicator’s License or Certificate desirable but not required.
• Experience following standard operating procedures to collect data.
• Experience working with GIS desirable but not required.
• Experience working effectively on a team.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Commitment to a safety culture.
Other Job Information (if applicable):
Additional Information:
The primary focus of this position will be the early detection and rapid response to invasive plants in recent fires and areas impacted by fire suppression. The project is funded by Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) for the 2018 Ferguson Fire. Additional project work will focus on early detection and rapid response to invasive plants across Yosemite. This position will work alongside and coordinate work with another invasive plant treatment crew and other technicians.
The incumbent will be provided the option of government housing. The duty location will likely be in El Portal, CA for part of the year (Spring and Fall), and in Wawona, CA (Summer) for part of the year. El Portal is the base of operations for the Yosemite branch of Vegetation and Ecological Restoration (VER). This position will likely begin their season in the VER office in El Portal and work directly with the program manager/supervisor and invasive plant treatment crew leaders to be trained and complete early season surveys and treatments in El Portal.
The incumbent will report to a National Park Service (NPS) biologist program manager and will take day to day direction from a designated crew leader. The position will serve on a crew with other field GBI and NPS biological science technicians who will also be supervised by the program manager. Occasionally the incumbent will work with other crews and staff and may direct the work of those staff. The incumbent may be responsible for independently leading the crew to implement field work, regularly communicating with the program manager and designated crew leader on logistics, achievements, and setbacks.
This crew rarely travels to car camp or backpack away from the duty station, and may occasionally travel to work on outside park units. Backpacking will likely only be one to three, four day trips per year. Additional car camping trips on and off park will be determined at a later date.
Much of the survey work will be along roadsides and other developed areas. The incumbent must feel comfortable working along roadsides following standard safety procedures, and making judgement calls in the field regarding safety. Surveys will be conducted along the roadside with active traffic in road sections that have a large enough shoulder to work in. To ensure safety while conducting roadside work, signage and high visibility vests will be utilized. Safety considerations will be discussed with the crew leader and supervisor, and a plan to strategically work certain sections of roads, identifying areas that warrant additional safety measures and/or road closures, will be made.
This position will also work away from developed areas, in a wildland setting, and in recently burned areas. Chemical treatment of invasive plants using a backpack sprayer in a wildland setting is a core duty of the position and is extremely physically demanding. This work involves exposure to many environmental hazards. There will be considerable time spent off trail, in steep rocky terrain with exposure to sun, heat, loose footing, poison oak, rattlesnakes, biting and stinging insects, and working in recently burned areas with snags, burned root wells, etc. In addition to that, wildfires in or near the park often contribute to poor air quality that can persist for months of the field season. All crew members will undergo extensive safety training, and be provided PPE and mitigation measures to address these hazards.
All potential candidates should think hard about their personal comfort level doing physically demanding work in an adverse environment before considering this position.
Some of the preceding is the required cautionary statements. On the other side of the coin, there’s a lot to value and look forward to for this work. Identifying and protecting rare plants will directly lead to the preservation of rare resources. Managing invasive plants is one of the biggest impacts we have on a landscape level that protects and supports biodiversity. Some of our invasive plant targets are extremely aggressive. In areas where we have treated near monocultures of non-native plants, we can now find dozens of native species. We often find highly invasive plants at an early stage and can eliminate them before they become established and damage the ecosystem. This position offers a great opportunity to delve into the huge floral diversity of Yosemite.
This work will take you to many places throughout this amazing National Park. The foothills are lovely in the spring with amazing flower displays carpeting the hills. As we move up in elevation, we’ll work in montane meadows including in Yosemite Valley under Half Dome and El Capitan. We work in old growth montane forests and in subalpine ecosystems within view of snow-covered peaks near Tuolumne Meadows. Hiking to far out and distant spots with a spray pack is demanding, but you’ll get to experience places that almost no one else goes. And, after a month on the foothill slopes, you’ll be fit and ready to go for backpacking season.
Yosemite National Park is world renowned for its giant granite walls, waterfalls, sequoias, beautiful meadows and snowcapped mountains. The park encompasses nearly 750,000 acres of the central Sierra Nevada Mountains in California and is 94% designated wilderness. The elevation ranges from just under 2,000’ to just over 13,000’, and many ecosystems can be found within, including foothill chaparral, oak woodland, mixed conifer forest, subalpine meadows, and alpine fell fields. The park hosts over 1,500 plant taxa and many animals, including special status, threatened, and endangered species. Yosemite is one of the most sought after climbing and hiking destinations in the world. Many additional recreational opportunities abound including botanizing, birding, fishing, swimming, and skiing.
El Portal and Wawona are both small, relatively isolated communities in Yosemite National Park with limited services. El Portal is located on the west side of the park along Highway 140. It is home to many park and park partner employees, and the main administrative and maintenance complex for the park. It has a gas station, small market, and nearby hotel and restaurant, but no other services. Mariposa, about 50 minutes away, has additional services including grocery and hardware stores, a hospital, and restaurants. Wawona is located on the south end of the park on Highway 41. It is near the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, is home to park employees and several park operations as well as private inholdings with vacation rentals. It has a historic hotel, small market, and gas station. Additional services can be found in Oakhurst, about 40 minutes away.
EEO Statement
We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, Genetic Information & Testing, Family & Medical Leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit Retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or otherwise oppose discrimination.