The Great Basin Institute is working cooperatively with the National Park Service Klamath Network (KLMN) Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) program to recruit two Biotechnicians for vegetation monitoring. The overall objective is to perform vegetation community monitoring in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, CA and OR; Lava Beds National Monument, CA; and Redwood National and State Parks, CA. Field data will contribute to a multi-year dataset aimed at detecting status and trends in park vegetation and is intended to provide decision-makers with indications of changes in vegetation communities. The Biotechnicians will assist the KLMN Vegetation Ecologist with implementing the vegetation monitoring protocol. Training and support will be provided for all duties.

Specific duties include:

• Be a productive member of the KLMN I&M vegetation community monitoring field crew;
• Participate in preparing for the field season;
• Properly identify vascular plant species and utilize dichotomous keys;
• Estimate cover of vascular plants;
• Collect and prepare voucher specimens of difficult taxa for later identification;
• Collect tree DBH, height, and height-to-crown data;
• Collect, dead-and-down fuel data;
• Assist with field data collection, data entry, and QA/QC;
• Maintain field equipment and tools;
• Participate in GBI or partner-sponsored training opportunities; and
• Monitor site-specific conditions and report safety concerns to the crew lead.

General field duties include walking long distances over uneven terrain, off-trail, often in dense vegetation; navigating off-trail with map compass and GPS; relocating monitoring sites; collecting vegetation and fuels data using established procedures; taking photos at each site; ensuring the consistency of data quality during the field season; and maintaining safety awareness and practices. The successful applicant must have strong communication skills (both verbal and written) and exhibit strong leadership and organization skills. Office tasks are only about 5% of work but include data organization, processing and QA/QC; and compiling concise field notes. This position will require regular overnight travel and camping during the field season. The field schedule is an 8-day-on 6-day-off hitch, requiring long hours (10+ hours/day), including early mornings and some weekends.

The Klamath Network contains 6 parks: Crater Lake National Park (Crater Lake), Lava Beds National Monument (Lava Beds), Lassen Volcanic National Monument (Lassen), Oregon Caves National Monument and Reserve (Oregon Caves), Redwood National and State Parks (Redwood), and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (Whiskeytown), located throughout northern California and southern Oregon. The parks span a land area of complex topography in the geologically ancient Klamath-Siskiyou Ecoregion in the west (Redwood, Oregon Caves and Whiskeytown), and the younger, volcanic Cascades-Modoc Ecoregion to the east (Crater Lake, Lassen and Lava Beds). Vegetation of the two subregions ranges from temperate rainforests with enormous, world-record-height trees along the coast at Redwood, to barren shrublands on infertile soils and rock in the sagebrush desert of Lava Beds. Elevation extends from sea level at Redwood to above timberline in Crater Lake and Lassen. Floristically, the parks capture elements of the southern Oregon and northern California Coast Ranges, the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, and Great Basin, all near the northern end of the California Floristic Province.

Qualifications: 

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in botany, ecology, or a closely related field in the biological sciences;
• Coursework in plant taxonomy and/or systematics (transcripts may be requested), botany, or forestry;
• Ability to identify native and non-native plants of the Pacific Northwest and/or Great Basin;
• Familiarity with ecological processes, and flora of the Pacific Northwest and/or Great Basin;
• Experience in performing field work, and applying methodological protocols for collecting data;
• Experience with data entry and data management;
• Ability to work and camp in extreme and remote areas;
• Experience using hand-held GPS for navigation;
• Experience with tablet data collection and experience with MS Access or other database;
• Ability to read and navigate using topographic maps and a compass;
• Willingness and ability to work long days (10+hrs), hike long distances (10-12 miles) carrying 30-40 pounds, and lift, carry and use equipment in harsh, variable weather conditions, including in rain, hail, wind, and extreme heat;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience;
• Experience working with federal land management agencies, members of the public, or non-profit organizations; and
• Willingness to work a variable schedule, but mostly 8 days on 6 days off, including some weekends.

Applicant must complete a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation or submit paperwork to National Park Service human resources indicating an active and fully adjudicated BI has already been completed prior to beginning position.

Additional requirements:

• Possess a valid, state-issued driver’s license and clean driving record;
• Experience operating 4WD trucks on paved and unpaved roads, particularly with unimproved roads;
• Possess a commitment to personal and team member safety, and communicate perceived safety threats immediately;
• Ability to work independently to accomplish goals;
• Ability to communicate effectively with team members, agency staff, and a diverse public;
• Possess good organizational skills;
• Possess a favorably adjudicated background clearance; and
• Must be motivated, self-directed, organized, and detail oriented in order to balance multiple tasks simultaneously.