GG-404-5 Field Technicians   Salary: $18.96 per hour  Vacancy # SRFS-25-006

Duration of job: May 19th to approximately September 20th

Type of appointment: Temporary - Fulltime, with possible periods of PT or Intermittent work.

Duty Station: Boise, ID

Must have 9 months of field survey experience OR 3 years Sub-professional work OR 3 years of college with courses related to the field of work PLUS 3 months of field or lab experience. Desired candidate will have experience in all of the following: 1) using vegetation sampling methods and protocols; 2) identifying sagebrush community (or similar rangeland ecosystem) grasses, forbs, and shrubs to the species level; 3) using maps and GPS to navigate to remote field locations; 4) using technical equipment (including GPS, GIS, personal computer, and digital camera); and 5) field-related organization and communication skills. The ideal candidate will also have at least three months sampling plant communities, preferably with experience sampling plant species in sagebrush ecosystems.

DUTIES (specific): As a Biological Science Technician Field Assistant with the U.S. Geological Survey, some of your specific duties will include: 

Under the oversight of a crew lead, technician will follow a sampling protocol to collect vegetation data using several methods; Identifying sagebrush community plants to species and collecting fuels/biomass samples; Measuring sagebrush characteristics (e.g., canopy cover, height and density); Recording environmental data and GPS points; Managing data entry and associated quality control; Driving on poor and sometimes muddy 4WD roads

Physical Demands: Work is physically demanding and includes walking, bending, standing, and lifting of equipment up to 40 pounds when in the field, sometimes during adverse conditions.

Work Environment: The work is part of a USGS project that seeks to characterize the effects of fire fuel breaks in sagebrush steppe ecosystems. A primary objective of the project is to collect data in the field from several different fuel breaks and adjacent untreated sagebrush communities in the Great Basin. The technician will serve in a 2-4 person field crew, and field work will involve moderate or sometimes extreme exposure to the discomforts of rain and cold/hot temperatures. Field trips will often require extensive driving, and may include extended periods of backcountry camping with extensive stays (up to 8 nights per trip) in remote locations. Some amount of laboratory time may also be required. Travel expenses will be paid by the project at camp rate per diem. If selected, you will be required to complete a pre-employment physical and either have current First Aid/CPR certifications or be willing to become certified prior to employment.

Taking and passing a Pre-Employment physical and background check at government expense is required for this job.