Position: 1 Field Technician, Working Lands Group, Point Blue Conservation Science

Duration: Approx. January 6 – July 6 2025; Start and end date flexible; duration 6 months or less.

Location: Position has a flexible home base (Greater Bay Area, Central Valley, or Northern California), but will be loosely based in Petaluma, CA and includes travel throughout California. Company housing in Petaluma may be available, but is not guaranteed at this time.

Job Type: Full time (40+ hours per week), Seasonal

Work schedule: Monday through Friday; working hours may vary based on monitoring season (i.e. early mornings for bird monitoring)

Compensation: $22.09-$26.51 per hour (depending on experience and internal equity), plus overtime; Benefits limited to 40 hrs. of sick pay

Deadline to Apply: November 15, 2024

About Point Blue: Point Blue Conservation Science advances conservation of birds, other wildlife and ecosystems through science, partnerships, and outreach. Our highest priority is to reduce the impacts of climate change, habitat loss and other threats on wildlife and people, while developing climate-smart, nature-based solutions. Because of the collaborative climate-smart conservation work we do today, we believe healthy ecosystems will continue to sustain thriving wildlife and human communities well into the future.

We recognize that increasing racial, gender, cultural, and other diversity, equity, and inclusion factors at Point Blue and in our partnerships is essential for the success of our mission, vision, and strategy. We are actively engaging in a process to create lasting organizational change. We seek applicants from all backgrounds to join our teams. We strongly encourage applications from people with backgrounds that are under-represented in the conservation community.

Job Summary:

The Working Lands Technician will assist in ecological monitoring on rangelands throughout California as part of the Rangeland Monitoring Network of Point Blue Conservation Science. The Rangeland Monitoring Network measures ecological function on rangelands and evaluates the effectiveness of management practices through bird, vegetation, and soil surveys. To achieve our goals, Point Blue has partner biologists located in 14 Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field offices across the state of California to provide technical assistance and ecological expertise to producers. This is a truly collaborative, science-based effort to facilitate the implementation of beneficial management practices to improve conservation outcomes on working lands with the end goal of robust, resilient, and climate-smart agroecosystems. Due to the broad geographic range of our work, field technicians will be expected to travel often and over lengthy distances, extending from Tulare to Humboldt counties, though not within a single work week. Regular overnight travel can be expected (with accommodations paid for or reimbursed by Point Blue).

Essential Duties and Work Environment:

This position entails ~80% field work and ~20% office and other work

• Completes field work on rangelands including avian point count surveys, vegetation surveys, and soil sampling with Partner Biologists and Point Blue Scientists for the Rangeland Monitoring Network (RMN) and other projects. Some field days start before sunrise, and typically involve hiking 3-7 miles traversing through steep and uneven terrain and transporting up to 25 lbs; navigation to all sample points is done using a GPS.
• Maintains current knowledge of bird and/or plant identification and ensures field data collected is of the highest quality.
• The field schedule is variable and involves significant and frequent travel throughout California during the fieldwork season including some evening and weekend work; use of company vehicle usually available, and any use of personal vehicle will be reimbursed as per Point Blue’s expense reimbursement policy. Traveling may include overnight lodging (hotel costs will be covered).
• Ensures consistent and reliable standardized data are gathered and entered on online database; ensures quality control of data, scans and archives datasheets.
• Basic processing of soil samples (sifting, drying, and grinding) in Point Blue soil lab in Petaluma.
• Participates in special projects and research as assigned.
• Potential for restoration implementation and pollinator surveys.

Required Qualifications:

• At least 1 year of previous ecological (or related field) fieldwork, monitoring, or research experience.
• Valid US driver’s license, 2-years of driving experience, and favorable driving history to drive company vehicles. Successful applicants must have transportation to our headquarters in Petaluma, CA and ideally have access to a personal vehicle with proof of auto insurance.
• Ability to lift/carry up to 25 pounds occasionally and hike up to 7 miles.
• Enthusiasm for natural history, birds, botany, soil, and/or agriculture.
• Knowledge of and ability to identify birds or plants (and quickly learn unfamiliar species) in grassland, oak woodland, and/or coastal prairie systems. Knowledge of both birds and plants in these systems is a plus.
• Knowledge of and experience with field data collection practices and procedures.
• Ability to communicate respectfully and desire to work with a diverse group of people including state, federal, tribal, and non-government resource professionals, working lands producers, and the general public.
• Ability to work well alone and as a team, self-motivated, and desire to spend long hours in the field and office.
• Organized, flexible, eager to learn, and effective at communicating.

Desired Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is enthusiastic and willing to learn on the job. We intend to hire a technician with experience and knowledge relating to plant ID and botany, especially of CA grasslands, oak woodlands, and coastal prairies, and with experience and knowledge of bird identification by sight and sound, especially of grassland and oak woodland birds of California.

Candidates with strong skills in one area or the other will be considered.

• Knowledge of scientific research methods and techniques involving biology, ecology, and other related biological and physical sciences and their application to ecosystem conservation and management activities.
• Ability to use a variety of field and laboratory equipment that may include geographic positioning and information systems (GPS), binoculars, radios, microscopes, measurement tools, and other scientific equipment.
• Comfortable working in the field with livestock present and a general knowledge of working ranch safety/etiquette.
• Experience driving 4x4 vehicles

Work Environment & Physical Requirements:

This position operates in a professional office environment (Point Blue Conservation Science HQ- Petaluma, CA) and in remote field locations with uneven terrain, limited vehicle access, limited cell phone receptions, and sometimes in a solitary capacity. This position involves a lot of travel each week throughout the field season, many miles driven to field locations, and overnight stays at hotels, campsites, or short-term rentals.

Point Blue is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against applicants or employees because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, disability status of an otherwise qualified individual, membership or application for membership in an uniformed service, or membership in any other class protected by applicable law and will make reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities to complete the application and/or participate in the interview process. Working Lands is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all aspects of programming and highly encourages racially marginalized individuals to apply for this position.