FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW FIELD TECHNICIAN – Lead position (1)

Location: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Okeechobee County, Florida

Duration: February 21 to August 21, 2025

Job Type: Seasonal

Wage: $16.50/hour, 30-40 hours/week. Shared housing is provided.

Application Deadline: December 13, 2025 (or until filled)

Job Description: One experienced seasonal field technician is needed to lead monitoring and nest protection of the critically endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow (FGSP) at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks). This position provides an exceptional opportunity to join the collaborative conservation efforts to save one of the most threatened birds in North America https://fl.audubon.org/birds/florida-grasshopper-sparrow

The position starts February 21 and runs through August 21, 2025. Primary job duties will include early morning avian point count surveys to locate FGSP, resighting color-banded individuals, behavioral observation, nest searching and protection (predator exclusion fencing), nest camera deployment and video monitoring, capturing and banding adults and nestlings, habitat data collection, habitat restoration (tree and exotic plant removal), data entry, GIS analysis. If interested and qualified, the possibility exists for additional research work and becoming crew for prescribed fire at the Preserve. The lead technician will be required to coordinate the duties of the other 4 field technicians, work closely with other preserve staff, and communicate with other management areas conducting FGSP research.

Salary is $16.50 per hour plus free on-site housing (shared living space, no pets, no smoking). The Preserve is very remote with the closest grocery store being 45 minutes away.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve is the largest contiguous grassland east of the Mississippi River (~58,000 acres) and is home to over 30 listed species. The state park is Florida’s first international dark sky place and provides recreational activities including camping, hiking, biking, fishing, astronomy, and wildlife-viewing. For more information about the Preserve, visit https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/kissimmee-prairie-preserve-state-park

Qualifications include experience working as a team or project leader in avian field research, preferably with grassland birds, and must have strong organization, communication, and interpersonal skills. Previous experience with monitoring and nest searching for secretive birds and resighting color-banded birds is preferred. Applicants must have tolerance for work in adverse field conditions (biting insects, alligators, venomous snakes, heat and humidity, and regular thunderstorms) and ability to live comfortably in a rural setting and in close quarters with other field technicians. Applicants must have a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Technicians must have valid U.S. driver’s license, be able to lift 50lbs unassisted, and authorized to work in the U.S.