CREW LEADER/TELEMETRY TECHNICIAN

Location:
Willamette Valley, Oregon

Duration:
1 May to 1 August 2012

Job Type:
Seasonal

Job Description:
Seasonal Crew Leader/Telemetry Technician needed 1 May to 1 August 2012 to particpate in a long-term, multi-faceted study of streaked horned larks (Eremophila alpestris strigata) in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This subspecies has undergone severe range retraction and population decline in the past half century and is now a candidate for ESA listing. Major duties of Crew Leader/Telemetry Technician will be to find and monitor lark nests, to attach very small vhf transmitters to fledgling larks, and to conduct daily monitoring of transmittered larks with hand-held receiver/transmitter equipment. She/he will take a leadership/organizational role for periods during which the PI is absent. Other duties may include operation of video cameras at nests and measuring various habitat parameters at nest sites in a variety of agricultural and grassland habitats. Crew Leader/Telemetry Technician will be working as part of a 3-person team, but applicants must be able to work professionally and independently; hike 3-4 miles daily in squishy, cool (early-season) and occasionally dry and hot (late-season) weather, and keep organized and detailed field notes. Poison oak exposure is not a problem for this project. Study is headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon, which is a college town with a very pleasant downtown (lots of coffee shops and brew pubs). There is often inexpensive summer housing available in town which can often be shared with field crews from other projects. Biologist will be compensated as a sub-contractor at $2200-2500/mo., dependent on funding and experience.

To Apply:
. To apply, please send a resume with the names and contact information of 3 references to Dr. RANDY MOORE (EM: strigata AT gmail.com – inquiries to the same address).

Qualifications:
Required: - You must have prior experience tracking small animals with hand-held radio telemetry equipment. - You must have experience searching for songbird nests, preferably grassland songbird nests. - You must have working experience in scientific observation of songbirds, grassland birds preferred. - You must have a reliable vehicle (does not need to be a rugged field vehicle) for use in the field. Mileage will be reimbursed at the standard federal rate (currently $0.55/mi.). - You must have your own binoculars for field work. Other field equipment (spotting scopes and tripods, GPS units, etc.) will be furnished by the project. Bonus Skills: - Facility with electronic digital video equipment.