Overview

Job Description:
In cooperation with the National Park Service’s Mojave Desert Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Network (MOJN), the Great Basin Institute (GBI) is recruiting an experienced wildlife technician to work cooperatively with National Park Service staff to implement our pilot bat monitoring plan. In addition the technician would also assist with vegetation monitoring. Monitoring of bats is part of a collaboration between the Mojave Desert Network Inventory & Monitoring Program and Parks of the Mojave Desert Network. Bats have recently become a conservation concern due to the spread of a novel disease known as “White-Nose Syndrome” (WNS). MOJN I&M has developed and standardized monitoring protocols to collect scientifically rigorous data on a prioritized set of vital signs that will aid parks manage their natural resources. Data on vegetation and target invasive species will be collected.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Conducting acoustic monitoring following the North American Bat Monitoring Program protocol with some slight modifications;
• Capturing and handling bats to collect WNS sampling data;
• Implementing vegetation monitoring protocols designed to address MOJN I&M’s vital signs (training will be provided); monitoring protocols include Integrated Upland (IU), Desert Spring Vegetation, White Pine, and Aspen
• Walking long distances over uneven terrain;
• Hiking with backpacks that weigh 30+ pounds;
• Establishing permanent vegetation monitoring sites;
• Collecting vegetation data using established procedures;
• Taking GPS points and photos at work sites;
• Conducting quality analysis/quality control for all data collected, either in the field or in the office; and
• Collaborating with MOJN staff in project planning, oversight of field safety and logistics, field protocol and data QA/QC, equipment organization and maintenance.

The field work is dynamic and may be carried out across the MOJN parks (Castle Mountains National Monument, Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Great Basin National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Manzanar National Historic Site, and Mojave National Preserve). Field work may include working in various terrain and weather conditions, including temperatures ranging from 25 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. This position will require regular travel and camping during the field season in order to ensure that all plots are successfully completed during the field season, and may require long hours including nights, early mornings, and weekends.

The Technician will assist with acoustic and capture surveys for bats as well as Upland shrub monitoring, Spring Vegetation Monitoring, Pine Monitoring, and possibly Aspen Monitoring. Additionally, opportunities might be provided to participate in other projects and activities. This position must be flexible, going back and forth between bat and vegetation monitoring, sometimes working with MOJN and other seasonal staff. The technician may occasionally lead a 2 person acoustic bat monitoring field crew.
Contract Timeline:
• Estimated 6-month appointment beginning January 2022, or pending availability and completion of DOI Background Investigation
• Full time, 40 hours per week; overtime and/or weekend hours may be required occasionally
Location:
The National Park Service’s Mojave Desert Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Network (MOJN) main office is located in Boulder City, Nevada, near Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Boulder City is a 20 minute drive from the city of Henderson, which lies on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada. Lake Mead National Recreation Area encompasses nearly 1.5 million acres in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona, including mountains, canyons, valleys, and two vast lakes. From the mouth of the Grand Canyon, the park follows the Arizona-Nevada border along what was formerly 140 miles of the Colorado River. Opportunities for recreation abound.

MOJN consists of eight National Park Service units: Castle Mountains National Monument, Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Great Basin National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Manzanar National Historic Site, and Mojave National Preserve. These park units are spread across three states: Arizona, California, and Nevada. The MOJN parks fall within three contiguous semi-arid desert ecosystems, from the Great Basin Desert in the north, to the Mojave Desert, and then to the Sonoran Desert in the south.

Housing is not provided, although there might be park housing available at a reasonable rate.