Wildlife Construction Monitor (Klamath Project)
RES is currently accepting applications for the position of Ecologist I, based out of our Yreka, CA, Ashland, OR, or Klamath Falls, OR offices.
The mission: be part of an epic project!
RES is leading a massive restoration effort integral to the largest dam removal and river renewal project in US history – a task vital to the future of several imperiled salmon populations as well as steelhead, and lamprey on the West Coast. The Klamath River and its tributaries were once home to the third-largest salmon population in the West, but those numbers have crashed to an alarming level. A major ecological restoration project will follow the removal of four aging dams that have cut off access to more than 400 miles of historical salmon and steelhead mainstem river and tributary habitat. The world is watching, with major media outlets like the BBC and National Geographic already covering this critical project.
This is a permanent full-time position. If you want to be part of this truly historic effort, we want to meet you.
No days are the same, but you will be a main resource for the project providing field support for the protection of wildlife and sensitive habitats in the Project Area. You will be part of a team of ecologists and biologists for the project, therefore a desire to be a part of a high-functioning and cohesive team working towards a common goal will help you thrive in this position.
This position will report daily to the Klamath Field Office in Hornbrook, California or Lower Klamath Project site near Hornbrook, California or Klamath Falls, Oregon since most of the activities will be carried out in the field. This will include the following:
- Assist with plant and wildlife surveys, wildlife relocation efforts, and avoidance and minimization measures for other wildlife that may include amphibians, reptiles, and avian species.
- Prepare daily logs, compliance reports, and project progress documentation.
Your primary duty is a biological construction monitor. You will partake in assuring work areas are cleared of sensitive wildlife species prior to disturbance which will require interfacing with Construction Foremen, Compliance Manager, and technical leads. Prior experience as a construction monitor is required to successfully complete this role.
You will also implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for target plants and wildlife species, organize, and ensure data quality and storage, and analyze and report on findings. Strong technical skills and experience in current field ecology methods and data collection and analysis will be required.
Part of your work will be focused on compliance. This will include:
- Implementing Best Management Practices to avoid impacts on natural resources and to comply with Federal, State, and Local environmental regulations.
- Implementation of compliance program consistent with the various regulatory and permitting documents.
- Providing technical input for compliance reporting.
You will also be tasked with administrative duties such as daily monitoring logs, contributions to monthly and annual reports, and reviewing project documentation. You will extensively use your skills in report writing and editing, and oral presentation.
Note that on-call (weekends/evenings, over the phone) support for construction/restoration crews during the implementation phase of the project is needed.
You are also expected to travel on a regular basis throughout the project sites which may require overnight stays and, on occasion, do extended field rotations (sometimes 5-7 days at a time). The work is done in outdoor environments, including prolonged walking, or standing on various terrain in a wide range of weather conditions.
We would love to talk to you if you have the following minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in applicable field (biology/ecology, biological science, natural resources or wildlife management, or a closely related discipline).
- 2+ years of professional experience in a related field.
- Experience working with diverse wildlife species and habitats common to northern California and southern Oregon.
- Prior experience collecting data.
- Experience with biological construction monitoring.
- Experience working on active construction sites.
What will make you stand out?
- Advanced degree in wildlife biology or natural resource-related field.
- Experience working in the Klamath River Watershed.
- Species-habitat conservation planning and natural/biological resources management.
- Prior experience as a state or federal approved biological monitor on a restoration or construction project.
- A working knowledge of federal and state environmental laws for permit compliance including experience with Oregon and California species protection regulations and the Federal Endangered Species Act.
- Experience working under and implementing biological measures associated with CEQA/NEPA/ESA/FERC regulatory documents.
- References from past employers and peers in the natural resources field.
Pay Range: 70,000 - 80,000
VEVRAA Federal Contractor
RES is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law