Paid Research and Backpacking – Yosemite & Kings Nat’l Parks | UC Berkeley

Project overview: How does fire influence hydrology?

We seek to understand how wildland fire influences the forests’ water balance. Results from this study may guide policy and fire management techniques to increase water yield and water security.

He or she will become familiar with the Sierra Nevada forests, hydrology, fire ecology, and data collection and management.

During late spring 2016 students will assist with field preparations and complete physical training. During summer 2016 students will gather hydrology field data and assist with data management. They will complete many eight-day backpacking trips where they must carry up to 50 lbs for up to nine miles.

Students must have a strong interest in: fire ecology, forests, and hydrology; Data management; Attention to detail and on-the-fly problem solving in the field, with computers, and in a team setting; Inter-personal skills and desire to work in a team; Backpacking for many days at a time (generally 8 day trips, but potentially up to 16 days);  Spending long physically exhausting hours in the field; Enjoying the joys of field work (alpine sunsets and swimming in creeks) and hardships (bushwhacking through shrublands) alike. UC Berkeley undergraduates preferred.