Research Aid Technicians – University of Washington

POSITION INFORMATION:
2 Research Aid 1 Technicians (wildlife) with the University of Washington
(fieldwork to be conducted
along the Columbia River, near the John Day dam, Oregon/Washington border)

Start and end dates:
May 2017 to end of July 2017, with a possible extension to September 2017

Salary:
$15/hour

Project description:
Conduct a comprehensive inventory of wildlife species (mammals, reptiles,
and amphibians) at two sites
one along the Columbia River near the John Day dam and one at the Willow
Creek dam project area.
The mammal surveys will use a combination of motion-activated camera
trapping and live trapping for
capture-mark-recapture (CMR) analysis to detect and enumerate both small
and large species.
Accordingly, applicants must be familiar with small mammal trapping and
identifying species, and
preference will be given to those who are familiar with taxa of the Pacific
Northwest. To survey for
reptiles and amphibians, we will use a combination of techniques, including
nocturnal call surveys
(recording sound at sample points and later identifying the species).
Accordingly, preference will be
given to applicants who are familiar with using herpetofaunal calls to
identify species. Technicians will
also use visual encounter surveys and roadkill/ basking surveys to identify
species and estimate
abundance. This work supports a larger project for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.

Duties:
Applicant should be responsible, organized and motivated. Field work will
involve navigating and hiking
across rugged terrain to field sites while carrying heavy equipment (e.g.,
live traps and cameras).
During periods without field work, efforts will be focused on data entry
and identifying wildlife species in
camera-trap photos.  Cameras will be deployed at the beginning of the field
season and then checked
regularly. Small-mammal trapping will occur in the early morning (6:00 AM –
10:00 AM) and again in the
early evening (4:00 PM – 8:00 PM) to ensure small mammal safety.

Requirements:
Applicants must have experience handling small-mammals, working with
small-mammal live-traps and
Oregon/Washington small-mammal identification. Strong preference will also
be given to applicants with
experience deploying camera traps and with handling and identifying
reptiles and amphibians. Applicant
should be detail oriented with the ability to take careful notes in field
and office settings (Microsoft
Excel experience); preference will also be given to those with GIS
experience. Applicants should be in
good physical condition with the ability to hike in hot temperatures and in
rugged terrain while carrying
equipment, and should be comfortable working outdoors and in challenging
field conditions (e.g.
hot/cold) including along roadsides, fast moving water, and railroad right
of ways. Applicant should have
basic competency using GPS/maps to locate field sites and record waypoints.
Availability to work full-
time (40 hours/week) is essential. Applicants must have their own vehicle
(mileage reimbursement at
$0.54/mile).

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your resume, cover
letter, and three references to
Michael Case (mcase@uw.edu).

Please respond no later than April 30, 2017