Reno, NV

Position Title: Stream Survey Crew Lead

Organization: Great Basin Institute

Location: Reno, NV

Organization Overview:  The Great Basin Institute is an interdisciplinary field studies organization that promotes environmental research, education, and service through the west. The Institute’s mission is to advance applied science and ecological literacy through community engagement and agency partnerships, supporting national parks, forest, open spaces and public lands.

GBI’s Ecological Monitoring Program is dedicated to providing college graduates and emerging professionals with hands-on survey, inventory, monitoring, and reporting experience in natural resource management. Extensive training and technical field skills development provides employees a unique opportunity to obtain valuable experience in executing monitoring protocols that will increase their employment success.

In one component of the program, field crews implement the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Flow Performance (FLOwPER) application to determine the accurate mapping of streams and their streamflow conditions. Determining the presence or absence of surface water is important to both understanding physical, chemical, and biological processes in streams and to managing land, water, and ecological resources.

Position Overview: GBI is recruiting Stream Survey Crew Leads to work with GBI and USGS staff. Each Field Lead will coordinate a field crew (one Lead will supervise one Technician) to collect streams data with the FLOwPER field form to provide standardized data collection to map the presence of flow in streams, and upload them into an ArcGIS database. This data can be used for multiple purposes, such as archiving where flowing water is present in forest planning units, informing modeling efforts of streamflow permanence, and providing information needed to update stream classifications across any spatial extent.

Field crews will also collect road stream crossings (ROADXStr) observations using the ROADXStr app. Road networks are a constant presence of human infrastructure in Pacific Northwest ecosystems. Maintaining and inventorying stream-road crossings is extremely important due to how impactful road networks are on stream systems. During field work, car camping for 7 night “hitches” in remote locations will typically be required.

Duties:

• Maintaining safety awareness and practices;
• Collecting data to characterize streamflow;
• Entering data into FLOwPER and ROADXStr applications;
• Locating survey sites using GPS and topographic maps;
• Navigating rough backcountry roads with 4WD vehicles;
• Hiking off trail and over rough terrain;
• Working with a small team to complete protocols; and
• Field camping for 8-day stints will be required.
• Regular communication with GBI support staff and agency staff;
• Participation in GBI and agency trainings; and
• Employing extensive QA/ QC checks.
• Supporting and managing a field crew;
• Coordinating field logistics and scheduling; and
• Report writing and completing administrative paperwork.

Qualifications:

• Leadership experience, including supervising field crews and managing projects simultaneously.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aquatic Ecology, Fisheries, Hydrology, Water Resources, or other relative Natural Resource degree.
• Experience with data entry and management;
• Ability to read, interpret and navigate using topographic maps;
• Experience safely operating 4WD trucks on paved and unpaved roads, often in remote areas on unimproved roads;
• Experience navigating and collecting coordinates with hand-held GPS units;
• Experience creating maps and performing basic functions with GIS software (ArcMap), preferred; and
• Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access).

Start/End Dates: June 5- September 29

Salary/Pay: $23 per hour

Application Deadline: May 19

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.