Hydrology Technician - Mendocino National Forest

Position Description Summary:
USFS, Mendocino National Forest, Grindstone Ranger District, Willows, CA The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the US Forest Service, is recruiting Technicians to support the planning and implementation of fuels reduction projects, support reforestation and recreation. Hydrology Technicians will perform field surveys, data collection, layout and provide technical assistance to Forest Hydrologist to ensure the program carries its goal of protecting water quality and its associated beneficial uses. Work will include opportunities to gain resource management experience in land management planning and implementation, hydrologic evaluation techniques and procedures used to identify management opportunities, preparing management prescriptions for protecting and/or enhancing the water resource, and
standard administrative procedures.

A Temporary Special Assignment (TSA) employee is one who is hired for a specific temporary assignment external from the institute’s administrative operations with one of GBI’s partners for 52 weeks or greater or less than 52 weeks and may work full-time (30 or more hours per
week) or part-time (less than 30 hours per week).

Essential Job Functions may include the following:

• Conduct water resources inventory. Identify and map hydrologic features such streams, springs, meadows and other riparian habitat. Protect hydrologic features by flagging them in field.
• Conduct road surveys to identify sediment sources that impact the water bodies.
• Evaluate impacts of forest management on the water resources using the National Best Management Practices (BMP) Evaluations.
• In-channel monitoring follows a modified Stream Condition Inventory (SCI) protocol to include longitudinal profile. Other SCI measurements include riffle particle size distribution (pebble count), pool tail fines, large woody debris, bank angle, shore depth, benthic macro-invertebrate composition, shade, as well as width-to-depth and cross- section surveys.
• Camping overnight in the forest to complete surveys.
• Collaborate with USFS and GBI staff to support environmental compliance measures.
• Administrative duties such as meeting with GBI staff and collaborative report writing
• Additional tasks may include survey equipment setup, data quality assurance, and training

LOCATION
Mendocino National Forest, Supervisor’s Office, Willows, CA The North Coast Ranges of California are a section of the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, which run parallel to the Pacific Coast from north of San Francisco Bay to the South Fork Mountains of northern Humboldt County. The Klamath-Siskiyou Ranges lie to the north, and the Southern Coast Ranges continue south of San Francisco Bay. The North Coast Ranges run north-south parallel to the coast, and include the King Range of Humboldt County, where the coastal mountains meet the sea dramatically on what is called California's Lost Coast. Component ranges within the North Coast Ranges include the Mendocino Range and the Mayacamas, Sonoma, and Vaca Mountains and the Marin Hills of the North Bay.

WORK SCHEDULE
The Hydrology positions will last 22 weeks for the Mendocino National Forest Projects. The Hydrology surveys and assessment work for these projects will begin the middle of June and into October. Hydrology Crew Technician positions follow 10-hour days, 4 days a week
schedule.

Temporary Special Assignment employees are eligible to receive holiday pay, if partner approved. TSAs holiday schedule will comply with the project partner holiday schedule, unless otherwise specified in their employment offer. TSAs working five (5) eight (8) hour days per workweek will be paid eight (8) hours for all holidays. TSAs working four (4) ten (10) hour days per workweek will be paid ten (10) hours for all holidays. Same with other approved/allowable workweek configurations; these can be accommodated accordingly with Banked Holiday(s).

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Wage: $21/hour with overtime at 1.5x hourly rate. Full time, average 40 hours per week. Shared housing provided. In addition to a competitive base salary, this full-time, onsite position includes company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance, as well as $25,000 Life/AD&D policy. Voluntary short-term and long-term disability policies are available, and voluntary Life/AD&D policies for family members. Mental health support resources are employer provided, competitive PTO accrual, and paid holidays. This exciting role contributes to GBI’s significant positive impacts within the fields of environmental research, education, and conservation.

TSA employees who serve a term under 52 weeks in duration, and have a thirty (30) day or less break between terms, and then sign a second term that (cumulatively) becomes greater than 52 weeks of employment, will be eligible for the >1-year TSA benefits (equivalent to Regular
full-time employees).

Requirements/Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, employees must be able to satisfactorily carry out each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
1. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience in conducting some form of hydrologic surveys. Conducting Stream Condition Inventory (SCI), basic stream longitudinal profile, and cross-sections profile.
• Experience conducting road surveys identifying sediment sources and/or water quality issues.
• Experience doing layout of fuels reduction, logging, and restoration projects.
• Experience and/or ability to work in steep terrain in a hot landscape with minimal shade.
• Physical ability for fieldwork in remote areas.
• Experience working in the forest on 4WD roads and ability to drive for several hours at a time.
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license with the ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads
• Ability to understand, implement and adhere to established data collection, inventory, assessment, and monitoring protocols.
• Willingness to work a variable schedule in response to project needs, including some weekends
• Skills in GPS navigation and map reading
• Effective communication skills for coordination with multidisciplinary teams

2. Education: Bachelor’s degree in Hydrology or hydrology fieldwork experience, Geology, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Ecology, or Natural Resource Management

TO APPLY

Please submit an up-to-date resume, a one-page cover letter that details your interest in the position, and any qualifications not fully outlined in your resume, and contact information for three professional references. Qualified
applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands, stand, walk, bend, and have specific vision abilities to include close and distance vision, and ability to adjust focus working with computer business equipment and other job/industry specific equipment. The noise level in the work environment is usually low.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the organization's ongoing needs. Disclaimer: Although the organization has attempted to accurately and thoroughly describe this position, GBI reserves the right to change the same, including to change, add to or subtract from the duties outlined, within the sole discretion of the organization, at any time, with or without advance notice.