Monthly Pooled

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, in cooperation with the Bighorn National Forest, is currently working on multiple large scale, multi-watershed riparian and aspen enhancement projects for the benefit of wildlife habitat, forest diversity, and wildfire management. Aspen forests and riparian habitat are high priority habitats for wildlife, as well as providing valuable fuel breaks and refugia in the event of wildfire. Due to recent initiation of multiple watershed restoration projects in the Powder River and Tongue Ranger Districts, an opportunity has arisen to develop multiple different aspen and riparian enhancement projects. This position will be responsible for mapping aspen and willow habitat enhancement units and conducting pre and post habitat enhancement monitoring. Also, the selected candidate will have the opportunity to work alongside other land management specialists in developing post-fire projects for watershed enhancement.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: The listed functions are illustrative only and are not intended to describe every function which may be performed in the job.

• Utilize existing digital land cover resources, GIS data, and habitat enhancement data from various sources to develop aspen and riparian enhancement projects. Project specifics could include developing conifer removal and prescribed fire units focused on aspen and riparian habitat enhancement.
• Utilize tablets, smartphones, and GPS units to map habitat enhancement units.
• Field evaluation of habitat enhancement units will be required to determine the appropriate treatment to produce the desired habitat objectives. Newly proposed habitat treatment units will require delineation of treatment boundaries, acreage calculations, and current density and size of encroaching conifers to inform forestry thinning contract specifications.
• Conduct fine scale pre/post treatment habitat enhancement monitoring on select sites to evaluate habitat enhancement treatment success associated with fire and/or mechanical habitat treatment prescriptions. Monitoring will also entail assessing current browse pressure on willow and aspen habitats. Monitoring will require data collection following developed protocol.
•  Function independently in the field or as a team member with Wyoming Game and Fish and/or United States Forest Service personnel working collectively on habitat related projects.
• Compile habitat mapping and monitoring data in an organized and comprehensible manner so that data collected can be used for the future development of habitat projects and monitoring.

PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:

• The candidate may be required to work alone in a backcountry setting, outdoor survival skills and navigation are required.
• The candidate will be required to navigate independently with a map in remote locations. Use of GPS units and basic tablets/smartphones will be required.
• Ability and willingness to hike extensive distances (3-10 miles/day) during diverse weather conditions and be able to safely operate 4-wheel drive vehicle and ATV on narrow mountain roads.