article / 3 November 2021

Opportunity: Wildlife Connectivity Technician (Seasonal)

Black Rock Forest (BRF) are recruiting a seasonal Wildlife Connectivity Technician. Visit their website for further details and how to apply. Hurry, applications close soon!

Wildlife Connectivity Technician (Seasonal)

Position Summary:

Join Scott LaPoint this winter to help us execute our Hudson Highlands Wildlife Connectivity Project. The goal of this project is to use animal (specifically, bobcats Lynx rufus and eventually fishers Pekania pennanti) movement (via GPS-tracking collars) and distribution data (via camera trapping) to quantify functional landscape connectivity across the western Hudson Highlands. The technician’s primary duties will include running a bobcat trap line (both cage traps and footholds), camera trapping, and possible telemetry.

Responsibilities & Opportunities:

The technician will experience a small non-profit and will execute scientific principles for conservation. Duties include camera trap deployments and image management. Live-trapping efforts will focus on bobcat and possibly fisher, via cage traps and footholds, requiring daily, morning checks often without supervision. Dr. LaPoint will lead all animal handling and processing with support from the technician. GPS-tracking collars will be deployed on healthy individuals, thus with some luck we can expect to learn field biotelemetry methods to re-locate and observe collared individuals. Other research opportunities and experiences may present themselves via other ongoing projects at Black Rock Forest.

Qualifications:

  • enthusiasm for carnivore conservation and science and willingness to learn new ideas, strategies, and methods for conducting wildlife ecology research,
  • be self-motivated, reliable, diligent, and punctual,
  • be ‘outdoorsy’; i.e., enjoy hiking/working alone, possibly under strenuous conditions, navigate and orientate, and ‘read’ a wildlife landscape,
  • previous experience capturing and handling small and medium carnivores,
  • familiarity with camera trapping,
  • knowledge of local wildlife,
  • possess a clean driver’s license and transportation to/from work,
  • be capable and comfortable on an atv or utv or willing to become so,
  • be an effective communicator, both within the research team and the public, including a willingness to seek clarity when needed.

An ideal candidate will have demonstrated past success in catching bobcats with foothold and/or cage traps.

Timeline & Compensation:

40-hour weeks, from November – late March 2022. Exact start/end dates are flexible. Some weekday/weekend and time off switching with Dr. LaPoint may occur. We expect to offer $15/hour wage, slightly more for highly qualified individuals. The technician will receive a 1099-misc at the end of the year for their tax purposes. Full or partial housing may be available.

How to apply:

Applications end soon! Visit the Black Rock Forest website for further details and how to apply.


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