These positions are located in Yosemite National Park, in the Resources Management and Science Division, Aquatic Wildlife program. Please visit find a park for additional park information.

These positions are Full-Time temporary positions not-to-exceed 1039 regular hours (about 6 months) in a service year. Positions may be terminated sooner or extended depending on management needs. Individuals selected under this vacancy announcement may be eligible for rehire in subsequent service years. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Yosemite National Park is April – June, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April-May.

All Grade Levels: Technicians ­MUST be physically fit and have strong hiking, backpacking, and wilderness camping skills, be comfortable in remote wilderness setting with limited human contact, be comfortable working in black bear habitat, have experience doing field work in aquatic ecology and/or aquatic invasive species control, be able to work well on a small crew, be extremely responsible and able/willing to work with volunteers/interns, be detail oriented, be able to swim and be very comfortable in/around water, have excellent problem solving and communication skills, and be able to work in cold, wet, windy, buggy, and potentially stormy conditions. Technician MUST be flexible to changes in work schedule and project assignment. Work schedules and project assignments may change depending on staffing needs, weather conditions, and funding. Technician MUST have prior experience either conducting amphibian and reptile surveys, turtle trapping, radio telemetry, and/or working with gill nets or electrofishing equipment for fisheries management/research.

This job announcement is open to receive applications from the first 50 applicants. The job announcement will remain open until either the quota of 50 applicants, or 02/26/2018 is reached. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration, even those that exceed the 50 applicant limit.

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. All travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the sole responsibility of the selected employee.

Learn more about this agency

Technician will work in crews ranging from 2 to 8 individuals. Crews may be assigned to work on aquatic restoration projects (including removing nonnative fish and bullfrogs from alpine lakes and Yosemite Valley), amphibian and reptile projects (including surveys for Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs or other imperiled amphibians), and Western Pond Turtle projects (including surveys, radio telemetry, and trapping of Western pond turtles). Projects may take place in the front country or in remote wilderness settings and will involve night and weekend work. Projects require a high level of physical fitness, multi-night backpacking (up to 9 nights) in wilderness, and the ability to work various work schedules (including weekends, split-shift, night shift, and regular day time work schedules).

Duties may include:

• use of gill nets, backpack electrofisher, and turtle traps
• eradicating Bullfrogs using pole spears, gigs, traps, and pellet guns
• use of radio telemetry to track freshwater turtles
• identifying and surveying for Sierra Nevada amphibian and reptile including species listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act
• killing invasive species, handling dead fish and Bullfrogs
• mark-recapture of reptiles or amphibians including scute notches and Passive Integrated Transponder (“PIT”) tags
• trapping, handling, and marking freshwater turtles
• deployment of iButtons, HOBO, or other temperature data loggers
• performing visual encounter surveys (VES) and/or snorkel surveys
• collecting environmental DNA samples from water bodies (aquatic “eDNA”)
• repairing equipment in the field/office
• communicating with the public regarding controversial topics in ecological conservation and technical scientific topics
• working with and providing mentorship to volunteers/interns
• office work involving data entry, compilation, and writing
• uses software to coordinate field work and summarize data collected including ArcGIS, the program R, and Microsoft Excel/Access databases.

GS-7 Only
The incumbent works with project leads to: plan field work goals/activities; provide leadership to field crew leads and crew members; convey questions and concerns to project lead in a timely manner; use technical experience for problem solving; promote safety in the workplace; prioritize schedules, and coordinate multiple crews, and all transportation logistics.

Travel Required

76% or greater – You may be expected to travel for this position. Overnight camping in wilderness areas of the park will be required.