The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is dedicated to preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish, wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable recreational and commercial opportunities dependent on viable fish and wildlife populations.  Each day, WDFW employees facilitate fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities for millions of residents and visitors.  WDFW’s employees–field and laboratory biologists, geneticists, research scientists, hatchery professionals, policy experts, fully commissioned law enforcement officers, land stewards, lab technicians, property acquisition specialists, customer service representatives and others work throughout the state.  WDFW employees protect and restore critical habitat, strive to facilitate species recovery when necessary, and manage hundreds of fish and wildlife species.  WDFW employees maintain nearly a million acres of public wildlife lands. They interpret, apply and enforce state and federal laws and collaborate with stakeholders to www.wdfw.wa.gov

This recruitment is for (2) two 3-month non-permanent Scientific Technician 2 position the duty station is the Snake River Lab office located at 401 S. Cottonwood St., Dayton, WA..   Anticipated start date is April 1, 2019.

This position will assist the lead biologist on the BPA contract for Monitoring and Evaluation on the Tucannon River summer steelhead hatchery supplementation program. The hatchery supplementation program has been specifically called for implementation under the NOAA Fisheries BiOp (2009) – Reasonable and Prudent Action 40.2 Implement Tucannon River Supplementation Program.  This hatchery supplementation program has been reviewed and accepted by co-managers and formally adopted in the US v Oregon production agreement.  Further, it was agreed to by the managers that if hatchery supplementation was to proceed, that a complete monitoring and evaluation program would be place to track the success/failure of the program in restoring Tucannon River summer steelhead.

Under the BPA contract for monitoring and evaluation, WDFW has listed specific objectives and tasks that must be accomplished to fulfill contract needs.  These include assisting Tucannon FH staff with sampling of adult steelhead, walking spawning ground surveys in the upper Tucannon River to document supplementation program success, and assisting with the broodstock spawning of supplementation fish.  Failure to complete these tasks due to lack of necessary staff, would put the contract in jeopardy, and monitoring and evaluation of the program would not occur.

This project provides funds for monitoring and evaluation of the Tucannon River summer steelhead hatchery supplementation program.  This program involves the direct take of listed Snake River summer steelhead ESU population fish to develop the hatchery broodstock.  As such, ESA monitoring and reporting of those “takes” are required by NOAA Fisheries.  Natural origin Tucannon River summer steelhead are at critical population levels.  This program is being implemented to halt the decline of summer steelhead in the Tucannon River, and potentially increase the overall status of the population in the future.  Completing the defined tasks for monitoring and evaluation under the BPA project is therefore essential to the Program’s core functions.

DutiesAssist Tucannon Fish Hatchery staff in the collection of biological samples from trapped summer steelhead on the Tucannon River.  
Task include:
Record and organize data for data analysis and summaries.
Conduct spawning ground surveys on the upper Tucannon River and tributaries for summer steelhead.
Collect GPS data on all redd locations and live fish observations.
Organize collected data for inclusion into spreadsheets and mapping programs as directed by lead biologist.
Assist hatchery staff in the spawning of hatchery steelhead broodstocks, record data as needed and work with lead technician for any data summaries as needed.

Working Conditions
Approximately 70-90% of the work is fieldwork in a non-office environment and could include:  conducting spawning ground surveys by foot, pontoon; operating, sampling, and tagging salmonids at traps and/or weirs.  The incumbent will work up to 40 hours per week. They must be able to work long shifts, nights and/or weekends. Incumbents may monitor adult steelhead/Chinook traps.  They will also conduct stream surveys in the Tucannon River during the spring for spawning steelhead.

The outdoor working environment for these positions can potentially include exposure to daytime high temperatures >100 degrees and lows in the 20’s, combined with wind speeds >25 mph, often with wet, slippery footing.  Applicant must be able to lift with or without assistance, as needed, large, live fish typically up to 30 lbs.; repetitively carry loads up to 70 pounds short distances over rough terrain; walk up to 6 miles per day over rough terrain under adverse weather conditions; climb off and on rotary screw traps; must accurately record repetitive data under adverse environmental conditions for long work hours; sampling adult salmon and steelhead carcasses.

Union
This position is in the collective bargaining unit represented by agreement between the State of Washington, Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Washington Association of Fish and Wildlife Professionals (WAFWP).

QualificationsGraduation from high school or GED, including one year of high school science, and two years of experience as a Scientific Technician.  OR

Graduation from high school or GED including one year of high school science and two years of laboratory or field experience as an assistant to a biologist, chemist, or zoologist.

College course work involving major study in biology, zoology, fisheries, chemistry, natural sciences, or closely allied field will substitute, year for year, for experience, provided the course work includes at least six semester or nine quarter hours of natural science classes.

Preferred work experience
An understanding of how to collect, store, and process biological samples from fish species (scales, DNA, floy tagging, etc…).
A basic understanding of how to conduct spawning ground surveys and making visual observations of fish spawning.
A basic understanding of entering in biological data into spreadsheets.

Supplemental InformationTo apply for this position you MUST complete your profile at www.careers.wa.gov and attach the following to your profile before completing the online application:

Three professional references (personal references do not count as professional)

Please note:  Failure to follow the above application instructions will lead to disqualification.  E-mailed documents will not be accepted in lieu of attaching your documents to the online profile.
Upon submission of your online application, you will immediately receive a confirming e-mail.  You will then be notified via e-mail of your status during the process.  In addition to the e-mail notifications, you can check the status of your application at any time by visiting your online profile at www.careers.wa.gov.  Due to the high volume of applications that we receive, we ask your understanding and encourage you to use the online process and avoid calling for information.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is an equal opportunity employer.  We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity.  Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, disabled and Vietnam era veterans and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.  Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388.