Field Research Tech/Life Sci

Wildlife technicians are needed to conduct surveys and assist with captures for Mexican spotted owls in addition to tree climbing to place nest monitoring cameras in two study areas: Lincoln National Forest, NM and Mogollon Rim (Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto National Forest), AZ . Positions will begin March 24, 2025 and will last until at least August 3, 2025. Housing is also provided. Wildlife technicians will conduct surveys for spotted owls, assess reproductive status, locate nest trees, assist with spotted owl captures, assist with tree climbing and care for equipment/lures. Wildlife technicians will also record, transcribe, enter data into computer databases and validate data that was collected in the field.

Schedules will be irregular with potential for camping. For example, owl work will be primarily at dusk or dawn, but daytime work will often be required to set up and take down nest video cameras. Work will often require off-trail hiking in steep, forested terrain, during day or night. Technicians must be respectful of others as well as work and live together cooperatively.

Specific work conditions:

1. Fieldwork typically starts with surveys around dusk and potentially working well into the night. Each night you will be surveying with a partner or independently. When working independently, you may be on a different road, or on a trail, or even off road while your partner is surveying somewhere else. You might be within radio contact or cell service but it's dependent of the owl sites. There will be times when you will be alone, by yourself, in the forest after dark. Occasionally, pre-dawn roost survey will be conducted beginning well before sunrise. When we detect owls during surveys, we attempt to assess reproductive status, find nests, and roost locations. This position involves a lot of hiking in steep, roadless terrain. There is potential for occasional camping in the field when surveying.

2. Once we select the best pair options, we will go in with placing cameras and capturing the male owl. Fieldwork deploying cameras involves daytime work. Often, we will take the morning to make sure we have all the gear and head out into the field early afternoon. Depending on the height of the tree and challenges it may bring, we can sometimes be out working at the tree for 4-5 hours. We usually capture the owl that evening and can be out in the field until midnight. These are usually long days.

3. We will be going in with the goal to capture the owl (we plan to capture up to 5 at each study site). As the technician, you will be expected to assist with the captures by handling the owl while the crew lead attaches the GPS tag, bands the owl and potentially takes blood.

4. Once all the owls are captured and cameras are setup, the technician will transition to using telemetry to locate the owls to download the GPS data along with replacing camera batteries and downloading video data.

5. The last month/month and a half will be focused on recapturing the owls to remove the GPS tags and take down the camera setups. Again, the technician will be assisting by handling the owl while the lead removes the tag and takes other necessary measurements. There is potential for the technician to climb the trees as well. However, there will be times where the technician will be conducting surveys while the crew lead would be capturing and climbing elsewhere, so the technician will most likely not be present for every capture/recapture and camera setup/takedown.

6. You will also have daily duties involving data processing, and routine cleaning duties. We require that our crews transcribe their field notes onto survey forms daily. We also enter data from survey forms into a computer database, and later validate the data. Crew members also take turns with cleaning mouse cages, equipment, and vehicles.

See the Position Description for additional information.

• Successful candidate must submit to post-offer, pre-employment physical examination and medical history check.

Vocational-Technical Training directly related Life Sciences field; at least 1 year of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

• Qualified technicians will have a bachelor's degree in wildlife or related field, and/or have relevant experience conducting wildlife surveys.
• Experience in tree climbing, working in remote conditions.
• The ability to hike in a time efficient manner in steep terrain.
• Experience safely driving 4-wheel drive vehicles on backcountry roads.

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Positions posted with a Staff Type of Regular or Term are eligible for the Veteran Preference Program. See the Veteran Preference Program webpage for additional details.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

The University of New Mexico requires all regular staff positions successfully pass a pre-employment background check. This may include, but is not limited to, a criminal history background check, New Mexico Department of Health fingerprint screening, New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department fingerprint screening, verification of education credentials, and/or verification of prior employment. For more information about background checks, visit https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3280.html. Refer to https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3200.html for a definition of Regular Staff.