Title: US Forest Service Resource Assistant – State and Private Forestry

Start/End Date:  July 26th, 2021 – January 21st, 2022

Stipend:  $18.75/hour

Term:  26 weeks

Reports To:  USFS Regional Office

Location:  Albuquerque, NM 87113

Status:  Full-time Seasonal, Exempt

Benefits:  Health insurance, $2,750.00 for professional development funds, $1,000.00/month Housing Stipend

Southwest Conservation Corps’ Mission

It is the mission of the Southwest Conservation Corps to empower individuals to positively impact their lives, their communities, and the environment.

Program Overview:

Join the Southwest Conservation Corps’ Individual Placement team and help the US Forest Service carry out its mission of “caring for the land and serving people”. This resource assistant will join the USFS State and Private Forestry (S&PF) organization of the USDA Forest Service. This program reaches across the boundaries of national forests to states, tribes, communities, and non-industrial private landowners. S&PF provides technical and financial assistance to landowners and resource managers to help sustain the nation’s forests and grasslands, protect communities from wildland fire and restore fire-adaptive ecosystems. This resource assistant will directly assist in leveraging the capacity of state agencies and partners to manage state and private lands and produce ecological, social, and economic benefits for the American people.

This individual will assist many State and Private programs spanning over Forest Health, Forest Legacy programs, Urban Forestry, Grants and Agreements, and Forest Management. Projects will include conducting forest health surveys for bark beetles and other insects using newly developed tablet surveys, and other Forest Service, forest health monitoring methods. This resource assistant will also attend Urban Forestry meetings and events, and assist in awarding grants to regional partners, and learning about real estate acquisitions related to Forest Legacy projects. Additionally, this individual will assist researchers from the Rocky Mountain Research Station, the ecological restoration institutes, and other cooperators on installing permanent observation plots for monitoring forest restoration projects.

Essential functions and responsibilities include:

• Assist team will collection of insect caused mortalityWork with team to record trees fed upon by forest insects
  Measure forestry plots in these stands of trees
  Record and maintain digital database of all observations.
  
• Re-Assess Long term dwarf mistletoe plotsWork with team to record trees that are infected with dwarf mistletoe
  Record stand data and characteristics of high versus low infection stands
  Record and maintain digital database of all observations, enter data into excel
  
• Collection of Exotic insect trapsWork with another person to collect insect traps that have lures of exotic, nonnative insects
  Replace traps each collection
  Curate samples, label, and package insects for shipment to national identifiers
  
• Assist in Cooperative Forest Review ProcessAssist in the planning and development f the program review with Arizona and New Mexico State Forestry
  Work with Arizona and New Mexico State Departments to gather data prior to review
  Help organize field visits to priority projects in all programs areas i.e. Fire, Forest Health, Urban Stewardship, Invasive Species, etc.
  

General Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines

The successful applicant must be self-motivated and able to work independently with limited supervision after the initial training period. The applicant must be able to maneuver and operate in a mixture of office and field work. This can include long periods of standing or walking on rough, uneven ground, bending, crouching, and stooping. Prior to starting this position, a government security background clearance will be required.

Requirements:

• Associated Degree
• U.S. CitizenshipPermanent Resident Card, INS form I-551
  Alien Registration Card, INS form I-551
  A passport indicating that the INS has approved it as temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence
  A departure record (INS 194) indication that the INS has approved it as temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence
  
• Driver's License

Apply at https://jobs.silkroad.com/ConservationLegacy/Careers/jobs/2795

To apply, please submit an updated resume and letter of interest along with the online application.

***Priority will be given to those applicants that submit before July 1st.

Contact Cait at cpayne@conservationlegacy.org with any questions.