JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS

 WYNDD often hires field technicians, database specialists, and other personnel to assist in various projects.  WYNDD also has sponsored internships for UW undergraduate and graduate students.  See listings below.

HERPETOLOGICAL FIELD TECHNICIANS

Field Botanist

Field Assistant

Herpetological Field Technicians (2)

Dates: April 15 – August 15, 2008 (some flexibility)

Description:  The Wyoming Natural Diversity Database is hiring two technicians to conduct a reptile and amphibian inventory in the Powder River Basin near Buffalo, Wyoming.  Survey techniques will include nocturnal call surveys, walking visual encounter surveys, and road-based encounter surveys.  The project is designed to establish a baseline of species abundance and investigate the population implications of ongoing energy development.  Technicians will also conduct limited surveys for Wyoming Toads and Preble’s Jumping Mice in the vicinity of Laramie, WY.  The Powder River Basin is a semi-arid grassland with hot and dry summer conditions.  The work involves a considerable amount of hiking and car camping in remote locations, although access to showers and amenities will be provided at least once a week. Technicians will be trained initially, and then expected to work together to coordinate and complete remaining surveys with limited supervision. 

Qualifications:  Applicants with experience identifying, surveying for, and handling reptiles and amphibians will be given preference.  Strong candidates will have experience navigating and camping in remote locations, and handling GPS units and GPS data.  All candidates should possess the following: valid driver’s license, strong work ethic, attention to detail, good physical condition, and the ability to solve problems in the field. 

Pay: Salary is $1600/month.  A vehicle is provided and per diem for camping. 

To apply, please send cover letter, resume, and 3 references to Hannah Griscom hgriscom@uwyo.edu (electronic submission only, please).  Application deadline is March 2, 2008.

Field Botanist job

1 Position, June 9 - August 22

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            The Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (a service and research unit of the University of Wyoming) will hire 1 field botanist for vegetation studies during the 2008 field season (early June into the second half of August).  On all three projects, the field botanist will work with the Natural Diversity Database’s vegetation ecologist, collecting data on vegetation composition and structure, and identifying plants (collecting and pressing specimens when necessary).  On one project, he or she will supervise three field technicians.

Projects.  The field botanist will work on three projects over the field season.

1.  Shoshone National Forest prescribed burn study (June 9 - June 27).  This is a cooperative project between the Natural Diversity Database and the U.S. Forest Service, to document the effects of past prescribed burns in sagebrush ecosystems.  The study area is in the lower elevations of the Absaroka Mountains west of Cody.

2.  Wyoming Nature Conservancy conservation easement assessment (July 7 - August 8).  The Wyoming Field Office of The Nature Conservancy and the Natural Diversity Database are collecting information to compare integrity of sagebrush systems on conservation easements to integrity on other lands.  The field botanist will supervise 3 field assistants in collecting information from sample locations in west-central and north-central Wyoming.  The Database ecologist will work part-time with the field crew.

3.  Rock Springs Field Office aspen inventory (August 11 - August 22).  This is a cooperative project between the Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Springs Field Office and the Natural Diversity Database.  The field botanist and the Database ecologist will visit aspen woodlands in the Green River Basin, to collect information that documents vegetation composition, structure, and vigor.

Qualifications

Required:  1.  Familiarity with the Wyoming flora.  2.  Ability and willingness to work long days, sometimes in inclement weather, and to camp out (must provide own camping gear).  3.  Ability and willingness to supervise 3 field technicians.  4.  Good judgement.  5.  Careful attention to detail.  6.  Valid driver’s license.

Desired:  7.  Experience in vegetation sampling (line-intercept, macroplot, microplot techniques).  8.  Experience collecting plant specimens.  9.  Knowledge of geology and soils.  10.  Experience operating a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Work Schedule:  Work will average 40 hours per week, generally on a Monday through Friday schedule.  This work will require much travel and extended absences from Laramie.

Pay:  The field botanist will be short-term employee of the University of Wyoming.  Pay will be $400 per week, plus $25.00 per diem for days spent camping out.

Information and Applications:  To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 3 references to George Jones at gpjones@uwyo.edu.  For more information, and to confirm receipt of your application materials, please call me (George Jones) at 307-766-3009.

Field Assistant jobs

with the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database

3 positions, July 7 - August 8

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            The Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (a service and research unit of the University of Wyoming) will hire 3 field assistants for vegetation sampling in sagebrush ecosystems for five weeks (July 7 through August 8) during the 2008 field season.  The assistants will work with the Natural Diversity Database’s vegetation ecologist and field botanist, collecting data on vegetation composition and structure in west-central and north-central Wyoming.

Qualifications

Required:  1.  Ability and willingness to work long days, sometimes in inclement weather, and to camp out (must provide own camping gear).  2.  Good judgement.  3.  Careful attention to detail.  4.  Valid driver’s license.

Desired:  5.  Experience operating a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Work Schedule:  Work will average 40 hours per week, generally on a Monday through Friday schedule.  This work will require much travel and extended absences from Laramie.

Pay:  The field assistants will be short-term employee of the University of Wyoming.  Pay will be $370 per week, plus $25.00 per diem for days spent camping out.

Information and Applications:  To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 3 references to George Jones at gpjones@uwyo.edu.  For more information, and to confirm receipt of your application materials, please call me (George Jones) at 307-766-3009.

Please check back here for future postings, and feel free to call WYNDD staff directly to discuss potential hirings or internship opportunities.

Internships

Over the years, WYNDD has sponsored internships for UW undergraduate and graduate students, providing the students with opportunities to learn skills such as literature research, mapping, and uses of computer databases.  These internships have benefited WYNDD in such ways as helping the program's staff update the databases, find new information in the literature, and clear up a backlog of mapping.

The details of each internship -- the time required, supervision, the product expected from the student,  the method of awarding credit -- will vary from project to project and from one department to another, and will be agreed upon at the beginning of the project by the student, his or her faculty sponsor, and a WYNDD staff member.  In general, we anticipate:

• that each student will work several hours per week over a semester to earn 1 or 2 credit hours,

• that one of us with WYNDD will meet regularly with the student to supervise and consult,

• and that the student and his or her advisor or sponsor will take care of the administrative details needed to obtain academic credit.

Please contact us if you would like more information regarding potential internships with our program.

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