In this position, you will be working under the leadership of fisheries biologists and with other technicians to monitor for the presence of potential aquatic invasive species, including fish, such as invasive carps, and macroinvertebrates, such as red swamp crayfish, New Zealand mudsnail, and killer shrimp, in near-shore areas throughout Lake Michigan. We use a variety of gears that are deployed from small watercraft, including petite ponars, bongo nets, light traps, fyke nets, gill nets, and boat electrofishing (night and day). In addition, surveillance of Invasive Carps is conducted using environmental genetic markers (eDNA) in water samples collected from various Lake Michigan tributaries. This position requires boat work and handling fish. Our work is rigorous and takes place across the entire Lake Michigan Basin with surveys in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Please note that this position will include overnight travel. Expenses incurred will be reimbursed with receipts. A personal credit card is required. Our research often includes week-long sampling events where we stay in hotels and receive reimbursement for our meals. All travel and meals will be reimbursed and a personal credit card is required for travel. In a normal year, we have sampling events scheduled around 60 – 75% of the time. The position will have nearly 90% travel between May and October and 5% travel November thru April. Estimated duty travel is 20 – 24 weeks.
Working on this team will provide you with a plethora of new knowledge about fishes, macroinvertebrates, and plankton, as well as improving sampling skills necessary for permanent jobs. Additionally, there is the opportunity to work on the Native species and habitat and partnerships crews as well.
A valid driver's license is required and because housing is not offered on-site, candidates will need a personal vehicle or other resource for traveling to and from the office.
Primary duties of this position include:
- Field surveys to detect invasive species – 60%
- Lab work to identify and document macroinvertebrates – 20%
- Gear and equipment upkeep and repair – 15%
- Data entry and management – 5%
Compensation Details:
– $600/week* Living Allowance (equivalent to $15/hr.)
– $1,100* Travel Allowance, paid once with first paycheck
– Health Insurance
– Eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award of $6,495.00, received upon successful completion of the position
– Eligible for the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority upon successful completion of position
– Housing is not provided. Rental housing will need to be obtained.
*All allowances subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes.
It is SCA's policy that all AmeriCorps-required background checks must return cleared results prior to the position's start; this includes being fingerprinted for the FBI check. Otherwise, the AmeriCorps award will be removed or the position's start date will be delayed due to non-compliance.
For SCA’s COVID guidance, please refer to www.thesca.org/covid
Position ID: PO-00735062
Expected Dates: May 15, 2023 - June 2, 2024
Location:
2661 Scott Tower Dr
New Franken, WI 54229-9565
US
Training Provided: Training in boat safety, learn to deploy different types of aquatic survey gear and ID native and invasive species.
Educational/Recreational Opportunities: Gain on-the-job training in natural resource management. Abundant hiking, biking, fishing and other recreation opportunities throughout NE Wisconsin.
Handicap Accessible?: Yes
Main Area of Focus: Natural Resources Mgmt
Further Details
AmeriCorps Eligible: Eligible
Driving Logistics: Required
Will likely need transportation from residence to Field Office.
Housing or Stipend Provided?
D. No housing is available
Indoor/Outdoor: Outside
US Citizenship: Yes
