Conservation Biology Technicians

Colorado State University is hiring up to 12 Conservation Biology Technicians for field data collection in biodiversity projects across Colorado. Responsibilities include planning logistics, extensive travel, and fieldwork involving rare plants, small mammals, and amphibians. Candidates should have relevant coursework, field data collection experience, and the ability to work long hours in various outdoor conditions. This position requires travel and camping, making it not remote.
Description of Work Unit
The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) is Colorado’s primary biological conservation information center housed within the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. CNHP is a key player in Colorado’s conservation of open lands and maintains the only centralized conservation database in Colorado that includes plants, animals, and natural communities. The staff consists of approximately 40 highly experienced biologists and information managers with expertise in inventory, research, and monitoring of Colorado’s flora, fauna, plant communities, and conservation issues. CNHP serves a wide variety of users including federal, state and local agencies, consultants, environmental groups, non-government organizations, private landowners, and the public. CNHP’s annual revenue is approximately 6 million dollars and is generated from contracts and agreements through CNHP’s partners and clients. CNHP generally works on over 50 conservation projects per year. To learn more about CNHP’s mission, vision, and values, visit http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/.
Search Contact Email Jess.Cheadle@colostate.edu
Position Summary
Up to 12 Conservation Biology Technicians will be hired to collect field data in support of CNHP’s Statewide Natural Heritage Survey of biodiversity and related projects. Field work will take place across Colorado. Specific technicians will focus on one or more of the following: upland rare plants and vegetation, wetland rare plants and vegetation, small mammals, invertebrates, and/or amphibians. Standard duties will involve planning logistics for 4 to 8-day field hitches; driving and hiking to field sites; detailed completion of field forms; and communication with project partners.The position involves extensive travel, camping in remote settings, and long 10+ hour field days. The position requires experience with fieldwork. Experience working in the Rocky Mountain, Intermountain West, and/or Great Plains is preferred. A valid driver’s license for travel between sites is required, as is the ability to hike and navigate to field sites. These positions are supervised by permanent CNHP staff across multiple teams.

For more information about these projects, please visit https://cnhp.colostate.edu/aboutus/careers/employment/.
Position Minimum Qualifications
• Coursework in botany, ecology, natural resources, range management, or related field.
• Experience collecting field data.
• Willingness and ability to work long hours and unusual schedules, travel extensively during the field season, share living quarters in rustic field housing, bunkhouses, and car camping, and potentially backpack and hike long distances (up to 10 miles / day) while carrying a heavy pack (up to 40 lbs).
• Willingness and ability to work with a positive attitude in field conditions that include exposure to inclement weather, rugged terrain, hot or cold weather (30–110° F), biting insects, and poisonous plants, all while maintaining a strong commitment to team safety.
• Demonstrated organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills; ability to handle complex tasks with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Effective interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including ability to work with a diverse group of individuals and to maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to work both independently with guidance and effectively in a team.
• Ability to hike and navigate to field sites.
• Have or be able to obtain a valid driver’s license.
• Experience with using dichotomous keys and/or field guides, familiarity with the major plant families, and/or knowledge of western flora or fauna.
Preferred Qualifications
• B.S. or B.A. degree in ecology, botany, watershed science, natural resources, range management, forestry, or related field.
• Specific field experience in one or more of the following areas: rare plants, wetland or upland vegetation, small mammals, invertebrates, and/or amphibians.
• Experience interpreting aerial photography (e.g., Google Earth), navigating with a topographic map, and use of GPS.
• Experience with various sampling techniques (vegetation sampling or animal trapping).
• Experience driving 4×4 vehicles on rough roads and camping in remote locations.
• Experience collecting data electronically using tablets or other devices.
• Experience working in the Rocky Mountain, Intermountain West, or Plains Ecosystems.