Fisheries Technician 4

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is hiring a Fisheries Technician 4 for a 6-month position starting in spring 2025 in Anaconda, MT. The role involves field research and monitoring of fisheries in the Clark Fork River Basin, focusing on brown trout studies. Candidates should have a relevant degree and experience, be self-motivated, and able to work flexibly in various field environments.
Butte, MT is a town of 35,000 situated directly between Bozeman and Missoula along I-90. Large enough to have most city amenities, but small enough to avoid the crowds and cost of a larger city. Butte is a true mountain town with a rich history. Right at the edge of town are endless opportunities to access public lands to hunt, fish, hike, camp, bike, ski, and recreate. Anaconda and Deer Lodge are smaller towns located in the Upper Clark Fork. Anaconda is a small mountain town with a mining past and exceptional access to the AnacondaPintler mountain range right from town. Deer Lodge is a small agricultural community situated along the Clark Fork River and I-90 30 miles west of Butte.

This position would work approximately 6 months (.5 FTE) starting in the spring of 2025. Work schedule is extremely variable, depending on field sampling schedule and needs. Flexible work schedule is essential.

This is a senior level field technician position, with many fisheries research and monitoring duties related to remedial and restoration actions being completed in the upper Clark Fork River basin by the State of Montana. The work area encompasses the entire Clark Fork River Basin in Silver Bow, Anaconda-Deer Lodge, and Powell Counties. The primary duty of this position will be working on a brown trout recruitment and survival study taking place in the upper reach of the Clark Fork River. Other primary duties will be related to fisheries monitoring in the upper Clark Fork River Basin related to restoration actions prioritized by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program. The applicant should be comfortable working in a variety of field environments and completing standard field tasks (i.e., hiking, driving to field sites, working in river environments, handling and identifying various fish species, data collection, etc.). This position will be required to complete a variety of tasks without direct supervision and a successful candidate will be self-motivated and responsible. The candidate will also perform tasks with a small group of other field staff and should be able to work as part of a team. A candidate open to a flexible work schedule is highly desired.

Specific Job Duties include:
• Operation, maintenance, and data collection at screw traps operated throughout the basin Operation and maintenance of a PIT tag array in the Clark Fork River
• Handling, tagging, and collecting physiological data from a variety of fish species
• Electrofishing using a variety of gear types on rivers and streams
• Maintaining, operating, and collecting observational and quantitative data from caged fish
• Maintenance of simple electronic systems that include solar charging systems, battery operated pumps and other components

The knowledge, skills, and abilities of this position are normally attained through combination of education and experience equivalent to:
• A bachelor’s degree in fish biology, fish and wildlife management, ecology, biology.
• One year of job-related experience.

Other combinations of education and experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.