Forest and Conservation Worker jobs in Enid, OK

Title: US Fish and Wildlife Service Salt Plains - Invasive Species Technicians

Stipend: $600.00/week living stipend equal to $1,200.00 (before taxes) paid on a bi-weekly basis.

Number of Positions: 2

Term: 12-week service term; Starting 6/3/2024

Reports to: FWS Salt Plains Wildlife Biologist

Location: 71189 Harper Road, Jet, OK 73749

Status: Full Time, 450-hour AmeriCorps Service Term.

Benefits: Housing Provided on site, Professional development budget for each member, AmeriCorps Education Award $1,824.07 after successful completion of term.

Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps’ Mission

Our vision is to lead our Nations back to ecological and cultural well-being by engaging underrepresented Indigenous youth and young adults in conservation service programs that reconnect participants to the land, their cultural heritage, and their traditions. We work to remove barriers to participation, education, and employment by partnering with local community organizations, agencies, and institutes of higher learning to create paid service and career training opportunities, personal and professional development, and pathways to postsecondary education and employment.

USFWS Wildlife Refuge System Mission:

The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Individual Placement (IP) Overview:

The US Fish and Wildlife Service's is seeking two (2) Individual Placements (IP) to work out of the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge Admin Building And Visitor Contact Station. Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1930 as an inviolate sanctuary for migratory birds. The refuge contains the largest saline flat east of the Rocky Mountains. The refuge is estimated to support one of the largest and most dense breeding populations of snowy plovers in North America.

The Individual Placements (IP) will play an important role to help with the management and control of salt cedar that threaten the refuge's salt flats. Loss of salt flat habitat reduces breeding habitat for snowy plovers and other shorebird species. It also reduces the quality of habitat available for whooping crane stopover habitat. Interns will perform hands on control of salt cedar through herbicide application and/or mechanical removal. Interns will also help with monitoring of previous treatment locations by mapping efficacy within GIS applications.

Essential functions and responsibilities:
IP's will apply herbicide and use hand tools to control salt cedar around the periphery of the salt flats of the refuge. Interns will also use herbicide and hand tools to control other invasive species on the refuge. IP's will use GIS apps to track treatments and monitor previous treatment efficacy.

The Invasive Species Technicians will work to complete tasks and projects outlined below.

• Ability to interpret professional and scientific reports/documents, write and understand agency plans and reports based upon agency requirements, and ability to write and understand scientific reports and documents are preferred but not required.
• The successful applicant must be reliable, punctual, and self-motivated and able to work independently, with limited supervision after initial training and assignment of tasks.
• The applicant must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds occasionally, up to 30 pounds frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds constantly. The applicant must be able to maneuver and operate in a mixture of office work and fieldwork. This includes frequently traversing uneven terrain and the ability to walk, balance, stoop, kneel, bend, reach, push, pull, and/or grasp in variable weather conditions and situations that may require a moderate amount of physical exertion.
• Applicant must have a visual acuity and valid license to operate motor vehicles and to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of work assigned.
• Applicant must be able to receive detailed information through written and/or oral communication and convey important spoken and/or written instructions accurately and effectively.
• Ages 18-30, 35 if veteran

• ATV certification is a plus but will be provided upon start
• Valid driver’s license (clean driving record within last 3 years)
• S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident Card, INS form I-551
• A passport indicating that the INS has been 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.

This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.

To apply, please submit an updated resume and letter of interest along with your online application. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ancestral Lands Individual Placements Program Manager, Anai Pulido, amunoz@conservationlegacy.org.