The Maine 30-Year Bird Project is hiring technicians for the 2022 Summer field season to conduct bird and vegetation surveys in the commercial forestland of the Maine North Woods. This project seeks to understand A) the range of forest types occupied by each species in the avian community, B) how bird abundances and habitat associations have changed since the 1990s, and C) how such regional changes relate to continental-scale bird declines. Work will be conducted both in actively managed commercial forests and on adjacent conservation land. Hiring will be through SIG-NAL (www.sig-nal.org); other partner organizations on this project include the University of New Hampshire, Tufts University, the Maine Climate Table, and The Wilderness Society.
Primary duties of this position:
- Establishing survey stations using maps and GPS (Late May-Jun)
- Conducting standardized point counts of bird species (Jun-early Jul)
- Conducting tree and vegetation surveys at each station (Jul-early Aug)
- Regular data entry
Applicants are expected to be able to identify all bird species of the Northeastern boreal forest ecosystem by sound and sight; experience conducting standardized point counts is preferred. Strong applicants will also have experience conducting vegetation surveys and with boreal plant identification. Applicants should be comfortable living and working in a remote field station, be capable of navigating on foot over rough terrain to off-road survey stations, and have experience operating a vehicle on rough back-country roads. Experience changing and plugging tires is a plus!
The field season is demanding, so we are looking for applicants with a strong work ethic, the flexibility to respond to unforeseen problems, and enthusiasm for working closely in pairs or small teams. Since work is conducted across multiple land-ownerships, applicants should be prepared to interact with members of the forest products industry, conservation organizations, and the general public.
The primary field station (Greenville, Maine) is within a day’s drive of Baxter State Park, the Hundred Mile Wilderness, and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, and applicants will have the opportunity for outdoor recreation during breaks.
**All applicants are expected to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, including a booster shot; accepted technicians will be required to provide a negative Covid test within 48 hours of arriving at the field station.
If interested in this position, please send a cover letter (1 pg. maximum) and your CV as a single PDF to Jonah.Levy@tufts.edu. Positions will be filled as applications are received.
