Wildlife Biologist

Location:

This position will be stationed in South Lake Tahoe and will split their time between the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Supervisors Office and the Meyers Workstation.

Description:

This position is equivalent to the USFS professional wildlife biologist at the GS-09 level. Wildlife Biologist will split their time between two major duties: Wildlife Crew Supervision and Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) wildlife specialist.

Wildlife Crew Supervision could include all duties related to wildlife crew work including but not limited to:

• Hiring and training crew;
• Planning surveys;
• Coordinating resources including vehicles and equipment;
• Planning purchases weekly safety reviews daily crew schedules;
• Conducting field surveys;
• Coordinating with other crews and non-Forest Service consultants and partners;
• Care of bait mice;
• Creating or updating GIS based maps and data sheets;
• Data entry and reports.

The amount of time spent in the field will be partially determined by the incumbent and partially dependent on other assignments.

Planned 2026 surveys include^* (in rough order of anticipated effort):

• California spotted owl passive acoustic surveys nest checks and reproductive surveys
• American goshawk surveys and nest checks
• Butterfly surveys
• Willow flycatcher surveys
• Carnivore camera surveys
• Bat acoustic surveys
• Willow mapping
• Bald eagle nest checks
• Sandhill crane surveys
• Peregrine falcon surveys

^*Field season planning is ongoing. Anticipated effort and surveys included are subject to change.

IDT wildlife specialist duties could include but not limited to:

• Providing technical advice for project implementation and preparing environmental analysis reports for project planning;
• Gathering compiling and analyzing data to determine wildlife habitat requirements and management needs;
• Assessing habitat quality and quantity;
• Interpreting biological requirements for ESA listed species Forest Service sensitive species Tahoe Regional Planning Agency threshold species and migratory birds for a variety of forest projects. Reports would be reviewed by a journey-level biologist.

Timeline:

• The anticipated season is March 2026 - February 2027
• This is a full time 40 hours/week position. Schedule needs to be flexible especially during the field season.
• The field crew generally tries to maintain a Monday-Thursday 4/10s schedule but due to the nature of the work hours and days will vary.
• We try very hard to avoid working on Saturdays and do not work on Sundays (except for special holiday events).
• The wildlife biologist will need to work the field crew schedule when they are doing field work but can switch to a standard 8-hour day 5 days/week when not in the field.
• Daily schedule is flexible; surveys will require some early morning starts (5:00 AM or earlier) and some nighttime work.

Compensation and Benefits:

• The position offers a competitive wage of $32.46 per hour with overtime compensation at 1.5 times the hourly rate. This is a full-time role averaging 40 hours per week.
• In addition to a competitive base salary the position includes company-paid comprehensive benefits:
• Medical dental (with an option for upgraded coverage) and vision insurance
• A $25000 Life/AD&D policy
• Voluntary short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Optional Life/AD&D coverage for family members
• Mental health support resources
• Generous paid time off (PTO) accrual and paid holidays
• TSA employees who serve a term of less than 52 weeks with a break of 30 days or fewer and then sign a subsequent term that when combined exceeds 52 weeks of employment will be eligible for benefits typically provided to full-time employees.
• This exciting opportunity contributes to GBIs significant positive impacts in the fields of environmental research education and conservation.

Qualifications:

• Experience with GIS ArcPro and AGOL;
• Skills in GPS and map and compass;
• Familiarity with NEPA;

• Experience with installing ARUs and analyzing data;
• Strong work ethic;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills;
• Possess a clean valid state-issued drivers license with the ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on paved and dirt roads;
• Experience with a variety of wildlife survey techniques especially those listed above;
• Physical ability for fieldwork in remote areas including overnight camping if necessary;
• Willingness to work a variable schedule in response to project needs including nighttime surveys and possibly including some weekends and holidays;

TO APPLY

Please submit an up-to-date resume a one-page cover letter that details your interest in the position and any qualifications not fully outlined in your resume and contact information for three

professional references to the unique application link. Qualified applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview. For questions regarding this position please contact

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to sit use hands stand walk bend and have specific vision abilities to include close and distance vision and ability to adjust focus working with computer business equipment and other job/industry specific equipment. The noise level in the work environment is usually low.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the organizations ongoing needs.

Disclaimer: Although the organization has attempted to accurately and thoroughly describe this position GBI reserves the right to change the same including to change add to or subtract from the duties outlined within the sole discretion of the organization at any time with or without advance notice.