Forest Restoration Crew Lead

TITLE:                         Forest Restoration Crew Leader  

TYPE:                          Full time, non-exempt, and temporary position from April 21st to September 5th, 2025. 40 hr./week generally scheduled as four 10-hour days/week. 

WAGE:                          $24/hour

EMPLOYER:                 South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL)  

LOCATION:                      The office is in Nevada City, CA. This position will require travel throughout the Yuba River watershed and the Tahoe National Forest. 

REPORTS TO:               Forest Health Program Manager, Tahoe National Forest West Zone Botanist

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) is collaborating with the Tahoe National Forest on non-native invasive vegetation management projects, including invasive fuels reduction work in high fire-risk areas. Vegetation management is crucial for protecting sensitive natural resources including native botanical and animal species, as well as for restoring forested landscapes to their historic conditions. SYRCL is committed to restoring resiliency to forested landscapes across the Yuba River watershed as part of landscape-scale planning and management actions taking place on National Forest System lands.

SYRCL is recruiting a full-time Forest Restoration Crew Leader to direct a three-person crew on invasive plants removal and monitoring work on the Tahoe National Forest. This work will target areas of high fire risk throughout the National Forest, with sites located across several National Forest Districts. The Crew Leader will work closely with the Forest Health Program Manager and Tahoe National Forest botanist in building work schedules and tracking crew progress throughout the season. This role will support important efforts in building community fire resilience and watershed health through non-native plant management and monitoring, tracking treatments and working with field data, and disposing of plant material in a safe, effective manner.

The Crew Leader will be responsible for general field management, crew communications and organization, proper execution of specified invasive plant treatments, and data collection and reporting tasks including quality assurance.  A typical field day will involve navigating to targeted treatment sites, removing plants with hand tools, mapping and tracking treatment sites and working with field data, and disposing of plant material in a safe, effective manner as directed. Field forms and data will be managed with ArcGIS Online products including Survey123 as well as US Forest Service data management systems. The Crew Leader will report directly each week to SYRCL’s Forest Health Program Manager as well as to the Tahoe National Forest’s botanist project lead.

This is a full-time, non-exempt, and temporary position lasting approximately 20 weeks, beginning on April 21st and running through September 5th, 2025. The typical work week will comprise four 10-hour days including a 30-minute lunch break, with work taking place from 7:00 am – 5:30 pm.

CREW LEAD DUTIES

• Lead a three-person invasive plant removal crew including assisting with crew scheduling, weekly planning, site navigation and oversight, data collection, and communications with Program Manager and Tahoe National Forest botanist
• Assess field situations independently, using problem solving and decision making to proactively mitigate problems and implement effective solutions
• Monitor noxious weed populations using standardized protocols to ensure treatment effectiveness
• Delineate infestations with GPS units, collect data with Survey123 and/or FieldMaps software, and manage data collection and reporting
• Manage, clean, and store field equipment and hand tools as needed, including gas-powered hand tools

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Demonstrated experience in leading field crews. Ability to problem-solve in the field, and address team concerns with minimal oversight.
• Experience working outdoors and ability to work long hours of strenuous physical laborand in remote locations. Comfortable working in both forested and roadside environments, sometimes remote, and in hot, dry conditions for long hours
• Current certification in First Aid or Wilderness First Aid
• Experience using Microsoft Office, ArcGIS Online, and field data collection software such as Survey123
• Basic field GPS/navigation skills
• Experience with outdoor manual labor work, including working with hand tools
• Possession of a properly registered and insured personal vehicle, and a valid California Driver’s License. Will receive reimbursement for mileage if personal vehicle is used
• Experience operating 4WD trucks on both maintained and unimproved roads

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in botany, field biology, ecology, other natural resources with coursework or previous fieldwork experience in data collection, plant taxonomy, botany, or forestry
• Experience in plant identification in the Sierra Nevada and basic understanding of plant biology
• Experience working on vegetation-focused field crews in the Sierra Nevada

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:  

Work requires strenuous physical labor in difficult environments and roadsides. Requirements include repeated bending at the waist and carrying heavy loads over variable distances. Work is always outdoors and regularly in remote areas. Be prepared for extended exposure to sun, hiking in variable terrain, and exposure to bugs, thorns, and poison oak. The applicant must be able to lift objects weighing up to 40 pounds. 

COMPENSATION: 

Pay is $24/hr. and includes travel reimbursement for personal vehicle use or transportation in a company vehicle from SYRCL office. Temporary employees are not eligible for health/vision/dental insurance or paid Personal Time Off (PTO). 40 hours of Sick Leave will be provided and may not be used during the first 30 days of employment. Temporary employees working 350 hours or more for the term of their employment are eligible for Holiday pay.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: 

Application closes on April 7th, 2025. 

Finalist candidates will be asked to provide a DMV Driving Record before official hire.

Please submit a cover letter outlining relevant experience, qualifications, and explaining your interest in this position, as well as a current resume electronically at [BAMBOO LINK]. No phone calls, please. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

SYRCL is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected status.