Restoration Scientist

ABOUT TROUT UNLIMITED

Trout Unlimited takes care of the rivers and clean water that trout, salmon and communities around the country depend on. We are a nationwide network of advocates, outdoor enthusiasts, volunteers, anglers and staff dedicated to protecting places where trout and salmon thrive and recovering rivers and fisheries that need help. We want to make sure healthy rivers and fisheries are available for all people to use and enjoy.

Trout Unlimited has 300,000 members and supporters supported by a respected staff of organizers, lawyers, policy experts, and scientists, who work out of more than 25 offices across the country. The California program has 28 staff located in Emeryville, Ft. Bragg, Truckee, and home offices around the state. Every year our team manages dozens of river flow and habitat restoration projects, with focal areas on the North Coast, Sacramento Valley, and the Sierras, and we advocate for strong conservation policies by the state and federal government.

POSITION SUMMARY

TU’s CA Inland Trout Program works to restore native and wild inland trout populations and their associated Sierra Nevada headwater habitat, primarily located on public land. We have approximately 20 active watershed restoration projects under way, at all stages of development, and anticipate a minimum of 10 years more work given the level of need. Our program takes projects through the full life cycle from identification, prioritization and stakeholder engagement, to design, permitting, funding, implementation, monitoring, and adaptive management. We work inclusively with public, private and tribal partners, and deploy a range of science-based restoration techniques, often at the landscape-level. Our projects seek to reverse over a century of degradation to critically important Sierra Nevada habitats. Project types include process- and formed-based stream and meadow restoration, aquatic organism passage replacement, sediment reduction via road maintenance/decommissioning, forest health, and post-fire remediation.

Trout Unlimited is hiring a lead restoration scientist for our CA Inland Trout Program. The primary function of the Restoration Scientist will be to facilitate the development and implementation of restoration project effectiveness monitoring for the Program’s projects across the Sierra Nevada. They will also participate in the restoration planning process in design and evaluation of techniques and use of best available science to support selected methods. The position requires excellent attention to detail and organizational skills; the ability to problem-solve and proactively anticipate issues often associated with field work and data collection; ensure quality and integrity of project data collected. They will work closely with our CA Inland Trout Program Director, national and CA-based science team, and state and federal agency partners on a wide variety of monitoring efforts including but not limited to streamflow and groundwater, vegetation, carbon, fish and benthic macroinvertebrates, and aquatic habitat condition. They will lead in analysis and reporting on collected monitoring data. The person will be based near the TU Truckee Office and report to the California Inland Trout Program Director. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement restoration project effectiveness monitoring plans that utilize best available science and integrate with state and federal agency-approved protocols.
• Manage TU science coordinator, seasonal technicians and subcontractors to implement monitoring plans and resource site assessments (desktop and field-based).
• Train and onboard seasonal technician staff in data collection, data processing, data entry and field equipment storage and maintenance.
• Manage program databases that include large diverse datasets, including QAQC, storageand ensure entry into appropriate agency and partner databases.
• Manage Program ESRI informatics including Survey 1,2,3, FieldMaps, ArcDashboard etc.
• Manage monitoring budgets and subcontractors as related to project monitoring tasks.
• Order, inventory, and properly store/maintain field equipment.
• Lead in analysis and reporting requirements as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelors, Masters or PhD degree in natural resources management, aquatic ecology, conservation biology, forestry/botany, fisheries ecology, public and environmental policy, or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience conducting scientifically robust fieldwork, preferably aquatic resources or restoration monitoring using standard equipment and protocols
• Understanding of California and Nevada wild and native trout, watershed science and restoration, and Sierra Nevada ecology. Preferably experience in stream and watershed restoration.
• Ability to motivate, train and supervise program science staff, AmeriCorps members, and seasonal field technicians.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to articulate complex conservation issues and TU’s mission to a wide range of audiences.
• Demonstrated experience using MS Office Word, Excel, and GIS.
• Ability travel and work remotely for multiple days at a time, including in a backcountry setting at 7,000-foot plus elevation with miles of hiking in a day required.Position approximately 35% field-based.
• Valid driver’s license and own vehicle required.

Staff and leadership at TU understand that life outside of work is important to personal health, and we strive to create a healthy and family-friendly atmosphere. This is a full-time position with a generous benefits package. The approximate salary range is $72,000-$85,000 depending on experience.