Wildlife Technician (Sage-grouse)

One technician is needed to assist in a sage-grouse research project at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch located southwest of Hailey, Idaho. Rinker Rock Creek Ranch is a research station managed by the University of Idaho in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Wood River Land Trust. The goal of the research is to quantify sage-grouse space use with respect to beaver dams in riparian habitat, and determine what, if any, cascading consequences those responses have on sage-grouse brood survival. This is the second season of data collection in a two-year Master’s position through the University of Idaho.

The chosen technician will be responsible for assisting with sage-grouse capture in the late winter to early spring, which will involve working from sundown through the night in potentially freezing temperatures and precipitation, to deploy PTT backpacks on hens. After capture season, the technician will be responsible for conducting brood surveys on sage-grouse hens using radio telemetry, as well as beaver dam surveys to measure dam characteristics. 

Housing will be provided at an IDFG fish hatchery for the beginning (~March into May) of the season, then a trailer with water/electric hook-ups located on the Rinker Rock property later in the spring. There will be internet access provided at the hatchery and the trailer site. Cell phone reception is good at the base camp on the property where trailer will be located, but spotty through the rest of the field site. Grocery stores and other amenities are best accessed in Bellevue or Hailey, a ~25 minute drive from Rinker Rock Creek Ranch.

Rinker Rock is located at the southern end of the scenic Sawtooth Mountains of central Idaho. Ample outdoor opportunities exist throughout the spring and summer, including hiking & backcountry camping, whitewater rafting, fishing, and exploring the mountain towns of Hailey, Sun Valley, and more.