Nebraska Wild Turkey Project--Hiring Field Technicians for 2024

Wild Turkeys
Wild Turkeys

The Applied Wildlife Ecology & Spatial Movement Lab (University of Nebraska-Lincoln [UNL]) is recruiting multiple research technicians for a wild turkey ecology research project in western Nebraska. This study will examine various facets of wild turkey ecology including reproduction, disease, harvest, gobbling chronology, predation risk, genetics, and spatial ecology. The expected results from this research project will be directly applicable to wild turkey management in Nebraska and will contribute critical information to the broader understanding of factors affecting wild turkey population declines across the United States. The successful candidates will be expected to assist 2 graduate students with various aspects of fieldwork, which include but are not necessarily
limited to capture and GPS monitoring of male and female wild turkeys, nest and brood monitoring, vegetation surveys, disease monitoring, mesopredator camera trap surveys, and acoustic monitor setup and maintenance. This a collaborative project with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, faculty at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Georgia, and the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. As such, the successful candidates will work with a team of graduate students, private landowners, university faculty, and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologists. Field season housing and field transportation will be provided.

These are temporary/seasonal positions in western Nebraska. Salary is $13/hour with housing and work truck included. The start date is January 3, 2024.

Qualifications
Preference will be given to applicants that have a B.S. in wildlife ecology or a related field. Successful candidates will be expected to: (1) have significant field experience including animal capture and tagging, particularly wild turkey capture and tagging; (2) experience with radio telemetry and wildlife tracking; (3) experience setting up trail cameras; (4) experience with vegetation sampling; (5) strong interpersonal skills as daily interaction with landowners, hunters, state agency personnel, and other stakeholders will occur; (6) willingness to work early mornings and late nights and weekends when necessary; and (7) experience operating 4WD vehicles and UTV's.
To be considered for these positions, please send a cover letter outlining your interests, resume, and contact information for 3 professional references (name, email, phone, address) combined in a single PDF file with the file name formatted as lastname_firstname.pdf (e.g., doe_john.pdf) with the subject line titled: “Wild Turkey Technician” to Dr. Andrew Little (alittle6@unl.edu). Review of applications will begin immediately and the position will remain open until filled.

Last date to apply is 8/31/2023

More details at: https://awesmlab.unl.edu