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We're Hiring!

Field Technician- 2023 Nesting Season

Description

The Owl Research Institute in western Montana is hiring a field tech for the 2023 nesting season, to begin ASAP and extend through July 15. This is an excellent opportunity to spend the summer gaining field research experience, learning about owls, and living and working in beautiful western Montana.
 

Field techs will work closely with senior owl researchers and receive training research methods from planning to banding to analysis. By the end of the summer, successful techs will have gained valuable skills to prepare them for full-time wildlife positions and graduate school. Fun will also be had. Shared field housing is provided at no cost.
 

Activities will include conducting field work on Great Gray, Short-eared, Long-eared, and Northern Pygmy Owl. Early season will begin with surveys to detect nesting owls using a combination of nighttime, dawn, and dusk surveys, callbacks, and ARUs. Nest searching will begin in early April, followed by nest monitoring in May and June. Methods will vary depending on species, and will include transects, remote cameras, and rope dragging. Occasional capture and banding of owls will be conducted. Other field tasks will include habitat assessments, pellet analysis, and behavioral observations. Data entry and management will be expected. Participation in educational programs and presentations is also possible.

Qualifications

  • Enthusiasm and proven interest in owls, natural history, and conservation

  • Physically fit and able to hike off trail in steep terrain carrying up to 40lbs of gear for up to 10 miles daily

  • Excellent observation skills and attention to detail, including nest searching in tall, dense forests and acute sense of hearing

  • Ability to identify Montana owl and raptor species by sight and sound (or learn very quickly)

  • Comfortable with navigation using GPS, mapping apps, compass, or maps

  • Willingness to work long, irregular hours while keeping a positive attitude for the duration of the season. Strong work ethic

  • Great team player and works and lives well with others in shared housing

  • Work confidently and effectively in grizzly bear country and carry bear spray

  • Comfort working outdoors at night, in harsh weather conditions, with biting insects or other potentially hazardous wildlife

  • Data recording, data management, and data entry skills

  • Respectful communication skills with teammates and the public

  • Experience operating 4WD vehicles, ATVs, pulling trailers and clean driving record preferred, willingness to learn required

  • Coursework in wildlife biology or related field or similar experience is preferred

 

Technicians will be responsible for collecting detailed data, staying safe in the field, following protocols, and entering data accurately. Responsibilities will also include organization and maintenance of field equipment, volunteer management.

Location

Charlo, Montana

Compensation

$1,500 - $2,400/month depending on experience

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Shared housing provided

Dates

April 5 (or as soon as possible) through July 15, 2023

How to apply

Email your resume/CV and cover letter in a single document to Beth Mendelsohn (beth@owlresearchinstitute.org).

 

State your interest and address each qualification concisely in your cover letter.

 

Applications will be reviewed as they come in and the position will be closed once filled.

PHOTO CREDIT

 

We are so grateful to the photographers who capture owls, and our work, in the most amazing ways. They generously share their work with us, and you. Check out the works of some of the photographers whose work is featured on our site! They are incredible talented artists who are committed to wildlife conservation.

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Thank you to:

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Kurt Lindsay: https://kurtlindsay.smugmug.com/Nebulosa/i-7D8Wh9d

Daniel J Cox: http://naturalexposures.com

Radd Icenoggle: https://www.flickr.com/photos/radley521

Melissa Groo: https://www.melissagroo.com

Ly Dang: https://www.nature2pixels.com

Tom Murphy: https://www.tmurphywild.com/

Deborah Hanson

OTHER PARTNERS

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ABOUT US

 

The ORI is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, tax-exempt organization. We are funded by individual and non-profit  group donations, grants from foundations and corporations, and occasionally agency contracts. We accept donations of real property, vehicles, and stock donations. Please consider us in your estate planning. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent of the law. Our federal tax identification number is 81-0453479.

CONTACT ORI

 

PO BOX 39

Charlo, MT 59824

 

info@owlresearchinstitute.org

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(406) 644-3412

Copyright © 2021-2025 Owl Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

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