What are the responsibilities and job description for the Fish and Wildlife Technician 2 position at State of Alaska?
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries is recruiting for a Fish and Wildlife Technician 2 located in Haines!
What you will be doing:
This position serves as a crew member for a 3-person crew on the Chilkat Lake weir adult salmon stock assessment project. Primary duties include performing project and camp installation, maintenance, and removal, identifying, handling, and sampling salmon via daily beach seines, and enumerating adult salmon escapement with the use of a Dual-frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) in conjunction with a standard picket weir. The field season is approximately May 15-October 15.
Our organization, mission and culture:
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game strives for a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and wellbeing are paramount and employees at all levels promote a culture where everyone is valued, treated equitably, and treated respectfully.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's mission is to manage, protect, maintain, and improve the fish, game, and aquatic plant resources of Alaska. The primary goals are to ensure that Alaska's renewable fish and wildlife resources and their habitats are conserved and managed on the sustained yield principle, and the use and development of these resources are in the best interest of the economy and well-being of the people of the state. The mission of the Division of Commercial Fisheries is to manage subsistence, commercial, and personal use fisheries in the interest of the economy and general well-being of the citizens of the state, consistent with the sustained yield principle, and subject to allocations through public regulatory processes.
The benefits of joining our team:
This position is an excellent opportunity to join the dedicated Haines team of professionals working hard to maintain healthy populations of some of the largest salmon runs in Southeast Alaska. The incumbent will play a crucial role in the management of our salmon resources through ensuring the collection of high-quality data that will steer in-season management decisions of the local Haines subsistence, personal use, and commercial drift gillnet fisheries. Join the State of Alaska for a career with the Department of Fish and Game and experience working hands-on with the salmon runs of Northern Lynn Canal and the Chilkat Valley.
The working environment you can expect:
The Chilkat Lake weir is approximately 26 miles northwest of Haines via the Haines Highway and accessed by traversing the dynamic glacial Tsirku River by jet boat. Field camp at Chilkat Lake consists of a picket weir used in tandem with a DIDSON Sonar, a dry cabin, and 3 separate wall tents for crew sleeping quarters. The average day starts with an early morning beach seine where salmon are sampled for age, sex, and length data, after which crew take turns processing electronic DIDSON files to enumerate salmon passage through the weir and performing routine weir, equipment, and camp maintenance. Work may involve exposure to wild animals, insects, inclement weather, low level flying, travel by boat or skiff, and/or contact with drugs and chemicals. Ability to effectively handle firearms is required. Ability to lift and carry 50 lbs. and perform physically demanding work for extended periods of time is required. Housing may consist of bunkhouses, dry cabins, vessels, or wall tents. Positions are seasonal or temporary.
Who we are looking for:
We are looking for an individual with the following competencies, knowledge, skills, and abilities:
- Experience with field work, specifically at a weir or other fish counting system.
- Experience identifying, capturing, and handling adult salmon.
- Experience living and working independently in remote settings for long periods under minimal supervision with ability to troubleshoot and maintain a field camp and equipment.
- Experience working and living in bear country with knowledge of wildlife safety and ability to operate firearms.
- Experience maintaining and operating small skiffs, specifically with jet outboard motors, in shallow, fast-moving glacial water.
- Experience collecting biological data and entering and editing project data into corresponding databases.
A valid driver's license is required.
Minimum Qualifications
High school graduation or the equivalent.
OR
Three months as an entry level fish and wildlife technician or aide. With the State of Alaska, this experience is equivalent to Fish and Wildlife Technician 1.
OR
Six months of work experience involving fish, wildlife, outdoor manual labor, or in a laboratory.
Special Requirements:
Exposure to animals, insects, inclement weather, low level flying, travel by boat or skiff, or contact with drugs and chemicals may occur. Housing may consist of bunkhouses, vessels, or wall tents. Some duties may be restricted for employees under the age of 18 in accordance with State and federal child labor laws. Positions are seasonal or temporary.
Special Note:
"High school diploma equivalent" means one of the following: 1) a GED (general educational development); 2) completion of any basic adult education course equivalent to 480 class hours (16 weeks at 30 course hours per week); 3) acceptance in full standing by an accredited college or university; or 4) highest grade of school completed plus an amount of paid or volunteer experience that totals 12 years.
An individual who will complete the educational requirements and obtain the required high school diploma or equivalent within three months may apply and be considered for a vacancy. Such applicants may be given a conditional job offer but may not be appointed until receipt of the required degree has been documented.
Additional Required Information
- Three (3) professional references with current contact information (phone numbers and email).
- Two (2) most recent performance evaluations or two (2) letters of recommendation if performance evaluations are not available.
- Copies of any current certifications that may be relevant to this position.
A cover letter is NOT required for this position. Your complete application, including supplemental questions, will be used to determine which applicants will advance to the interview phase of the recruitment and selection process.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS
FIREARMS
A "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" is an offense that is (1) a misdemeanor under Federal or state law; and (2) has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.
If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, do NOT apply for this position.
EDUCATION
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence.
WORK EXPERIENCE
NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.
MULTIPLE VACANCIES
EEO STATEMENT
NOTICE
WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE
For applicant password assistance please visit:
Contact Information
Shelby Flemming, Fishery Biologist 2
The following information describes typical benefits available to employees of the State of Alaska. Actual benefits received may differ by bargaining unit or branch of government, position type, or be prorated for other than full time work.
For a quick breakdown of the insurance, health, and retirement benefits available for State Employees you can view an orientation video from Division of Retirement and Benefits. (Please note this video is specifically designed for new State Employees.)
Insurance Benefits
- Health insurance, which includes employer contributions toward medical/vision/dental
- The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See https://drb.alaska.gov/help/plans.html for additional information.
- AVTEC
- Confidential
- Correctional Officers
- Marine Engineers
- Mt. Edgecumbe Teachers
- Supervisory
- Unlicensed Vessel Personnel/Inland Boatman's Union
- Exempt employees (not covered by collective bargaining)
- The following employee groups are covered by Union health trusts. Contact the appropriate Union for additional information.
- General Government
- Labor, Trades and Crafts
- Public Safety Employees Association
- Masters, Mates & Pilots
- The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See https://drb.alaska.gov/help/plans.html for additional information.
- Employer paid Basic Life insurance with additional coverage available (amount depends on Bargaining Unit)
- Group-based insurance premiums for
- Term life (employee, spouse or qualified same sex partner, and dependents)
- Long-term and short-term disability
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment
- Long-term care (self and eligible family members)
- Supplemental Survivor Benefits
- Employee-funded flexible spending accounts for tax savings on eligible health care or dependent care expenses
Retirement Benefits
- Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)/Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)
- Matching employer contribution into a defined contribution program (new employees)
- Employer contribution into a defined benefit or defined contribution program (current employees)
- Contributions to the Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan in lieu of contributions to Social Security
- Option to enroll in the Alaska Deferred Compensation Program
- Note: The Defined Contribution Plan, Supplemental Annuity Plan and Deferred Compensation Program offer a variety of investment options
- Personal leave with an accrual rate increase based on time served
- Twelve (12) paid holidays a year