Refuge Information Technician

Refuge Information Technician

The Refuge Information Technician will act as a liaison between the Refuge and one or more villages throughout the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region and will manage and facilitate communication and collaboration between the Refuge and these Alaska Native stakeholders. Provides information on Service programs; state and federal laws and regulations associated with subsistence taking and use of resources; and state and federal laws on sport and commercial fishing and sport hunting.

Obtains information on subsistence and sport harvest of fish and game. Arranges field logistics, coordinates access to Native lands and explains the purpose and scope of biological projects to residents of villages on or near refuse or other public lands. Guides others or travels along by foot, snow machines, or boat to field camps and remote work sites in order to provide logistics or perform biological work.

This is a regular, part-time position with an intermittent schedule, depending on the program needs and seasonal activities. This position will be located in the Yukon Kuskokwim Region, preferably Hooper Bay, Scammon Bay, Emmonak, St. Mary's, Pilot Station, Mountain Village, Kotlik, Marshall, Russian Mission, Nightmute, Tununak, Toksook Bay, or Mekoryuk Alaska.

• Meet with Alaska Native residents and tribal leaders to learn about and understand their concerns, questions, and positions with respect to Refuge programs; community values and interests; traditional subsistence uses of fish and wildlife resources; and historic and current information about wildlife populations and harvest methods. The RIT will then communicate these concerns, questions, interests, traditional uses, and historical perspectives to the Refuge Manager to enable the Refuge to calibrate its cooperative management programs in acknowledgment of this information.
• Plan and facilitate meetings between Alaska Native residents and Refuge officials and may coordinate logistics in support of biological projects on the Refuge. These services are critical to advance the interests of all parties in successful collaboration and cooperative resource management.
• Communicates with Refuge officials about traditional Alaska Native uses of Refuge lands and stakeholder perspectives on Refuge management programs, research, regulatory actions, Refuge permitting and policies, and other issues that impact Alaska Native stakeholders. The RIT will also communicate Refuge program ideas, concepts, concerns, and plans to Calista and other Alaska Native stakeholders who may be affected by Refuge actions.
• Plan, develop, and implement programs and processes to ensure that important information is collected and shared between the Refuge and Alaska Native stakeholders living within and in proximity to the Refuge's boundaries. The RIT will also optimize the use of existing communication structures, including public meetings, educational programs in rural communities and schools, and personal connections, to achieve these goals.
• Explain natural resource management laws, regulations, plans, and agreements and the goals of these laws, regulations, plans, and agreements to Alaska Native stakeholders who live on or in proximity to or use Refuge lands. The RIT understands and communicates the effects of laws and agreements of particular significance to Calista shareholders and within the Calista region, including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Alaska Native Migratory Bird Co-Management Council (AMBCC), the Alaska National Interest in Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) and the Regional Advisory Councils established by ANILCA for rural subsistence uses, and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).
• Attend important village meetings and tribal council meetings.
• Attend regular meetings with the Refuge Manager and staff and provide written and oral reports on Alaska Native stakeholder concerns or other topics of concern and attention, and to receive briefings from the Refuge Manager about Refuge concerns and program updates.
• Assist in communication and scheduling for any Government-to-Government consultations between the Refuge, Tribes, and village corporations.
• Attend and participate in Refuge staff meeting. This will include attending and presenting the previous year's activities and accomplishments.
• Attend Rural Advisory Committee (RAC) meetings convened to recommend subsistence hunting and fishing policies and regulations to the Federal Subsistence Board under ANILCA.
• Attend AMBCC meetings during which Alaska Natives and FWS staff discuss co-management relationship and develop regulations for subsistence uses of migratory birds.
• Develop outreach materials during federal and state hunting and fishing seasons to educate all stakeholders about regulatory requirements, land permits, and cultural considerations when using Refuge land and resources.
• Participate in RIT meetings and workshops.
• Assist the Refuge in integrating more Yupik-specific cultural and…