Airport Wildlife Mitigation & Environmental Worker

As an Airport Wildlife Mitigation & Environmental Worker at the Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO), you’ll spend your days outdoors supporting runway safety through wildlife mitigation, grounds maintenance, and environmental field work.

This role offers a broad look at airport operations and the opportunity to build a diverse skill set that includes operating light to heavy equipment, conducting field inspections, collecting environmental samples, and completing required documentation. The work is physical, hands‑on, and performed in all types of weather—ideal for someone who thrives in a field‑based environment where the results of your work are visible every day.

The City of Durango is a purpose‑driven organization with more than 400 full‑time and 300 part‑time and seasonal employees across 15 departments, all working together to provide a wide range of services that keep our community running every day. From public safety and utilities to parks and recreation, our team is dedicated to delivering high‑quality services that enhance the lives of all who live, work, and visit here.

At the city, we focus on continually improving how we work and serve the community. This effort is called the Trail to Excellence (T2E), and every employee plays a part in it. Whether you work outdoors, in an office, or lead a team, your daily efforts connect to the city’s mission of providing excellent service and reaching the city’s vision of being a multigenerational community that is authentic, diverse, engaged, thriving, and environmentally responsible.

The full details of this vision are outlined in the city’s strategic plan.

• Your ideas help shape citywide improvements.
• The work you do ties directly into measurable goals.
• You’ll be part of a system that values collaboration, innovation, and results.

We're looking for team members who share our core values of teamwork, dependability, professionalism, service, respect, innovation, and wellbeing — and who are excited to make a difference in the community we serve.

• Wildlife Mitigation: Support the Airport’s Wildlife Mitigation Plan by conducting daily field inspections and assisting with hazing and removal efforts, using approved non‑lethal and lethal methods to reduce safety risks within runway safety areas.
• Heavy Equipment and Grounds Operations: Operate equipment such as tractors, skid steers, pickup trucks, and ATVs to maintain airfield grounds through mowing, grading, dragging, weed control, and filling wildlife burrows.
• Environmental Sampling: Collect water, wastewater, soil, and sediment samples and perform basic field testing (including pH, conductivity, chlorine, and dissolved oxygen) in accordance with state and federal standards.
• Perimeter and Fence Maintenance: Inspect and assist with maintaining perimeter fencing and related infrastructure to prevent wildlife access and unauthorized entry onto the airfield.
• Documentation and Compliance: Accurately document wildlife activities, environmental samples, and field work in logs and data sheets to support regulatory compliance and permit testing.

• A high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• A valid state driver’s license.
• The ability to pass a background check to work in a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) secured area.
• Six months of related experience in grounds maintenance, wildlife mitigation, heavy equipment operation, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

• Enjoy being active and performing physical, hands‑on work.
• Have experience operating equipment or are eager to build your skills with machinery like tractors and skid steers.
• Understand that wildlife mitigation is a core safety function of this role and are comfortable assisting with animal control efforts.
• Take safety seriously and can follow technical procedures, permits, and instructions.
• Work well as part of a team and communicate clearly in the field.

• Free pass to the Durango Community Recreation Center and Chapman Hill Ice Rink and Ski Area
• Free Transit pass
• Eligibility to participate in the City’s Annual Wellness Challenge and a chance to receive prizes and cash rewards

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