Riparian Restoration Technician

• Project Duration
  :
  Approximately September 14th, 2026 – December/January 2026 (start and end dates flexible)
• Pay
  :
  Hourly compensation starting at $18.00/hour
• Location
  :
  Position would report to HCSEG office in Belfair, WA
• Hours per week: 40 (Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm; may at times require four tens Monday-Thursday 7am-5:30pm)

The Fall Riparian Restoration Technician will assist with the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group's Riparian Enhancement and Stewardship Project.

The Riparian Enhancement and Stewardship Project targets 8 watersheds throughout the Hood Canal region. The aim is to restore salmon habitat for threatened Hood Canal salmon, primarily by controlling noxious weeds and installing native vegetation. The successful applicant will be working with staff and field crews to learn via hands-on experience with power tools, performing stewardship activities, and using ArcGIS Field Maps for data collection.

Work will include invasive knotweed control along ESA-listed Hood Canal Summer Chum streams, native seed collection and cleaning, nursery work, planting, and planting site maintenance. Riparian technicians will have the opportunity to gain familiarity with Pacific salmonids, native plant identification, and riparian ecosystem and salmon habitat ecology.

Training provided, but applicants experienced in these areas preferred

• Applicant must be a dependable individual and work with a team
• Attention to detail and ability to use computer applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel
• Some familiarity of Washington native plants identification
• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs and maneuver through rough river and stream terrain at a relatively rapid pace
• Applicant must have a valid driver's license and dependable transportation.

• Mulching native plants, setting up on-site browse fencing, and watering native vegetation
• Chemical (herbicide), mechanical (brush cutter, chainsaw), and manual control of invasive plants
• Collect knotweed treatment location data on Hood Canal Rivers using ArcGIS Field Maps app
• Survey remote streams for noxious weeds, riparian habitat conditions and monitor past restoration sites
• Hiking through uneven terrain and thick brush in extreme weather ie. hot, humid, wet and cold
• Cleaning/maintaining field equipment on a regular basis
• Installing native plants using shovels and mechanical equipment such as earth augers