Wilderness Monitoring Technician Lead

Wilderness Monitoring Technician Lead

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service Pacfish Infish Biological Opinion (PIBO) Monitoring Program, is seeking four Wilderness Monitoring Technician Leads (4 positions available).

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

May 4, 2026

October 13, 2026

Selected applicants will be placed in one of the following locations:

• Logan, UT
• St. Regis, MT

Members will initially report to Logan, UT for training and subsequently work out of remote duty stations in UT or MT. Field projects will take place in various locations on Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (NPS) lands in OR and WA (east of the Cascade Mountains), , MT, and northern NV. For more information about the Pac Fish Infish Biology Opinion (PIBO) monitoring program, .

The PIBO Monitoring Program is seeking to fill multiple positions to conduct one of two monitoring tasks on remote sites throughout the interior Pacific Northwest. Members will conduct either stream assessments or riparian vegetation monitoring on streams and adjacent floodplains located in the Columbia and Missouri river basins. Members are selected, and trained, to perform a single assessment role for the full length of the position.

Members are selected for either stream assessment or vegetation monitoring based on interest and prior experience. These monitoring efforts are used to help guide management on federal lands to conserve bull trout and anadromous fishes. The PIBO program collects data on approximately 450 streams each year.

This is a field-based job. Members will spend 95% of their time living, hiking, and working in remote areas with uneven terrain and inclement weather conditions. Members will work with Forest Service Fish Biologists and Biological Technicians to monitor watershed conditions on USFS, BLM, and NPS lands.

will conduct riparian vegetation surveys including green-line and riparian sampling transects, species-specific ground cover estimation, and native and invasive plant species identification. Members will make extensive use of regional dichotomous keys for plant identification.

will conduct stream habitat surveys including channel morphology, habitat typing, substrate measurements, large wood surveys, and potentially collecting benthic macroinvertebrates or identifying aquatic invasive species.

All members will also conduct long-term photographic monitoring throughout sites, measure stream gradient, collect environmental DNA (eDNA), deploy/retrieve in-stream temperature sensors in watersheds, and assist with extensive planning and logistics which involves mapping routes, finding campsites, and navigating to remote sites.

Highly qualified applicants will have experience leading crews conducting stream assessments or botanical surveys and coursework or experience in natural resource management, especially fisheries, water resources, and stream morphology (stream assessment positions) and using dichotomous keys for plant identification and coursework in botany (vegetation monitoring positions).

While working, members will be provided with camping gear including food storage, coolers, water purification, and cooking gear. Members will be responsible for providing their own tent, sleeping bag, rain gear, and other personal gear. Wading boots, waders, and personal protective equipment will be provided. Members will be responsible for buying their own food prior to leaving for field stints.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

For further information on the position, please review this Power point. It provides an in depth look into the day to day of the position.

The member should anticipate serving eight 10-hr days for each work hitch (6 subsequent days off), with potential to work holidays. Calendar can be found here.

Selected applicants will lead 3- or 4-person crews working 8 consecutive 10-hour days (Tuesday to Tuesday for most of the season) to conduct surveys, followed by 6 days off. During this time crews will camp in rustic dispersed campsites (no bathrooms or running water) in remote areas. Many sites will require backpacking into watersheds to set up a remote camp where surveys will be conducted.

Field surveys will involve extensive hiking and bushwhacking off-trail on steep slopes to reach survey sites in streams. Hiking to sites may involve hiking up to 10 miles in a day. Once at the stream, members will work in cold water, walk on uneven surfaces, and climb over logs while carrying field equipment. Members can expect to work in…