Hydrology Member - Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge and Beltrami Wildlife Management Area

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking one (1) Hydrology Member to contribute to a peatland restoration project under the mentorship of Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge and Minnesota Department of Natural Resource - Red Lake Wildlife Management Area Staff.

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* a 26 week minimum commitment is required*

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking one (1) Hydrology Member to contribute to a peatland restoration project under the mentorship of Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge and Minnesota Department of Natural Resource - Red Lake Wildlife Management Area Staff. The primary duty station for this position will be located at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Middle River, MN.

Work duties for this position will be split between the refuge and the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area, Roosevelt, MN. The refuge was established in 1937 and consists of 61,500 acres of wetland and upland habitats in northwestern Minnesota. The refuge lies in the aspen parkland transition zone between the boreal forest to the north and east and the tallgrass prairie to the south and west.

Twenty‑six wetland impoundments that range in size from 30 to 9,000 acres provide a variety of habitats for both nesting and migrating birds. Two natural lakes lie within 4,000 acres of black spruce‑tamarack bog that have been designated as Wilderness by the National Wilderness Preservation System. The remote MN DNR Norris Camp is located 17 miles southwest of Roosevelt, MN.

This historic location is surrounded by the Red Lake WMA. At 324,000 acres it is the largest WMA in the state. In 1942, Presidential Executive Order #9091 established the Beltrami Wildlife Management Area. Owned by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and managed under a lease with the MN DNR, some 87,000 acres of federal land are managed as a coordination area The habitat is defined as northern boreal forest.

Much of the area is peatland, including forested peatland dominated by black spruce and tamarack, and non‑forested sedge meadows, or sedge fens. Aspen, birch, and jack pine dominate uplands in the form of remnant beach ridges left behind by the receding glacial lake Agassiz. These globally important peatlands are the largest and most southerly located, in the United States. Roosevelt, MN is located in rural northern MN, it is approximately 65 miles from Agassiz NWR.

Agassiz NWR is nestled in rural Minnesota, it is approximately 25 miles from Thief River Falls, Minnesota, 55 miles from Grand Forks, North Dakota, and 77 miles from Bemidji, Minnesota, all of which have necessary amenities, such as grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, etc.

This position will assist with data collection, analysis, research, and summarization related to peatland restoration actions. Members will also have the opportunity to participate in other activities on the refuge and in the Wildlife Management Area. The primary duties will focus on surface and groundwater quantity and quality monitoring. This work will entail servicing, maintaining, and assisting in installation of water measurement equipment.

An important element will be utilizing software systems and programs used to collect, communicate, and record the data. Also, collecting water quality samples for laboratory testing, including preserving and shipping to the lab for analysis will be part of the assigned duties. Vegetation data will also be collected at the sampling sites to record plant species present.

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.

Duties will primarily be carried out Monday-Friday. Bi‑weekly totals should not exceed 80…