| Public Land Name: | Fraser Experimental Forest, Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest | | Position Title: | Hydrogeologist | | Position ID Number: | 214 | | Location: | Fraser, CO | | Position Description: | The GeoCorps participant will be working with Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists (Riparian Ecologist, Hydrologist, Biogeochemist, Geomorphologist) to inventory springs and groundwater-dependant ecosystems on the Fraser Experimental Forest and surrounding areas on the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest (Byer’s Peak Wilderness and Vasquez Wilderness Areas), north-central CO. The participant will map springs and wetlands, conducting an inventory which will include data collection on flow, water chemistry, geologic setting, vegetation, and indicators of past and present beaver activity. This mapping will require extensive hiking throughout the Fraser Experimental Forest and surrounding wilderness areas. We are interested in the following question: How are springs and wetlands distributed relative to slope, aspect, elevation, distance to streams, and underlying geology? We are also interested in characterizing basic information about the springs and wetlands, including size, geomorphic features (e.g., indicators of past beaver activities), and hydrologic features (presence of channels, extent of standing water, flow). The inventory data will be used in the planning research on ecosystem services, potential impacts of climate change, and effects of insect-caused canopy mortality on water resources on the Fraser Experimental Forest and surrounding national forest. The spring and wetland data will be integrated into a GIS database. A completed Government security background check application will be required prior to starting this position. | | Qualifications: | Applicants must have a degree in the hydrology or geosciences, including basic coursework in geology, soils, and hydrology. Advanced coursework in these fields will make the applicant competitive, as well as some additional coursework in basic ecology. Applicants should be able to work well in both field and office environments with little supervision. This position will involve mostly outdoor work and require hiking in remote, high elevation areas and on rough terrain. The applicant should have strong map reading, orienteering, and GPS skills in addition to being able to operate a 4WD, manual transmission truck. The applicant should have basic Arcmap skills and be able to generate maps and work with GIS data. A government vehicle will be provided and the participant will be required to take a Defensive Driving Course prior to operating a government vehicle. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license and will be expected to provide a DMV report on their driving record in order to drive Forest Service vehicles. A private vehicle will be required in order to travel on personal time. | | Position Dates: | Late May - Sept; 11-12 weeks; start/end dates flexible | | Payment: | $2750; housing provided | | Housing Available: | Housing will be provided at no cost to the participant at the Fraser Experimental Forest, CO. Housing is a dorm situation, with separate kitchen and shower facilities. At the Fraser Experimental Forest, the dorm has 11 individual rooms, so the GeoCorps participant will have a private room, with bed, small desk/bureau and bookshelf. The dorm building has a small shared bathroom. An adjacent building includes a lounge with a TV, VCR, and DVD player. In another adjacent building is a shared kitchen. At any one time, the dorm may be full to partially full, so as many as 11 people would be sharing the kitchen, lounge, and bathrooms. The participant should be prepared to bring their own bedding. The kitchen is fairly well-stocked with an assortment of pots, pans, coffee-makers, dishes, silverware, the assortment has grown and changed over the years, but is adequate for general cooking and dining. No laundry facilities are available, so participants need to go into the town of Fraser (about 7 miles, good gravel road) to do laundry. Some photos of the facilities can be seen at http:www/fs/fed/us/rm/fraser. | Physical/Natural
Environment: | The Fraser Experimental Forest is located on the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest (ARNF) in north-central Colorado (http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/fraser). Elevation varies from 2,680 – 3,900 m, and about one-third of the forest is above timberline at 3,350 m. Climate varies strongly with elevation, with snow increasing and temperatures decreasing with elevation. Overall, the climate is cool and humid with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. Average annual temperature at Forest headquarters (2,745 m) is 0.5 °C, and frost can occur any month of the year. At headquarters, mean monthly temperature for January is -10 °C and for July, 12.7 °C. Annual precipitation at forest headquarters averages 584 mm (range 432-711 mm), and average annual precipitation over the entire Experimental Forest is 737 mm. Nearly two-thirds of the precipitation falls as snow from October to May. During the field season, rainstorms (with hail and snow early in the season) are typical. | | Work Environment: | The participant will work in the Fraser Experimental Forest and two adjacent Wilderness Areas, located near Fraser, Colorado. The participant will need a good pair of hiking boots, rain gear, daypack, and back-pack for occasional over-night hikes in the surrounding wilderness areas. Other field equipment will be provided. Some office work will be required to prepare for field work and to document all work; lab work will include preparation for water sample collection, some sample processing, and data entry (especially during rain-out days). | | # of current Applicants: | 13 |
If you have questions about the application and selection process, please contact Anny Jones. If you have questions about any aspect of the position — description, qualifications, housing, dates — please contact the primary or secondary contact below:
| | | SECONDARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | Carl Chambers | | Title: | Forest Hydrologist | | Street Address: | Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest
2150 Centre Ave, Bldg E | | City/State/Zip: | Fort Collins, CO 80526 | | Phone: | 970-295-6633 | | Email: | cchambers@fs.fed.us | | Website: | http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/ |
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