8-hour days: 80%
10-hour days: 10%
>10-hour days: 10%
In the field: 50%
In the office: 50%
Spawner/Redd Surveys: 10%
Post-Restoration Monitoring/Maintenance: 10%
Commuting To/From Field Sites: 10%
Habitat Surveys: 10%
LWD Installation: 10%
Education & Outreach: 10%
Volunteer Management: 10%
Invasive species monitoring and suppression: 10%
Snorkel Surveys: 5%
H2O Quality Monitoring: 5%
GIS Mapping: 5%
Data Entry: 5%
CMs will primarily focus on salmon and steelhead population monitoring, stream habitat monitoring, habitat restoration planning and implementation, and outreach activities (e.g. field trips with schools and public). Projects CMs will work on include spawner surveys in coordination with Mattole Salmon Group and CDFW, juvenile snorkel surveys, summer adult steelhead snorkel surveys, invasive species monitoring and suppression, and Salmon Creek (Headwaters Forest Reserve) stream gauge maintenance and data analysis (discharge/turbidity), wood installation habitat projects, as well as attending various workshops and trainings.
The BLM AFO manages approximately 200,000 acres in Northwest California, much of which is within the range of threatened Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Salmon, California Coastal (CC) Chinook Salmon, and Northern California (NC) Steelhead. BLM works to further the purposes of the Endangered Species Act by implementing programs for the conservation of listed species and their ecosystems. BLM responsibilities include determining the occurrence, distribution, population and habitat conditions on BLM-administered lands and monitoring and evaluating ongoing management activities. Given the remote nature of BLM parcels in the AFO, the distribution of anadromous salmonids and habitat conditions within drainages managed by BLM is not fully known. Apart from Headwaters Forest Reserve and tributaries to the Mattole River, most streams within the BLM AFO have not had salmonid habitat assessments conducted for over 30 years. CMs serving at this site help to fill this knowledge gap with updated information on fish distribution and habitat obtained through surveys.
CMs will be co-mentored by Zane Ruddy (fish biologist) and Sam Flanagan (geologist), who see CMs as an integral part of the BLM watershed team. At this site, Mentors interact daily with CMs, providing technical assistance and guidance as needed to meet the task at hand. CMs and Mentors work together directly on several projects and CMs are provided opportunities to work independently in areas that interest them most. We encourage an open line of communication to ensure they are meeting each Corpsmembers’ expectations both as Mentors and as a Placement Site overall.
CMs placed at BLM AFO will work on a wide range of projects across a highly diverse landscape, with habitat ranging from temperate coastal lagoons and estuaries to hot, dry, and rugged interior mountains. CMs will gain knowledge in vastly different watersheds and will work on both fish (e.g. population and habitat monitoring) and non-fish projects (e.g. stream gauge operation). Each day, CMs will work with two experienced BLM watershed professionals and other highly specialized multi-resource staff (e.g. botanist, forester, wildlife biologist, etc.), as well as government agencies, tribes, and non-profit organizations that share the same watershed restoration and fish recovery goals. These partners include the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Wiyot Tribe, Mattole Salmon Group, Mattole Restoration Council, and Sanctuary Forest.
Ability to work in rugged conditions (e.g. steep terrain)
Comfortable swimming/snorkeling in rivers
Ability to work long days and drive long distances