USFWS Assistant Technician Snowshoe Hare

USNH Employees should apply within Workday through the Jobs Hub app

The Earth Systems Research Center (ESRC) of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) is looking for a field technician (essential staff) to assist field efforts on a snowshoe hare research project in northeastern Vermont during the summer of 2026 (~mid-June start date). The project is led by principal investigator (PI) Alexej Sirén (ESRC) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) with support from co-PIs from the University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts, and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. It will take place in the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Nulhegan Basin Division (hereafter Nulhegan), specifically within the towns of Brunswick, Lewis, Ferdinand, and Bloomfield, Vermont. The field season will last ~8-10 weeks and training will be provided by PI Sirén.

The effort on this study supports ongoing work within ESRC evaluating the effects of changes in snowpack and habitat on wildlife populations. Specifically, this project will evaluate the effects of ecological silvicultural practices (variable density thinning) on snowshoe hare demography and space use over a two-year period. We will also evaluate responses of other boreal forest obligates (e.g., spruce grouse) to these silvicultural practices. Our new project will build from our previous research (Influence of matrix habitat on snowshoe hare demography and Predicting hare microhabitats using drone-based LiDAR) and provide land managers information on the compatibility of alternative conifer regeneration practices with ecologically important wildlife species. Having an assistant technician for this project is critical for gathering new information on how snow-dependent and boreal species such as snowshoe hares will respond to global change.

Duties/Responsibilities

Live-trapping, handling, and collaring snowshoe hares (80%)

• Snowshoe hares will be live-trapped, radio-collared, and monitored via telemetry from mid-June through mid-August. All field activities listed below will be supervised by PI Sirén and the assistant technician will be trained by PI-Sirén and the lead technician.

  • The technician will assist with live-trapping efforts, including setting, baiting, and checking live-traps.

  • The technician will assist handling, ear-tagging, and radio-collaring (VHF and GPS collars) as well as the collection of morphological data and genetic data (tissue sample from ears).

  • The technician will assist with weekly telemetry surveys to obtain locations on a subset of individuals with VHF collars and assist with necropsy investigations on any deceased hares.

Camera and acoustic recording unit surveys (10%)

• The technicians will also learn a camera-trap (CT) and acoustic recording unit (ARU) protocol and establish sites within the study area. This fieldwork will mostly occur during hare surveys as CTs/ARUs will be located adjacent or within the snowshoe hare sampling sites.

Administrative work (10%)

• Technicians will be required to directly report to project supervisors/cooperators prior to leaving and upon finishing surveys, except when the supervisor is present. Communication will occur either in person or through email/phone during the evening to discuss work and plans for the coming day(s). All field data will be entered and emailed daily to the project supervisor if they are not present.             

Technicians will be responsible for traveling to and from the research station (from their place of origin), providing their own meals, and work clothing/gear. Housing and field gear required for surveys (e.g., GPS units and field notebooks) will be provided by the project and a federal vehicle will be available for accessing the field sites for trap setting and removal.

Requirements

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience:

• Undergraduate degree (BS) in wildlife ecology or a related field

• At least 1 season of experience live-trapping and radio-collaring mammals and performing radio-telemetry to obtain locations of radio-collared animals.

Required Licenses & Certifications:

• Valid driver’s license as they will be required to travel to and from the field sites.

• Take a defensive driver course, to be eligible to drive a federal vehicle for fieldwork.