Roseburg Youth Invasive Plant Internship.docx

Office: Roseburg District, Swiftwater Field Office Notice of Funding Opportunity Number:

Project Submission Dates and Times:

Project Title: Roseburg District Invasive Plant Management Interns (Crew Members), Roseburg, OR Maximum Available Funding in FY22: $110,000 BLM has determined a $600 weekly stipend equal to $15.00 per hour is reasonable. Stipends above this amount must justify in budget narrative increase needed.

Project Background Information: The Roseburg District BLM is located in southwestern Oregon and ranges from the foothills of the Coastal Range to the west and the foothills of the Cascade Range to the east. Elevations range from 200 feet in the Umpqua Valley to over 4,000 feet in the mountains. The District encompasses a wide range of habitats including but not limited to oak woodland, coniferous forests, and chaparral communities. Land management activities on the District include timber, recreation, and aquatic restoration.

Nonnative invasive plant inventory, treatment, and monitoring are conducted in response to disturbance caused by project activities (e.g., fuels treatments), natural events (e.g., wildfire), and ongoing recurring activities (e.g., recreation). Invasive plant treatments are also conducted prior to project implementation (e.g., timber harvest) and as part of restoration efforts in aquatic systems and rare plant habitats. Interns would work in support of all aspects of the District invasive plant management program and be involved in program activities including inventory, treatment, monitoring, data collection, and data management.

Project Objective: Roseburg BLM has an opportunity to introduce youth to careers with the BLM in the botany and the invasive plant management program. Interns will be provided opportunities to gain field experience, hone their plant identification skills, further their understanding of ecological systems and plant community dynamics, and learn about public land management.

Interns will support all aspects of the Roseburg District invasive plant management program. Most work will be done in the field. Field work will include survey, inventory, treatment, and monitoring of nonnative invasive plant infestations. Treatments include manual treatments (e.g., pulling, lopping, grubbing), mechanical treatments (e.g., brush cutters), and application of herbicide. Office work will include digitizing polygons in GIS and data management in Excel and ArcGIS. Cross training opportunities will be available to support intern career development.

Work Schedule: Four 10-hour days Monday - Friday during the field season (April - September). Five 8-hour days Monday - Friday during the winter and shoulder seasons. Flexible start dates in February through April. Interns would serve for six months to one year, with 52 weeks of service preferred.

Qualification Requirements: This opportunity is suitable for youth with field botany experience or an academic background and/or interest in botany in conjunction with other natural resources field work experience. Prior invasive plant management experience is preferred but not required. This opportunity will require long hours outdoors and field work in sometimes rigorous physical conditions (e.g., steep terrain, thorny brush, inclement weather).

Applicants must also meet the following criteria: 1). Pass a DOI security background check.

Housing: BLM cannot provide housing but may be able to assist in locating housing. Ultimately, the intern will be responsible for securing their own housing. A housing stipend of $100/week is allowable to offset rental prices in the greater Roseburg area.

Vehicle Needs: BLM will provide a 4-wheel drive work truck for all job-related duties. The applicant will be required to have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record.

A personal vehicle is not required for the internship but is strongly advised and may be necessary depending on where the intern secures housing. A vehicle is also necessary to enjoy the local area including destinations in the Cascades and along the Oregon Coast. The ability to explore the region will make the intern’s experience much more enjoyable.

The closest regional airport is in Eugene, Oregon, but the nearest large airport is in Portland, Oregon (3 hour drive). Roseburg has a population of 23,000 and most amenities; the nearest larger cities are Eugene (170,000 people, 1 hour drive) and Medford (81,000 people, 1.5 hour drive).

Other Project Considerations:

Supplies: BLM will provide a computer, two-way radio, GPS unit, and all tools and personal protective equipment (work gloves, safety helmet, etc.) necessary for the intern to accomplish work assignments. Interns will be responsible for their own personal field gear (boots, backpack, hydration system, etc.)

Training: BLM will provide all necessary training including first aid, hand tool use, the use of brush cutters, and safe application of herbicide. Interns will be required to acquire an Oregon Department of Agriculture pesticide license while in the internship; training, study materials, and exam/license fees will be provided by BLM.

Travel, per diem, camping: Travel and overnight camping will not be required. No per diem will be required.

Duties:

Interns will work in support of all aspects of the District invasive plant management program and be involved in program activities including inventory, treatment, monitoring, data collection, and data management. Field work includes surveys, mapping of infestations using GPS, treatment of infestations, and monitoring of infestations and treatments to determine efficacy of treatments and future treatment needs. Treatment methods include manual treatments (e.g., pulling, lopping, grubbing), mechanical treatments (e.g., brush cutters), and herbicide application. The position requires accurate data collection in the field and the ability to follow all safety protocols including safe use of hand tools and application of herbicides, defensive driving on narrow and winding logging roads with timber haul traffic, and working safely in inclement weather conditions and on rough terrain. The successful youth applicant will have an interest in botany, invasive species management, and plant community dynamics. The intern will be expected to work both independently and in a team and will need to be self-motivated and demonstrate deductive reasoning skills in order to make good decisions in the field.

Office work will include digitizing polygons in GIS and data management in Excel and ArcGIS. Interns will collect and key out unknown plant species using dichotomous keys. The intern may also conduct literature searches and compile natural resource data using corporate and online sources. The successful intern will produce maps in GIS for use in the field and enter and QA/QC data in GIS and Excel.

The intern will assist with other projects as available, including grazing monitoring at North Bank Habitat Management Area, pollinator garden installation and maintenance, planting and seeding to support aquatic restoration sites, rare plant monitoring, and Area of Critical Concern botany resource monitoring. Cross training opportunities will be available to support intern career development.

The intern will work out of the Swiftwater Field Office, Roseburg District, in Roseburg, Oregon. The project will be coordinated by the District Invasive Plant Management Coordinator. Fieldwork will be done in a remote backcountry setting and requires strenuous exertion. Weather and terrain may be extreme (e.g., heat, cold, poison oak, thorny brush, ticks, and steep slopes).

Expected outcomes:

1. Survey 250 acres for invasive plant infestations

2. Treat 50 acres of invasive plant infestations

3. Monitor 50 acres of invasive plant treatments

4. Monitor five rare plant sites

5. Maintain one two-acre pollinator garden

6. Monitor grazing treatments on five 100-acre pastures

7. Plant native plant species and native plant seed at two riparian restoration areas

8. Treat and monitor invasive plant infestations at five recreation sites

BLM’s Involvement: There will be substantive BLM programmatic involvement by a professional botanist that will provide the intern with project orientation, daily direction, ongoing training for field and office work, and opportunities for cross-training with other departments as applicant interest and time allows. Career development will be a focus for the intern throughout the internship through project work, training opportunities, and feedback. BLM will have the right to intervene by modifying the project management plan if project is not staying on schedule, technical issues arise, etc. In addition, BLM and recipient will conduct periodic check-ins to discuss progress and track project outcomes; review any needs; and make decisions for what direction to take.

BLM Program Contact:

Applicants are encouraged to refer to the full program announcement number L22AS***** posted on Grants.gov for all program requirements and applicable terms and conditions. Recipients selected for awards will be required to adhere to those requirements should an award be made.

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