Youth Project Abstract Summary Winnemucca NV District Hydrology Internship.doc

Office: Winnemucca District Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: L22AS00306 Project Submission Dates and Times: June 16, 2022, 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Project Title: Hydrology Internship Maximum Available Funding in FY22: $37,200 Maximum Available Funding for Lifetime of Agreement (5 years): $186,000 2 crew members per year for 20 weeks. Each crew member will receive a living allowance of $600/week (equal to $15.00 per hour) for food, housing, and incidentals.

Project Background Information: The Winnemucca District Office manages 8.2 million acres of public lands in northwest Nevada for multiple uses, including mining, grazing, geothermal and solar energy production, and dispersed recreation. The area is typical of the Great Basin, with large desert valleys surrounding numerous mountain ranges up to 9,000 feet in elevation. The vast, sparsely populated area provides many do-it-yourself outdoor opportunities for recreation. This position is based in Winnemucca, which is by far the largest town in the District and has a wide range of amenities, including rental housing, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, Walmart, and entertainment offerings.

Crew members working on this project will support proper management of limited water resources through inventory and monitoring of springs, streams, and riparian areas throughout the Winnemucca District. Data collected will include water quantity and quality, streambank stability, vegetation composition, and vegetation utilization by cattle. Youth crews are vital to the District’s successful ability to complete priority riparian and aquatic inventory and monitoring work. Furthermore, it’s hard to overstate the importance of BLM partnerships with local organizations to create meaningful youth conservation jobs.

Project Objective: BLM, Winnemucca District, Nevada has an opportunity to introduce youth to careers in the BLM under a wide range of resource specialists and for them to help accomplish priority inventory and monitoring of springs, streams, and riparian areas that will benefit public lands. BLM specialists in hydrology, fisheries, range, wildlife, and ecology will guide the youth crews in completing the work, as well as providing insights into resource management and career opportunities.

Specifically, the youth crews primary task will be to assist with completing Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) surveys on stream channels and streamside vegetation on select sites throughout the District. These surveys are critical to providing information necessary for managers and landowners to adaptively manage riparian resources.

The District would like to provide a work experience to youth for their career and educational benefit. This will be accomplished by providing opportunities to gain experience, learn about public lands, further their understanding and appreciation of water resources, and pique their interest in hydrology, fisheries, or natural resource related careers. From this they will gain an increased appreciation and understanding of our public lands and of the value of public service and are likely to become life-long advocates for those values.

Work Schedule: Crews should anticipate working 40 hrs/wk and will generally work Monday-Thursday, 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM, for 20 weeks, with occasional work on Fridays. Flexible start/end dates in May/September.

Qualification Requirements: Applicants should have or be working towards a degree in biology, hydrology, fisheries, environmental studies, or related fields. Candidates with Master's Degrees and an interest in a career in public lands management are strongly encouraged to apply.

· Applicants must be US Citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts

· Ability and willingness to undergo a federal criminal background check is required

· Must have a valid driver's license, clean driving record with ability to provide required documentation; Driving record checks will be completed during on-boarding process. The ability to drive a BLM vehicle is required for this position.

· Ability to work as a member of a small group with minimal supervision

· Physically capable of hiking up to 5 miles across rough terrain while carrying field gear

· Ability to work long days

· Ability to take initiative, work independently, and participate in collaborative efforts

· Must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with resource professionals Preferred Skills:

· Knowledge of riparian ecosystems

· Knowledge of riparian and wetland plants in the Great Basin

· Experience collecting water quality measurements

· Experience using ArcGIS

· Experience navigating and driving in remote areas on unimproved roads

· Experience using handheld GPS devices Housing: BLM cannot provide housing but can assist by providing local resources for housing searches.

Vehicle Needs: A personal vehicle is NOT required for the position but is strongly encouraged as it makes the applicant's days off much more enjoyable. The closest airport is in Reno, Nevada (about 2.5 hours, 170 miles away). Other airport options are located in Boise, ID (about 4 hours, 260 miles away) or Salt Lake City, UT (about 5 hours, 350 miles away). There is an Amtrak Station in Winnemucca that travels to and from Reno, NV or Salt Lake City, UT on most days of the week. Winnemucca is also a reasonable size city for bicycle commuting. BLM will provide 4x4 vehicles or UTVs for all fieldwork.

Other Project Considerations:

Food: Crew members will be responsible for providing their own food for each day.

All Supplies: BLM will provide all necessary equipment for work in the office or field, including laptops, GPS units, tablets, satellite phones, radios, cameras, etc.

Training Requirements: All necessary training will be provided by BLM. Crew members will be trained in BLM Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) protocols. Springs and Stream Temperature monitoring protocol training may also be provided. Hands-on training including: field techniques, GIS, database management, UTV operation, First Aid/CPR, and plant identification will also be provided to all crew members.

Travel: Depending on training location, some travel (for up to 1 week) may be required to complete the MIM training.

Duties: Field work will be carried out by a team of two and at least 50% of the crew’s time will be spent in the field monitoring springs, streams, and riparian areas.

The successful applicant will assist the Winnemucca District with the following specific projects:

· Complete 50 miles of Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) surveys throughout the District

· Complete monthly groundwater monitoring of 10 piezometers in 4th of July Meadow

· Optional additional work could involve assisting with the District Stream Temperature Monitoring program and Springs Inventory program.

Field work includes completing surveys, data collection using field forms or tablets, and monitoring of hydrological resources both for management and research purposes. Office duties will largely consist of field preparation, GIS map making, data management, data entry, administrative work, and reporting findings to BLM staff.

This work is expected to occur over the course of 20 weeks in the spring, summer, and fall. BLM specialists will meet with crews in the field on the first few days of each project to ensure a good start and periodically throughout the season for quality control and to answer any questions.

Crews will often be working in remote locations without cell service, however radios and satellite phones will be provided. Hiking is often off-trail and the terrain can be steep, rugged, and slippery in the streams. Work often continues in a variety of weather conditions that are common in the Great Basin, including heat, rain, smoke, and wind. UTVs and trailers may be needed to reasonably access some remote locations and crews will be trained on how to safely operate all equipment.

BLM’s Involvement: There will be regular BLM programmatic involvement by BLM professionals that will work with the crews weekly or bi-weekly to ensure project objectives are known and complete, as well as providing information to crew members on the purpose of the work, relation to BLM management objectives, and career opportunities. BLM will also provide project orientation and hands-on training. The BLM will have the right to intervene by modifying the project work, if project is not staying on schedule, technical issues arise, etc.

Public Land Corps Special Hiring Authority: Crew members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a special hiring authority upon completion of their term of service. Qualifying crew members who serve a "minimum of 640 hours of satisfactory service on appropriate conservation projects as defined in the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 and at least 120 hours were served on a project utilizing the Public Lands Corps legal authority." Eligible crew members must meet standard requirements of completing at least 640 hours and utilize their certificate before the age of 30.

BLM Program Contact:

Field PO Name: Mitchell Vorwerk

Field PO Phone Number: 775-623-1763 Field PO Email: mvorwerk@blm.gov

Applicants are encouraged to refer to the full program announcement number L22AS00306 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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