Natural Resources Job Board

Stewards Individual Placement Program (STE) provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants work with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits building institutional capacity, developing community relationships, and supporting ecosystem health.

 

STE in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Region 2 (Southwest) is looking for individuals to serve as interns in the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Monitoring Project. LiDAR integrates the latest forest vegetation and ecosystem surveying technology into land management practices. Terrestrial LiDAR scanning (TLS) surveying and monitoring protocols gather empirical data to inform active habitat management on refuges. The techniques used in this project visualize and quantify fuel lodging changes in the interest of wildlife fire, forestry, and biology. The efforts mentioned support multiple USFWS priorities and informs the conservation, protection, and enhancement of habitats for wildlife and plants.

 

The Southwest Region of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages over 50 National Wildlife Refuges that support a wide variety of endangered species habitats. Our wildland fire program conducts near 100,000 acres of prescribed fire, mechanical, and chemical treatments for the benefit and protection of communities and habitat. The TLS monitoring project utilizes cutting edge LiDAR monitoring coupled with machine deep learning to understand the effects of these wildland fire treatments and to inform management processes. These individuals will travel amongst several wildlife refuges and conduct vegetation monitoring with LiDAR protocols and deliver the data for processing.

 

To learn more about the Terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging Monitoring Program from our 2023 LiDAR interns, click here!

 

·       Commuting to and from the Refuge Work Sites.  Operation of pickup truck and four-wheel drive vehicles on paved, gravel, and natural roads.

·       Communicate with field coordinator and refuge staff to ensure project objectives and coordinate logistics of randomized TLS monitoring plot location.

·       Collect Tier 2 vegetation plot information and conduct 3D mapping of plot with TLS equipment.

·       Transmit plot data to the Interagency LiDAR Monitoring system. 

Training will be provided on the proper use of the Terrestrial LiDAR System (TLS). Field Maps and Survey123 training will also be provided according to interns’ skill level.