National Forest Research Assistant

Overview

Starting at $20.00/hour. This position also provides housing (if needed) and a vehicle for work-related travel.

Located in the beautiful Boise National Forests in Idaho, this position assists in collecting data for the USDA National Forest Service’s National Visitor Use Monitoring Program. The data collected through these surveys are used by the USDA National Forest Service to track visitation patterns and trends, estimate visitors’ economic impact, evaluate the condition of national forests and their recreation infrastructure, and estimate the amount of annual visitation of each national forest. We are looking for people to work between July through August, with full-time opportunities until the end of October. This is a year-round data collection effort, and there are opportunities to work part-time in the winter and full-time in May through October.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE TO BE GAINED
This position will provide many opportunities to learn about recreational use on national forest lands, data collection methodologies, and national forest management.

Responsibilities

Duties will include conducting on-site surveys with national forest visitors at various recreation access points including trailheads, campgrounds, lakes/reservoirs, resorts, etc. Survey locations and use levels change each day, so this position provides a great opportunity to see and explore national forest lands and interact with diverse national forest visitors.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must be motivated, organized, self-sufficient, great problem solvers, safety conscious, and enjoy talking and interacting with people whom they are unfamiliar. The bulk of work is interacting with national forest visitors and conducting face-to-face interviews, sometimes as many as forty per day—the average is around 6-8 surveys per-day. This is not akin to cold-call telemarketing. National forest visitors are generally interested and eager to provide feedback to aid in the management of the areas they use and love. This position occasionally requires the research assistant to spend time alone, sometimes in very remote areas in varying weather conditions. This position may also require the research assistant to camp alone in remote areas for multiple days. Because of these factors, it is imperative that the research assistant be able to navigate through remote, unfamiliar, and sometimes rough areas, and be comfortable camping alone and spending multiple days in the field.

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach:

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary

$20.00 Per hour

ADA

This position requires moderate physical activity, including the handling of average weight objects up to 25 pounds and/or standing or walking more than four hours per day. Employees are exposed to unusual elements such as extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises. The work environment involves exposure to potentially dangerous materials and situations that require following extensive safety precautions and may include the use of protective equipment.

College/Department Highlights

The S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources is nationally and internationally recognized for its research, extension, and teaching on natural and socio-environmental ecosystems. It is a high-impact college at Utah State University with over $15M in research funding annually, 55 tenure-track faculty in three departments, and close partnerships with federal and state natural resource agencies. The Department of Environment and Society uses the social, environmental, and interdisciplinary sciences to understand human-environment interactions at a range of spatial scales and to bring human considerations into natural resource and environmental management. Faculty promote people-centered solutions for sustainability transitions and climate change adaptations and deliver graduate and undergraduate education in environmental studies and social sciences, recreation resource management, and geography. Together we value inclusive practices, center socio-environmental justice, and work towards greater diversity of community.

University Highlights

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion, empowering people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. Utah State provides high-quality education to 27,500-plus students , including at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online educates students from all 50 states and 55 countries. For over 25 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns in all of Utah’s counties. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and scholarly activities, providing a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price.

Utah State is committed to cultivating a community ofwhere all perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named in 2023. about USU. 

The university provides a to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or

for its strong economy, fiscal stability, education, and health care. Outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities abound throughout the state, including five national parks, 43 state parks and recreation areas, and 15 alpine ski resorts. The home of USU’s main campus, , is a city of 54,000-plus people in a picturesque mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Logan metro area in the Milken Institute’s 2022 ranking for best-performing small cities in the nation.

*updated 04/2024

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Executive Director of the Office of Equity  Matthew Pinner,

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