THIS OPPORTUNITY HAS CLOSED.

About NCASC: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Climate Adaptation Science Center (NCASC) is a partner-oriented institution.  NCASC manages a suite of eight regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs).  These centers and NCASC are designed to provide scientific support for natural and cultural resource managers, primarily at federal and state management agencies, as they address adaptation to climate change. 

Project Background: Recreational fishing dominates inland fisheries within the United States. In 2016, alone, more than 30.1 million Americans identified as freshwater anglers and spent $29.9 billion on freshwater fishing trips. Evidence suggests that recreational fisheries yield is more than ten times that of commercial yield in inland waters. Yet, the only nationally reported harvest from U.S. inland waters to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is commercial harvest from the Great Lakes. Given the importance of recreational fishing, this figure as a national summary statistic is misleading and may lead to undervaluation.  The overall goal of this project is to improve national estimates of inland recreational harvest to ensure that the important economic, social, and cultural services provided by inland angling are not discounted.

Position Description: The successful applicant will compile a database of creel and angler survey data for inland waterbodies from all 50 states and assist a team of NCASC fish biologists to develop a spatially-explicit model of recreational harvest using remotely-sensed and in-situ environmental data in a Bayesian framework and project response of recreational harvest with global change. The project will provide opportunities to collaborate with state managers to institutionalize this exercise, standardize national inland reporting to FAO, and provide an online platform to examine intra- and inter-state inland angling trends to inform fisheries management decisions.

Duties:

• Assist with data compilation tasks for creel and angler survey data nationwide;
• Develop a database to manage collected tabular and geospatial data;
• Assist in developing data products and standardization protocols;
• Assist in ensuring data compliance with NCASC data management requirements; and,
• Other activities as needed

Required Skills:

• Excellent writing and interpersonal skills;
• Self-starter and willingness to take initiative with minimal guidance;
• Familiarity with creel and angler survey data as well as basic database system design;
• Comfort learning new technologies and tools; and,
• Experience with ArcGIS is a bonus.

Eligibility: This is restricted to current full-time students and recent graduates (within 1 year of graduation). Only current US Citizens are eligible and any offer of employment may be contingent upon a favorable background investigation. All applicants will be judged based on their resume submitted by email. If NCASC determines your qualifications match the needs of their position, you will be contacted directly for an interview.

Salary: This position is paid within the general range of GS-5 to GS-9 (Step 1) of the Federal pay scale (see http://www.opm.gov/oca/12tables/pdf/DCB.pdf). Further details will be made available to qualified applicants.  Students can work a maximum of 30 hours per week during school and 40 hours per week when school is not in session. Hours are flexible.

Duty Station: NCASC is a unit at USGS Headquarters in Reston, VA. However, we are a virtual center and this position may be fully remote from any location.

How to Apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter describing education and work experience to Abigail Lynch, Ph.D. (ajlynch@usgs.gov). For full consideration, please submit materials by Friday, January 31. This position will close when filled.