Position description: There is growing evidence that headwater stream ecosystems are especially vulnerable to changing climate and land use, but their conservation is challenged by the need to address the threats at a landscape scale, often through coordination with multiple management agencies and landowners. This project seeks to provide an example of cooperative landscape decision-making to address the conservation of headwater stream ecosystems in the face of climate change.
The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts, and the Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory, seeks a postdoctoral research associate to facilitate a structured decision making process at the HUC-4 watershed scale, with multiple management agencies, to frame their decision contexts in headwater stream conservation. Using this framing, the postdoc will develop decision-support tools, including predictive models of headwater stream habitat and species response, that agencies can use to design long-term management strategies, taking account of climate change and its uncertainty. In each of the HUC-4 watersheds (Potomac River Watershed, Merrimack River Watershed), we will work with management partners (USFWS, NPS, USFS) in a framework that mimics an LCC, but at a smaller scale. The successful applicant will be based primarily at the Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory in Turners Falls, MA, with periodic travel to Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland. Preferred start date is Fall 2013. Project leaders: Evan Grant, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory, Turners Falls, MA Mike Runge, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD Ben Letcher, USGS Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory, Turners Falls, MA Allison Roy, Assistant Unit Leader and Research Assistant Professor, USGS, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Amherst, MA Qualifications: Competitive candidates will also have one or more of the following qualifications: have a background in structured decision making and/or adaptive management, previous experience leading a collaborative research project, or skills in modeling, estimation, and optimization. The successful candidate will also have excellent writing and personal communication skills. Applicants are expected to have earned a Ph.D. degree in a relevant discipline, preferably within the last 5 years. Benefits: Salary and benefits as a University of Massachusetts employee is competitive, with support available for 2 years. Travel funds will be provided to support visits with study team members and outside cooperators, to attend regional workshops during model development, and to attend professional conferences. Application: Send a letter describing your background and experiences as they relate to this position, and a CV with names and contact information for three references to Evan Grant (ehgr...@usgs.gov). We encourage applicants to send the above by 30 August 2013. -- Evan H. Campbell Grant, PhD NE Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center NOTE NEW ADDRESS and PHONE: Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory, 1 Migratory Way, Turners Falls MA 01376 phone (413)863-2462 fax: (413) 863-9810 http://profile.usgs.gov/professional/mypage.php?name=ehgrant