Fire, Rehabilitation, and Cheatgrass in the Sagebrush Steppe
The Newingham Lab has an opening for a research assistant for the summer of 2014 starting May 2014. The goal of the project is to understand how fire, grazing, and post-fire rehabilitation interact with the environment to alter plant community trajectory, species richness, invasion by *Bromus tectorum*(cheatgrass), and the system's fire regime. Duties will include collecting plant community data and specimens in the field; data entry in Excel; spatial analysis using ArcGIS and remote sensing and other tasks as needed. Experience identifying plants is required. Experience with GIS and remote sensing is helpful, but not necessary. Our research team uses fieldwork, remote sensing, and spatial analysis to look for patterns in plant community assembly and use the natural gradients in precipitation, soil, and elevation to evaluate their effect on native vegetation, invasion risk, and fire. This is a great opportunity to learn about issues in sagebrush land management and interact with staff from the BLM and USGS. Research assistants will earn $9 - $11 /hr depending on experience. Location: Lab space will be in Boise with fieldwork conducted between Boise and Twin Falls. Duties: 5-8 days of fieldwork and camping in remote locations, collecting plant community data and specimens, data entry in Excel, spatial analysis using ArcGIS and remote sensing Experience with plant identification, GIS, Remote Sensing, and fieldwork are preferred, but not requisite. To apply, send a resume, unofficial transcript, and a letter of interest detailing your skills and experience and how you would contribute to the project to the Email address below. Chris Bowman-Prideaux (bowm9710@ vandals.uidaho.edu) Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences College of Natural Resources University of Idaho, Moscow
