Fish Health Biological Technician

Warm Springs Fish Health Center

Fish Health Biological Technician

Position Details:

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards) 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. Stewards in partnership with the Warm Springs Fish Health Center are seeking an intern who will work at the Fish Health Center located in Warm Springs, GA. The individual would work with fish health staff to conduct hatchery inspections, diagnostic testing, and complete day to day tasks in the laboratory. The intern will have the opportunity to travel to multiple Federal, State and Tribal fish hatcheries within the southeast region to preform annual hatchery inspections. Daily work would include becoming familiar with cell culture/virology, bacteriology, parasite identification/isolation, sampling/wild fish survey, triploid grass carp certifications, and ploidy testing. 

Position Responsibilities will include:

• Assisting with the laboratory QAQC
• Conducting fish health sampling for hatchery inspections and diagnostic cases
• Sampling fish for the National Wild Fish Health Survey
• Media preparation for bacterial and viral sample collection
• Preforming tasks that assist with the completion of viral, bacterial, and parasite identification assays
• Assisting with daily office cleaning and maintenance

Minimum Requirements:

• You must possess a valid diver license
• Willing to undergo and pass a required criminal history check.
• A strong interest in a career in natural resource conservation science.
• You must be eligible to serve in AmeriCorps State & National direct Service programs (must not have served more than 4 terms in AmeriCorps).
• You must be available to work a 40-hour week for the 26-week term
• You must be between 18 and 34 years of age.
• You must have received a High School Diploma or GED
• You must be a member of a federally-recognized Indian Tribe, Band, or Village; Alaska Native; or meet one of the following descriptions:
  • Persons who possess at least one-half degree Indian blood derived from Tribes Indigenous to the United States.
  • Descendants of Members of Federally-Recognized Indian Tribes, Bands or Communities who were residing on any Indian Reservation on June 1, 1934 – shown by completing BIA Form 4432.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrate an interest in fisheries management or microbiology

Benefits:

• Living Allowance: $600/week (pre-tax)
• Position is eligible for an AmeriCorps education award upon successful completion of the program. Value of education award is $3,246.50 (pre-tax).
• Student loan forbearance and health insurance
• Federal non-competitive hiring status through the Public Lands Corps upon successfully completion of the program (only those ages 18-30 are eligible for this benefit).

How to Apply:

Apply on-line at: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/WaterCorps-member-application  In addition to your resume, please submit a one-page cover letter highlighting why you are interested in this position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position.

If you have questions about this position, please contact Ashlie Peterson: ashlie_peterson@fws.gov or Stewards Program Coordinator Sierra Miller: smiller@conservationlegacy.org.

This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.