USFS Part-time Fellowship in Hydrology and Recreation in Southern California National Forests
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis, and this posting will remain open until filled.
USFS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is available with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) located in Davis, California.
At the heart of the U.S. Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the U.S. Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.
Research Project: The ORISE fellow will focus on the influence of drought on recreational site closures and demand in the National Forests of Southern California. Hydrological metrics will be compared to site-based observational data from the San Dimas Experimental Forest (SDEF). Hydrological metrics developed by the fellow will be used by statistical modelers on the project to predict visitation at water or snow-based recreation sites to explore whether swings in water availability from year to year (e.g. during drought) explain visitation changes. Ultimately, the candidate's datasets will reveal how shifts in climate might impact site visitation in the future due to displacement from lack of/lower water resources availability.
Learning Objectives: The fellow will learn about remote sensing hydrological approaches in Google Earth Engine (GEE) and other computational platforms to predict water and plant-stress related variables at large scales across four study forests. With mentor guidance, the candidate will also learn the basics of working with global climate model projection data in GEE, including temperature and precipitation.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is David Dralle (david.dralle@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: May 9, 2022. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for six months, but may be extended upon recommendation of USFS and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is part-time (5 hours a week).
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USFS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USFS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email USForestService@orise.orau.gov and include the reference code for this opportunity.